Telnet is a command line tool designed for remote server administration using the command prompt. Unfortunately, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 do not have the Telnet client installed when installing the operating system. Before you can take advantage of the potential of this tool, you will need to install it first. This tutorial shows the procedure to follow.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Installing Telnet
Step 1. Open the Control Panel
By default by Microsoft, Telnet is not installed during the installation of Windows 7. You will therefore have to proceed with the manual installation to be able to use it; to do this you will need to use the Windows Control Panel, which is accessed from the Start menu.
Step 2. Select the “Programs and Features” or “Programs” item
The link to select varies according to the type of view chosen for the Control Panel: by icons or by category. Either way, both links will lead you to the same result.
Step 3. Select the item “Turn Windows features on or off”
You may need to enter the admin user password.
Step 4. Locate the “Telnet Client” entry
Inside the panel that appeared, there will be a list of all the customizable features of Windows. Scroll down the list and select the check button next to “Telnet Client”. At the end press the "OK" button.
You may have to wait a few minutes for Windows to install the Telnet client after selecting it
Step 5. Install the Telnet client using the Command Prompt
If you prefer to use the Windows Command Prompt, you can proceed to install the Telnet client with a simple command. First of all, open the Command Prompt by typing the command "cmd" in the "Open" field of the "Run" panel. From the Command Prompt window type "pkgmgr / iu:" TelnetClient "" (without quotes), then press the "Enter" key. After a few moments you will be redirected back to the Command Prompt window.
In order to use the Telnet client you will need to restart the Command Prompt
Part 2 of 2: Use the Telnet Client
Step 1. Access Command Prompt
The Telnet client runs from the Windows Command Prompt. To open the Command Prompt window, use the hotkey combination "Windows + R", then type the command "cmd" (without quotes) in the "Open" field of the "Run" panel that appears.
Step 2. Launch the Telnet client
In the Command Prompt type "telnet" (without quotes), then press the "Enter" key. The Command Prompt will be temporarily hidden to make room for the Telnet client command line labeled "Microsoft Telnet".
Step 3. Connect to a Telnet server
From the command line of the Telnet client, type the following command: “open [server_address] [communication_port]” (without quotes). When you receive the welcome message sent by the server you will know that you have successfully established the connection. In some cases, instead of seeing the welcome message, you will be asked to authenticate with your username and password - this will also be a confirmation of the connection.
- For example, to view Star Wars in ASCII format, type the command “open towel.blinkenlights.nl” (without quotes), then press the “Enter” key.
- You can establish a Telnet client connection directly from the Command Prompt using the following command: “telnet [server_address] [communication_port]” (without quotes).
Step 4. Close the Telnet session
When you have finished administering your Telnet server, close the connection before closing the client window. To do this, press the "Ctrl" key from the Telnet command line. Type the command "quit" (without quotes), then press the "Enter" key to close the connection.
