Run windows commands from linux

Native solution

The official solution provided with Windows 10 Insider Preview Update (14951) is based on the almost forgotten binfmt_msc Linux facility for launching binaries. The registration command for the binfmt_misc would be like this (where /init is the provisional binfmt_misc «interpreter» for the win-executables):

sudo echo ":WSLInterop:M::MZ::/init:" > /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc/register

And then win-executable would be launched like regular programs:

$ export PATH=$PATH:/mnt/c/Windows/System32
$ notepad.exe
$ ipconfig.exe | grep IPv4 | cut -d: -f2
$ ls -la | findstr.exe foo.txt
$ cmd.exe /c dir

Not that any win-executable must reside in the windows (DrvFs) file-system — not on the Linux’s file-system (VolFs) — in order to inherit a proper Windows working-directory.

The cbwin alternative

Untill you get the latest build, project cbwin offers a workaround, by installing 3 new linux commands inside WSL:

• wcmd: call a win-executable through cmd.exe.
• wrun: call a win-executable synchronously with CreateProcess, and wait to die (not using cmd.exe).
• wstart: launch a detached (asynchronously) command (with the use of cmd.exe).

In order to use them, you must:

1. Install cbwin:
   • a new outbash.exe will be installed in your regular Windows filesystem (somewhere in your %PATH%), plus
   • the 3 linux-commands in the WSL filesystem.
2. Use this outbash.exe (wherever you installed it) to start WSL, NOT C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe!
3. Prefix any win-executables with one of those commands, e.g. wrun notepad.

Tip: If the executable launched with wcmd or wrun spawns any children, these survive only for as long that executable remains alive.

In other words, trying to start notepad.exe with wcmd won’t work, because notepad will be killed just after having been launched — Use wrun (synchronously) or wstart (asynchronously) in this case.

Winexe can be used to invoke remote Windows commands from Unix based system like Linux. Follow the steps below to build and install Winexe…

installation Steps

• Download winexe from sourceforge
• Copy source code to the linux machine for example: scp winexe-1.00.tar.gz user@linuxhost:/path/to/winexe
• ssh to the linux machine and extract the package you just uploaded in the previous step
• Go to source directory (for example cd source4)
• sudo apt-get install build-essential autoconf checkinstall
• wget https://gist.github.com/raw/843062/5bb87c4fa13688f65ca8b1e54fc42676aee42e5a/fix_winexe_service.diff
• patch -p0 -i fix_winexe_service.diff
• ./autogen.sh
• ./configure
• make basics bin/winexe
• sudo cp bin/winexe /usr/local/bin/

Syntax

The command syntax is: winexe -U DOMAIN/Administrator //server-name ‘command to execute’. Here is an example how to invoke the command: winexe -U mydomain/Administrator //windows-machine ‘ipconfig’ It will prompt you for a Windows password then prints the ipconfig information.

Notes

• If the patch did not work with you then you might need to manually edit the file service.c and change

<span style=«color: #008000;»>#define NT_STATUS_SERVICE_DOES_NOT_EXIST NT_STATUS(0xc0000424)</span> to: <span style=«color: #008000;»>#define NT_STATUS_SERVICE_DOES_NOT_EXIST NT_STATUS(0x00000424)</span>

• You might need to manually install the winexe service on the target windows machine by applying the following commands:

<span style=«color: #008000;»>sc create winexesvc binPath= C:\WINDOWS\WINEXESVC.EXE start= auto DisplayName= winexesvc sc description winexesvc «Server Monitoring Tool»</span>

About Author

Mohammed Abualrob

Software Engineer @ Cisco

If you have access to the computer, install an ssh server on it. On Linux you can use for example Overlook-Fing to find the IP of the computer. Then you type ssh username@ipaddress into the Linux shell. Then type the user’s password and you should have access to the computer’s Windows Command Prompt.

How do I run Unix commands in Windows?

If you are just looking to practice Linux to pass your exams, you can use one of these methods for running Bash commands on Windows.

