first off, there is no "color" command for dos
you were right when you said you needed to use the ESC command ... hewres the list of attributes for changing dos parameters
Text Format
0 = Default Setting
1 = Bold
4 = Underscored(Monochrome only)
5 = Blinking
8 = Hidden
Text Color
30 = Black
31 = Red
32 = Green
33 = Yellow
34 = Blue
35 = Magenta
36 = Cyan
37 = White
7 = Black Text on White Background
Background Color
40 = Black
41 = Red
42 = Green
43 = Yellow
44 = Blue
45 = Magenta
46 = Cyan
47 = White
7 = Black Text on White Background
for example ... the following command sets a blinking text(5), appears red(31), against a blue background(44)
ESC[5;31;44m
parameter order isnt important, however each parameter must be separated by a semicolon.
One thing, make sure to use the ANSI set graphics mode escape sequence (m) to change screen attributes, it can have as many parameters as you like
Also there are commands for the dos prompt itself. The following command makes the drive and the dir in your prompt bold and blue, and the > becomes bold and red
prompt $e[1;34m$p$e[31m$g$e[0m