Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog

Hey, Scripting Guy! Quick-Hits Friday: The Scripting Guys Respond to a Bunch of Questions (11/20/09)

2009-11-20T08:01:00Z

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 Folders Within a Directory? Can I Use a Script to Connect to IPP Printers Through http://pserver/printer? The Real Answer to the Previous Question Troubleshooting a Windows PowerShell Script Using the Replace Operator Hey, Scripting Guy! I am learning Windows PowerShell...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Quickly Check Stocks with Windows PowerShell?

2009-11-19T08:01:00Z

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 that I can use to quickly retrieve my stock information without the need to open Internet Explorer and scroll down half the page to find a current stock quote. I wrote a Windows PowerShell script that opens a page in Internet Explorer and scrapes...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Use a Web Service to Find Weather for a Specific City?

2009-11-18T08:01:00Z

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 (your example), I am all set. I’m sure you can see this coming: I do not live in Sydney and therefore the script is useless. How about displaying a list of available cities so that I can figure out how to use the script? -- NR Hello NR, I am listening...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Use Web Services?

2009-11-17T08:01:00Z

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 Wilson here. We have had to batten down the hatches here in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the tropical storm formerly known as Hurricane Ida makes a guest appearance in our neighborhood. The 50-foot tall southern pines that inhabit my yard are doing their version...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Is There an Easier Way to Work with XML Files?

2009-11-16T08:01:00Z

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 get away from it. Surely, there must be a better way to work with XML than to go cross-eyed looking at all those slashes and angle brackets! Can you throw a fellow a bone? -- TS Hello TS, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. It is Friday in Charlotte,...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Quick-Hits Friday: The Scripting Guys Respond to a Bunch of Questions (11/13/09)

2009-11-13T08:01:00Z

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 Windows PowerShell Dealing with Quarantined File Types and Exchange Server Hey, Scripting Guy! I have spent most of this week Googling, experimenting, and fighting with Exchange 2007. The problem I have been working on was caused by one of my colleagues who came...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Create Variables in Windows PowerShell?

2009-11-12T08:01:00Z

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 PowerShell? Please tell me you haven’t made it harder. -- TL Hello TL, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. Today has been a very eventful day for me. I have had four meetings—all of which were essential. One meeting in particular, the meeting...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Can I Change on the Fly the Way Windows PowerShell Functions Work?

2009-11-11T08:01:00Z

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 the computer across the room and see how the function works, but rather I want to modify what the function does based upon information I give it. Can I do this? -- LK Hello LK, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here, I can sympathize with the desire...(read more)

New! On-demand translation of our blog!

2009-11-10T18:55:00Z

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 Chinese Traditional Czech Danish Dutch English French German Greek Hebrew Italian Japanese Korean Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Swedish Thai Just choose the version of "Translate this page" from the drop-down list that is in the language in which you want...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Create a Custom Function?

2009-11-10T08:01:00Z

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 TOO MUCH TYPING. I would love to be able to shorten some of the commands, but I do not think that is possible. -- DR Hello DR, Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here, it is a cold day in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States. The sky is clear,...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Tell Me About Aliases in Windows PowerShell

2009-11-09T08:01:00Z

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 things, but it is quite a bit of typing. Yes, it is shorter than writing a VBScript to return the same information, but did you have to make everything so long? And by the way, while I am whining, I hate typing the hyphen. It is too hard to find on...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Quick-Hits Friday: The Scripting Guys Respond to a Bunch of Questions (11/6/09)

2009-11-06T08:01:00Z

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 to Distinguish Between Versions of Windows Server 2008? How Can I Determine the Drive Letter of My CD-ROM Drive? Using the Active Directory DirectoryEntry Class Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been writing some scripts for Active Directory, and this past weekend I ran...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Can I Start an Event Based on When a Registry Value Is Changed?

2009-11-05T08:01:00Z

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 software is successfully installed, I want to install a subsequent piece of software. And after this is done, I will reboot the computer. I have tested this technique in our lab, and I am able to postpone the reboot. I have tried pausing the execution...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Can I Format a Portable Drive When It Is Inserted Into a Computer?

2009-11-04T08:01:00Z

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 on my corporate standard desktop. The problem is that I now have more than a dozen portable USB drives, some of which are continually connected, and others that I shuttle in and out of my computer on an hourly basis to transfer files from one computer...(read more)

Hey, Scripting Guy! Can I Be Informed When a Portable Drive Is Added by My Computer?

2009-11-03T08:01:00Z

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 it has already been a rather interesting week. I bought a new computer and loaded Windows 7 over the weekend. My new computer is hot. I loaded it up with 8 GB of RAM, 4 processor cores, and a solid-state boot drive for the operating system. I practically...(read more)