1. Use Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10.
2. Use Git Bash to run Bash commands on Windows.
3. Using Linux commands in Windows with Cygwin.
4. Use Linux in virtual machine.

Can I connect to Windows machine from Linux shell?

VNC can be run from a stand-alone binary or installed. For RDP most Linux systems either already have rdesktop installed or it is available in the package manager. Using rdesktop you only have to enable RDP connections to your Windows system and then you will be able to use RDP for a full GUI Windows console.

How do I connect my Unix machine to Windows?

Start SSH and Log In to UNIX

1. Double-click the Telnet icon on the desktop, or click Start> Programs> Secure Telnet and FTP> Telnet.
2. At the User Name field, type your NetID and click Connect.
3. An Enter Password window will appear.
4. At the TERM = (vt100) prompt, press .
5. The Linux prompt ($) will appear.

How do I run a Windows script in Linux?

Run Windows tools from Linux WSL can run Windows tools directly from the WSL command line using [tool-name].exe . For example, notepad.exe . Applications run this way have the following properties: Retain the working directory as the WSL command prompt (for the most part — exceptions are explained below).

Do Unix commands work in Windows?

commands within your Windows scripts to add functionality and ease to your tasks. The beauty of cygwin is that you can use Unix commands to work on files on Windows systems.

Is Windows Unix command?

cmd.exe is the counterpart of COMMAND.COM in DOS and Windows 9x systems, and analogous to the Unix shells used on Unix-like systems. The initial version of cmd.exe for Windows NT was developed by Therese Stowell. The ReactOS implementation of cmd.exe is derived from FreeCOM, the FreeDOS command line interpreter.

How do I install RDP on Linux?

Install a desktop environment on your Linux VM

1. ssh [email protected].
2. sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get -y install xfce4 sudo apt install xfce4-session.
3. sudo apt-get -y install xrdp sudo systemctl enable xrdp.
4. echo xfce4-session >~/.xsession.
5. sudo service xrdp restart.
6. sudo passwd azureuser.

How do I install Chrome Remote Desktop on Linux?

You can set up remote access to your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. In the address bar, enter remotedesktop.google.com/access .
3. Under “Set up Remote Access,” click Download .
4. Follow the onscreen directions to download and install Chrome Remote Desktop.

How do I install Unix on Windows 10?

To install a distribution of Linux on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. Search for the Linux distribution that you want to install.
3. Select the distro of Linux to install on your device.
4. Click the Get (or Install) button.
5. Click the Launch button.
6. Create a username for the Linux distro and press Enter.

How do I log into a Unix machine?

Log into Unix

1. At the Login: prompt, enter your username.
2. At the Password: prompt, enter your password.
3. On many systems, a page of information and announcements, called a banner or “message of the day” (MOD), will be displayed on your screen.
4. The following line may appear after the banner: TERM = (vt100)

How to access a UNIX machine from Windows command?

COM2 is, by default, configured in a way that works well for a terminal (instead of well for the NT kernel debugger.) In later versions of Hyper-V, you can configure the COM port by using the following PowerShell command. In earlier versions, COM2 is the only COM port that will work for you.

Is it possible to run Linux commands on Windows?

Yes, it will save a lot of work! Here are some ways to run Linux commands on Windows. Step 1: Go to Update and Security in Settings. Step 2: Go to the Developer’s Mode and Select the Developer’s Mode option. Step 3: Open the Control Panel. Step 4: Click Programs and Features. Step 5: Click Turn Windows Features On or Off.

How to execute Windows commands remotely from Linux machine?

If you have access to the computer, install an ssh server on it. On Linux you can use for example Overlook-Fing to find the IP of the computer. Then you type ssh username@ipaddress into the Linux shell. Then type the user’s password and you should have access to the computer’s Windows Command Prompt. You could also use telnet but ssh is encrypted.

Which is the best way to install Linux?

Another way is to use a virtualization software and install Linux in it. This way, you install a Linux distribution (with graphical interface) inside Windows and run it like a regular Windows application. This method requires that your system has a good amount of RAM, at least 4 GB but better if you have over 8 GB of RAM.