Batch file to open multiple instances of cmd and run Ruby script in each instance

Question

I'm trying to open multiple instances of cmd up which each run a ruby script at the same time. For background into the scripts, each of these ruby scripts run watir-webdriver and spawn new browser instances. All of this should happen instantaneously.

Here's what I've tried:

start cmd /k
cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
ruby script_1.rb
start cmd /k
cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
ruby script_2.rb
start cmd /k
cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
ruby script_3.rb

However, only two cmd prompts opened and in the second one it just sits at the C:\Users\test\Desktop and doesn't run the command. I commented out each of the three ruby commands and then ran it and it opened up all three cmd prompts.

Answer 1

Try next approach:

pushd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
start "1" cmd /k ruby script_1.rb
start "2" cmd /k ruby script_2.rb
start "3" cmd /k ruby script_3.rb