Version:

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions asked about this software:

Who is the author of the software available on this web site?
What is the experience of the authors of the software?
Can you customize this or other software for my specific needs? (for my organization)
Does this software run on Windows 10?
Is this software compatible with older versions of Windows?
Why is this software free? Will you start showing me popup ads or anything of that nature?
How can I be sure that your software doesn't log what I type?
If this software is free why don't you make it open-source?
How do I find settings window for the Command Line Clipboard software?
Does the software support silent installation?

Answers

Who is the author of the software available on this web site?
Every software product available for downloading on this website was designed and coded by a trusted team of developers lead by Dennis A. Babkin. For authenticity and to provide better trust for our users we code-sign our executable files with Dennis' personal digital certificate.

To check authenticity of any of our executable file, right-click it (.exe, .msi or .dll files only) and go to its Properties. Then switch to Digital Signatures, and make sure that the signer (or publisher) on the certificate is Dennis A. Babkin. Then highlight it, click "Details" and make sure that "Digital Signature Information" is shown as "This digital signature is OK."

This is how you can make sure that the software is genuine, that it was not tampered with and that it came unaltered from our developers. We always stand by all of our signed files.

In case an exectuble file that "claims" to have been downloaded from our site does not pass any of the steps of the digital signature verification outlined above, DO NOT run that file and notify us about it!
What is the experience of the authors of the software?
Our software developers have a wide range of skills including: C, C++, MFC, Objective-C/Cocoa/Cocoa Touch, C#, ASP.NET, HTML/DHTML, JavaScript, VBScript, PHP, SQL/MySQL, ActionScript, x86 Assembly, and much more. We also have a full set of design and graphics skills with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and more.
Can you customize this or other software for my specific needs? (for my organization)
Yes. Contact us via feedback. We offer a wide range of custom programming. Please note that such service is not free.
Does this software run on Windows 10?
Yes, it does, although Windows 10 already has a built-in support for Clipboard keyboard shortcuts for command line windows. Still, you can use this software to add additional keyboard sequences to the ones that are already available. For instance, once you download and install Command Line Clipboard software you can configure it to process Ctrl+Shift+V as a paste command, etc. Note that in this case the software will add keyboard shortcuts to the ones already implemented by the operating system.
Is this software compatible with older versions of Windows?
It depends on how far back you want to go. We tested it to run on Windows Vista, as well as on Windows XP SP3.
Why is this software free? Will you start showing me popup ads or anything of that nature?
No, we won't. This software will not show any popup ads, notifications, or any UI in that matter. It is completely transparent UI-wise. To change its configuration you will have to manually click on its settings UI link in the Start menu.

I can also promise that the Command Line Clipboard software will not modify your web browser or any other software on your system. It is not designed to do any of that.

So that out of the way, let me answer why this software is free. I developed it primarily for my own use, as I often had to work with the administrative command prompt, and it bugged a heck out of me that Microsoft did not put default Clipboard shortcuts into it. Every time I instinctively hit Ctrl+V to paste something into it, I'd get an annoying "^V" pasted instead. Arghh!

I searched online and did not find a solution. So I decided to make one myself. When I started coding it I soon discovered why I didn't find it - in despite of the simplicity of the task, the implementation of the Microsoft's console window was such that adding this feature turned out to be quite difficult. Or in other words, I succeeded after having done an extensive research and having tried many methods, most of which had failed. But in the end I found a solution and the final software seems to work, although again, I had to jump through quite a lot of hoops to make it work right.

I was very pleased with the final product. I install it on all of my Windows machines that I work with. You wouldn't believe how having simple Clipboard shortcuts really makes working with command line windows easier. But since I needed this to be done for myself I technically coded it "for free." I later decided to upload it to this website so that others could benefit from it. There's really nothing that one can add to this software to make it commercially viable, thus I'm giving it off for free.

But in case you like it and want to donate to our further research and development, or just as a thank-you note, here's the link to do it.
How can I be sure that your software doesn't log what I type?
You'll have to trust me on this one. Or, look at it this way. This software is digitally signed with the signature that bears my name and address, I post this software on my web site that has my name attached to it. Would I be interested to spread malicious software with that approach?

