Scripting Blog

A place to learn about PowerShell and share stories of automation

How Can I Return a List of Downloaded Controls and Applets for Internet Explorer?

Hey, Scripting Guy! Is there an easy way to find out what programs have been downloaded for Internet Explorer (the items that are in the folder C:\Windows\Downloaded Program Files)? I can use a script to get the executable file names and dependent files, but I’d like to be able to get the names as they are shown in the folder itself.-- AC...

How Can I Grab a URL From the Clipboard and Then Open That Web Site in a Browser?

Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I grab a URL from the clipboard and then open that Web site in a browser?-- CL Hey, CL. Interesting question, or, should we say, questions. That’s because there’s really two issues here. The first one is easy: can I use a script to open a specified Web site? As you probably know, the answer to that one is a ...

How Can I Change the Internet Explorer Home Page?

Hey, Scripting Guy! Can I change the Internet Explorer home page by using a script?-- AH Hey, AH. It’s Monday morning, and after a hard weekend of sitting around watching football, we decided to take it easy this morning. Yes, you can change the Internet Explorer home page by using a script; all you have to do is write a WMI script that ...