September, 2006

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I determine whether Terminal Services is enabled on a Windows Server 2003 computer? -- DD Hey, DD. You know, it turns out to be true: good things will come to those who wait. According to the front page of The Seattle Times...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a file which includes a number of file names. All of these names consist of a series of numbers followed by a .zip file extension; for example, 1234.zip, 5678.zip, etc. How can I write a script that locates all these file names...

Hey, Scripting Guy! We have an Excel spreadsheet that tracks the status of all our projects. In that spreadsheet the status for a project is indicated by a color assigned to a cell. How can I use a script to determine the color of these cells? -- AE ...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I run a Windows PowerShell script from the Run dialog box or from a shortcut? In the Run dialog box I type something like c:\scripts\test.ps1 but my script just opens up in Notepad. -- RS Hey, RS. We have just one thing...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I insert text into an existing Microsoft Word bookmark? -- WM Hey, WM. Believe it or not, this turned out to be the most difficult script the Scripting Guy who writes this column has ever had to create. Not because the script...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a dumb question for you: If I have two lists how can I verify that all the items in list 2 can be found in list 1? -- SS Hey, SS. Trust us; we’ve heard sillier questions. For example, awhile back the Scripting Son came downstairs...

Hey, Scripting Guy! In an Excel worksheet, how can I make the first character in each cell uppercase and the remaining letters in each cell lowercase? -- DW Hey, DW. To begin with, we hope you had a happy holiday season; you didn’t eat too much turkey...

Hey, Scripting Guy! In an HTA, how can I verify that all the characters are either A-to-Z (uppercase letters) or the digits 0-through-9? -- MB Hey, MB. You want to talk irony? Oh. Well, we’re going to talk irony anyway. In yesterday’s column we...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I locate all the folders on a computer that have \Archive\ASN\ somewhere in the path? -- AB Hey, AB. We hope this message finds you well. Perhaps you are surprised to hear from us like this; a mutual friend provided us with...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I copy a worksheet in an existing Excel spreadsheet to a new spreadsheet? -- TY Hey, TY. Before we tackle your question we wanted to note that, as we write this, the University of Washington football team has a winning record...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I determine if I have any Internet Explorer windows open to a particular Web site? -- N Hey, N. Before we begin the Scripting Guys would like to state, for the record, that we have never tried to obtain each other’s phone...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I get a list of all the databases on a SQL Server computer? -- ER Hey, ER. Before we answer your question, we’d like to take a moment to offer our opinions on all the major – and controversial – issues of the day. We can...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I delete all the users in an Active Directory group? -- AA Hey, AA. You know, that’s something we Scripting Guys never thought about: a script that could eliminate all the users in a particular group. The only problem we...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a folder which contains thousands of files, all numbered sequentially. How can I tell which file is the last file in the list? -- AC Hey, AC. You know, one of the fun things about being a Scripting Guy is that we get to spend...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I delete just the last line of a text file? -- AD Hey, AD. You know, it’s been a long, hard day here at Microsoft, one of those days when everyone and everything seems to be against you. Many people, when faced with a day...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I use Windows PowerShell to automate Microsoft Excel? -- MW Hey, MW. Yes, it’s true: the week of November 6-10, 2006 will be Windows PowerShell Week on TechNet, with the Scripting Guys presenting a series of webcasts (one...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I get a total page count for all the Word documents in a folder? -- RA Hey, RA. You’ll have to forgive the Scripting Guy who writes this column if he seems a little tired this morning. Yesterday was the first day of school...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I alternate row colors (using the green/white style) in an HTA? -- MK Hey, MK. You know, we almost didn’t answer you question. Not because it wasn’t a good question, but simply because – like all the questions we get – we...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I run a PowerPoint slide show from a script? -- IB Hey, IB. Talk about vindication! A couple years ago, when the Scripting Guy who writes this column first started messing around with Microsoft Office, he wrote a simple...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I look at a sequence of numbers in a text file and identify which numbers are missing from the sequence? -- TP Hey, TP. Don’t you know that it’s Friday? This sounds like a tricky question to answer, and the Scripting Guys...