Restore missing Run command in Windows XP

Posted on September 30, 2008 at 5:25 am

The Run command missing from the Start Menu in Windows XP? If so, you may be the victim of over-zealous IT administrators! Using what is called Group Policy, they can remove the run command from the Start Menu and there’s very little you can do to get the original one back.

However, that does not mean all is lost! When you’re talking about computers, there is always a workaround! So if your Start Menu looks like this with no Run command,

then you can still get a Windows Run box using some free tools out on the Internet. Of course, your IT Admin will not like this, but too bad!

RunMimic is tiny little freeware application that looks just like the Windows Run command and works almost exactly like it also. The most common commands that I use on a daily basis, such as regedit, msconfig, cmd, control, services.msc, etc all work perfectly!

You can even type in network shares like \\servername\sharename and access network resources. The great thing about the program is that it runs just by opening the EXE file, no install necessary, hence you can take it with you on a USB drive in case someone’s computer is locked down.

The only issue with RunMimic is that it requires that you install the .NET Framework, which is kind of a high requirement. Most computers will have this, but not all necessarily.

That’s when you can check out Run Dialog Replacement, a replacement for the Windows Run dialog without the need for .NET.

Both of these programs work great and will allow you to use most of the normal Windows Run commands. So if your Run command is missing or you cannot access the Run command, no problem, just download either of these two programs and regain access to the registry, msconfig, the command prompt, Control Panel applets, and lots more.

Also, check out my post on NirCmd, a free tool that extends the functionality of the command prompt. Enjoy! Source: DownloadSquad

» Filed Under Computer Tips

Comments

4 Responses to “Restore missing Run command in Windows XP”

PvPTime said on : October 10th, 2008 at 6:12 am

If you have missing RUN… No need you just can open notepad write >>> command.com <<> Save As <<>> RUN.bat <<< save and just open…

Doc N said on : November 12th, 2008 at 11:45 am

Aah but what if us overzealous IT admins have disabled the ability to run .exe files?

John said on : December 15th, 2009 at 1:29 pm

On my laptop, I have Windows XP and the Run command is missing. I have a virus that closes Computer Management in a few seconds and I can’t do anything! How can I get to the Run command?

Jason said on : January 22nd, 2010 at 4:52 pm

Thanks for the program and thanks to the 1st two comments also for their suggestions. We do have overly worried IT people at our office that try to block everything under the sun. Not sure what damage they think I will do with the Run command.