title: What is the native way to create a shortcut (.LNK file) from the Windows XP command line?
body: <h2>EDIT!</h2>
  
  <p>Sorry to change the question on everyone, but I am really just asking:</p>
  
  <p>How do I create a shortcut (.LNK) file from the command line with as little outside help as possible?  I really don't want to run a VBscript or to download a program to do it for me.  Is it really <strong>that</strong> hard?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks to everyone who provided exceptional answers when I didn't really know what I was asking yet!</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>The original title of this question was:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Windows equivalent of Unix ln -s for
    creating shortcuts from the command
    line?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The original question text of this question was:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>On *nix, I can create a symbolic link
    to a file very easily from the command
    line using <code>ln -s</code>.</p>
    
    <p>How do I <strong>natively</strong> create a
    shortcut to a file using the Windows
    XP command prompt?</p>
    
    <p><sub>Note: <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/346107/creating-a-shortcut-for-a-exe-from-a-batch-file">This</a> is not the
    approach I want to take.  I want to do
    it the way Windows does it.  I want to
    do it the right way.</sub></p>
  </blockquote>