Using Batch Files to Make a Friendly On-Screen Ghost

Hello! This tutorial teaches you how to make a whimsical little ghost on your screen using BATCH programming! Have fun haunting your computer!

The first thing we need to do in order to begin creating our little pixel friend is to open an editor in which we can write a batch file. You can use either Notepad, or EDIT. I will describe the Notepad Method in this tutorial.

1. Click "Start" .
2. Click on the icon for Notepad, or type "Notepad" into the search bar.

This step may sound daunting, but I promise to make it easy.

Once you have opened Notepad, click in the text editing field and type:

@echo off

This line of code stops the program from enabling certain functions that could prevent it from working.

Now, copy and paste the following into your notepad:

PAUSE
cls
color 0a
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo                                              ************************
echo                  *********           *     I'm A Ghost! Boo!     *
echo                 ***********           ************************
echo               *************            **********
echo               *     *****      *          ******
echo               *     *****      *         ****
echo               *  *******   ***        **
echo               *  *  *****   *  *       *
echo               *  *  *****   *  *
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ***************
echo               ****    ***   ****
echo                 ***   **      ***
echo                   **   *       **
echo                     *           *
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
PAUSE
 









 

 

 

You can change what the ghost says if you want, I used "Hello!" as an example.

You can also change the ghost's color. This program makes a green ghost.
You can alter his color by changing the number and letter that follow the "color" line.


 

 

                                              

 

In order to run this program as a batch file, you need to save it in the batch format.

1. Click on the "File" Button.
2. Navigate to the file called C:\Users\Your Username Here
3. Save The File as "ghost.bat"

It is important that the file ends with ".bat"
It lets the computer know that you have written a batch file.

Now Open Command Prompt by

1. Clicking "Start"
2. Clicking or Searching "Command Prompt"

Note: Your ghost looks a LOT better in full screen, to make him full screen

1. Right click on the command prompt icon.
2. Click on "Properties"
3. Check the Full Screen Option
4. Click Ok.

Now,

1. Type cls and hit Enter
2. Type ghost.bat and hit Enter
3. Press Any Key...


And there is your ghost! You Did it!


Thanks For Reading This Instructable!