Executing or Opening Control Panel Items
Sometimes you have to open or access Control Panel Items via a script or you want to open it for a remote client and it is kind of hard to come up with a command line to address that issue. Microsoft has posted in their MSDN website (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/En-US/library/bb419052.aspx) information regarding how to do this.
Most importantly, if your application wishes to open an item in the Control Panel you use:
WinExec("c:windowssystem32control.exe MyCpl.cpl", SW_NORMAL);
And if you simply wish to open something like the Printers and Faxes folder, take a look at this (obtained as is from the website mentioned above):
Legacy Control Panel Commands
When you use the WinExec function, the system can recognize special
Control Panel commands. These commands predate Windows Vista.
| control.exe desktop | Launches the Display Properties window. |
| control.exe color | Launches the Display Properties window with the Appearance tab preselected. |
| control.exe date/time | Launches the Date and Time Properties window. |
| control.exe international | Launches the Regional and Language Options window. |
| control.exe mouse | Launches the Mouse Properties window. |
| control.exe keyboard | Launches the Keyboard Properties window. |
| control.exe printers | Displays the Printers and Faxes folder. |
| control.exe fonts | Displays the Fonts folder. |
For Windows 2000 and later systems:
| control.exe folders | Launches the Folder Options window. |
| control.exe netware | Launches the Novell NetWare window (if installed). |
| control.exe telephony | Launches the Phone and Modem Options window. |
| control.exe admintools | Displays the Administrative Tools folder. |
| control.exe schedtasks | Displays the Scheduled Tasks folder. |
| control.exe netconnections | Displays the Network Connections folder. |
| control.exe infrared | Launches the Infrared Monitor window (if installed). |
| control.exe userpasswords | Launches the User Accounts window. |
Alternatively you can try something like:
::{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
That would open the Printers and Faxes if ran from the Start–>Run Menu. You can probably leverage this and use similar IDs for different things in Windows.
