Scripting Blog

A place to learn about PowerShell and share stories of automation

Windows PowerShell, Invalid Certificates, and Automated Downloading

Summary: If a trusted website has an expired or self-signed certificate, you must ignore the error to use Windows PowerShell with the website.   Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. Years ago I used to teach MCSE training classes and one of my favorites was a course on troubleshooting. Because I was a consultant by day and instructor ...

Weekend Scripter: Where.exe—The What, Why, and How

Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. The sounds outside seems amplified by the inky darkness that grudgingly gives way to the early morning sun. I am sitting on the front porch sipping a cup of English Breakfast Tea, munching on a freshly baked cinnamon scone, and hanging out on Twitter via my laptop. Having wireless access throughout our ...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Copy Group Memberships from One Computer Account to Another in Active Directory Domain Services?

  Hey, Scripting Guy! I want to be able to copy the group memberships from one computer account in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) to another computer account in AD DS by using Windows PowerShell 2.0 and Active Directory cmdlets. It would be great if the script would also prompt me before copying each group to the targeted ...

Hey, Scripting Guy! How Can I Use Windows PowerShell to Identify Inactive User Accounts in Active Directory Domain Services?

Hey, Scripting Guy! I need to use Windows PowerShell to identify inactive user accounts in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). I used to have a VBScript script that I would use, but I would like to be able to use Windows PowerShell 2.0 and the new Active Directory cmdlets that come with Windows Server 2008 R2. Is this something that can...

Hey, Scripting Guy! Weekend Scripter: How Can I Create, Display, and Then Delete a Temporary Text File?

  Microsoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here, it’s a good thing I enjoy getting up early on weekends. To me, because I get up early during the week, it makes sense to get up early on the weekend and get busy doing things that I want to do. One of the things I like to do early on weekend mornings is hang out on Facebook and Twitter for a...