For those who are interested in more technical details, I'll give you the basics of how this software operates. It checks what window is currently receiving the keyboard input and ignores it if it is a window other than the console one. (That is how Microsoft calls DOS-like windows that many people refer to as "command prompt" or "command line" windows.) If the keyboard input is intended for a console window the software will check for the specific keyboard sequence that it is designed to process, i.e. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, or Shift+Arrow Keys for selection. (Or whatever keys you might have instructed it to override in the settings.) The software will pass on any other key sequence that it does not need. On the other hand, if it encounters the correct keyboard sequence, it will block it from passing on to the console window, and then initiate an appropriate command, such as copy, paste or select. And that is it. The software will never log or store those keys anywhere but temporarily in RAM while processing them. And when it's done processing a key sequence, all contents of RAM will be discarded.

Also if you're interested, the software service running in the background will never attempt to connect to any web server or in any way attempt to use your network or Internet connection. In other words, it doesn't "phone home." The only time the software may try to connect to the Internet is when you manually invoke any of the help menu commands in its settings window to bring up an online manual, to submit a bug report, or to contact our support team. These Internet connections are designed to do only what their names suggest.
If this software is free why don't you make it open-source?
I'm not going to lie to you, by its nature this software can be used for some malicious purposes if its source code gets into the wrong hands. And only because of that, we will not release it. We will continue to maintain this software and its security and will always provide the final product for free.
How do I find settings window for the Command Line Clipboard software?
If the software was installed with its default configuration, the settings window will be available in the Start menu. Depending on your version of Windows (and believe me, Microsoft doesn't make this part easy) look in the "All Programs" section of the Start menu, under "Command Line Clipboard" heading. You can also search for "Command Line Clipboard" in the Start menu. Then click it, and pick "Command Line Clipboard - Settings" to bring up the settings window:

In case you cannot find "Command Line Clipboard" line in the Start menu, such option was probably not installed originally. Here's how you can add it:
- Hit WindowsKey+R on the keyboard, or type run in the Start menu search, to bring up the run dialog.
- Type the following and click OK: control appwiz.cpl
- In the "Programs and Features" window find "Command Line Clipboard" line and select it. Then click "Change" to start the setup wizard.
- In the "Command Line Clipboard Setup" window click Next, and then pick "Change" option that "Lets you change the way features are installed."
- Make sure that the option for "Start Menu Shortcuts" is set to be installed on the local hard drive:
- Click Next and then Change to finish the installation. Then click Finish to close the setup wizard window.
- At this point the Start menu's "All Programs" section should contain "Command Line Clipboard" line as was described above.
Does the software support silent installation?
Yes, absolutely. You can use the installer for the Command Line Clipboard software to perform "silent" installation, re-installation and uninstallation in case you need to do it on multiple computers, or on a local network using Windows Active Directory and Group Policy Objects (or GPOs.) The "silent" installation does not display any user interface and installs the software "quietly" in the background.

First download the .msi installer file and then use one of the following command line calls:

Note that administrative user privilege is required to run the following commands.
- To install the software with default features (i.e. to install the program itself, and to add its Start menu shortcuts):
  msiexec.exe /qn /i "path-to-clcInstaller.msi"
- To install the software with specific features, or to add them later:
  msiexec.exe /qn /i "path-to-clcInstaller.msi" ADDLOCAL=<Features>
  
  where, <Features> is a comma-separated list of the following features that you'd like to install:
  - MainProgram - for software files themselves (must be specified, used implicitly)
  - ShortcutsStart - for Start menu shortcuts
  - ShortcutsDesktop - for user desktop shortcut
- To remove specific features when the software is already installed:
  msiexec.exe /qn /i "path-to-clcInstaller.msi" REMOVE=<Features>
  
  where, <Features> is a comma-separated list of the features that you'd like to remove (see above.)
- To uninstall the software:
  msiexec.exe /qn /x "path-to-clcInstaller.msi"
  
  Note that in this case the path-to-clcInstaller.msi must point to the installer of the same version that was used to install the software.
  
  Alternatively you can use the following command line to uninstall the software:
  msiexec.exe /qn /x {GUID}
  
  where, {GUID} is the installation ID that you can get from the installed version of the Command Line Clipboard software by opening up its settings window and by going to Help -> About in the main menu.