Execute a command from cmd in a batch file

cmd /C

Including the /C switch on the cmd invocation feeds the rest of the batch file as commands to be executed in the new prompt.

Start a command-line prompt in a specific directory (XP)

I got tired of doing "cmd, cd" over and over, so I experimented and found a way to open a cmd in a specific directory. Put the following into a batch file:

cd "C:/path/to/dir"

cmd

Throw the batch into C:\WINDOWS\system32 and give it a name. Now you can do Win + R, name, and your cmd will launch, already in the proper directory.