November, 2009

Hey Scripting Guy! I have a problem. There is a registry key on several computers that has a default value of “default.” I need to be able to change that default value. I searched the Hey, Scripting Guy! blog and came up with an article written for VBScript...

In this post : Please Clarify This Script You Published Previously How Can I Report a Bug I Found in the Windows PowerShell ISE? How Can I Close an Open Folder on a Network Drive? Can I Automate the Scheduling of Offline File Tasks? ...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been reading your articles about working with Windows PowerShell profiles, and they are pretty cool. However, I have a question. You mentioned on Monday that I could add a function to a Windows PowerShell profile. I am not sure...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I enjoy using Windows PowerShell, but I do not like the two-word cmdlet names you created for everything. As a matter of fact, I hate the two-word cmdlet names because the dash (-) symbol is hard to type. I guess I will eventually...

Hey, Scripting Guy! Okay, I get that I can create a profile for Windows PowerShell. What I don’t understand is why I would want to create a profile in the first place. It seems to me that Windows PowerShell 2.0 works just fine the way it is. Can you enlighten...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I would like to personalize the way that Windows PowerShell works. I have been hearing that I can use a thing called a profile to do this, but when I try to find information about profiles, I come up blank. There is no New-Profile...

In this post : Troubleshooting a Windows PowerShell Script Using the Replace Operator How Can I Get a List of Certificates and Their Expiration Dates? Can I Change a Registry Value on 200 Computers? Can I Use Windows PowerShell to Delete...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a customized MSN home page. I really like the new layout, but it is rather inefficient to open Internet Explorer, and wait for a few minutes just to check out the latest stock prices. What I need is a Windows PowerShell script...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I thought your script yesterday was pretty cool, but there is a problem with it. Retrieving the weather from a script is awesome; however, I need to know which cities are available. If I want to know the weather in Sydney, Australia...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I remember reading about things called “Web services” a long time ago. It seems that I do not hear much about these anymore. Do they really exist, and if so what are they good for? -- GK Hello GK, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a file that I need to parse. It is an XML file, and it is very ugly. Who in the world ever thought that an XML file would be better than a plain CSV file? Unfortunately, Microsoft seems to be enamored with XML, and I cannot...

In this post : Dealing with Quarantined File Types and Exchange Server Scanning Multiple Remote Computers and Creating a Resultant CSV File How Can I Check for the Latest Daylight Saving Time Update? Troubleshooting the Use of WSMan with...

Hey, Scripting Guy! In VBScript, it was easy to create a variable; all I had to do was use the DIM statement. I did not need to specify a type or a value or anything. I just used DIM and the variable would be created. How do I create variables in Windows...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have started using functions in Windows PowerShell to encapsulate complex commands, and it works pretty well. However, I would like to be able to change the way the functions work on the fly. By this I do not mean that I will throw...

You may have noticed something new about the Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog today (very top of the page): If you would prefer to read this blog in another language, you can now do that--on demand! Available languages are: Arabic Chinese Simplified...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I am getting tired of typing the long commands used in Windows PowerShell. I know you Scripting Guys seem to show people always typing commands inside the Windows PowerShell console, but I do not think I like to work that way. It is...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been playing around with Windows PowerShell 2.0 in Windows 7 and I think that I like it. However, it seems to require an awful lot of typing. The double command names, such as Get-Process , are somewhat helpful for remembering...

In this post : Using the Active Directory DirectoryEntry Class How Can I Run a Script Whenever a New USB Drive Is Attached to a Computer? Making a Specific Windows PowerShell 2.0 Script Work with Windows PowerShell 1.0 Can I Use VBScript...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I need to be notified when a particular registry key value gets changed. The registry value is in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive. What I am trying to accomplish is this: I am using a script to install software. After the first piece of...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I work with portable USB drives all the time. These are used for backup purposes, for temporary storage, for Sneakernet , and as a means to work with extremely large files that I do not want cluttering up the small hard disk drive...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I would love to be able to write a Windows PowerShell script that will inform me when a portable drive is added to my computer. Do you have ideas you could suggest? -- RC Hello RC, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. Well...

Hey, Scripting Guy! I have a problem at work. It is not with the pointy-headed boss, but I believe the problem is probably related to him anyway. There is this application that runs on a workstation in our computer room. It is not a client server application...