{"id":12551,"date":"2011-09-29T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.technet.microsoft.com\/heyscriptingguy\/2011\/09\/29\/creating-powershell-drives-for-fun-and-profit\/"},"modified":"2011-09-29T00:01:00","modified_gmt":"2011-09-29T00:01:00","slug":"creating-powershell-drives-for-fun-and-profit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/creating-powershell-drives-for-fun-and-profit\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating PowerShell Drives for Fun and Profit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: Learn different ways to work with Windows PowerShell drives, including using WMI to find the root.\n \n\"Hey,Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been trying to grasp this idea of Windows PowerShell drives. I am not certain how they are useful, or how I can find information about them. Can you help?\n—BP\n \n\"Hey,Hello BP,\nMicrosoft Scripting Guy Ed Wilson here. Of course, I can help. I wrote about PSDrives three weeks ago<\/a>, so you may want to refer to that article for additional information about PSDrives.\nThe first thing to understand about PSDrives is that PSDrives are used as a way to abstract the complexity of accessing different types of information. As I mentioned yesterday<\/a>, Windows PowerShell providers are used to perform the abstraction; PSDrives provide the way to interact with that data. The cool thing about Windows PowerShell providers is they do not need to be written by the Windows PowerShell team; using the software development kit (SDK), anyone can write their own Windows PowerShell provider and expose data sources to the Windows PowerShell user. For example, someone could write a Windows PowerShell provider for an XML document. You could then use Set-Location<\/b> to the XML document drive, use Get-ChildItem<\/b>, and return information from that document. The methodology mimics the same methodology used with the file system.\nIn my article about PSDrives from three weeks ago, I illustrate creating a new PSDrive that is centered on a particular folder. This makes it easier for me to work with all of my Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog posts.<\/p>\n

Oh! By the way, I am rapidly approaching a major milestone on the Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog. To date, the Hey Scripting Guy! Blog has 1,049 posts written about VBScript; I only wrote a few of those articles. Most of those were written by the previous Scripting Guys. One of the first things I did when becoming the Microsoft Scripting Guy was shift the blog’s emphasis to Windows PowerShell. The Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog now has 1,004 posts about Windows PowerShell. I did not write all of those articles, because we have had 184 blog articles written by guest bloggers, including posts written by Honorary Scripting Guys<\/a>. So after I write another 230 blog posts about Windows PowerShell, the blog will officially be weighted in favor of Windows PowerShell.\nI am not limited to creating new PSDrives from the filesystem<\/b> provider. I can create new drives that expose data from the other providers as well. For example, if I am interested in working with the registry, I might want a new PSDrive. The first thing to do is to see which registry drives are available. One way to find this information is to use the Get-PSDrive<\/b> cmdlet, as shown here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Get-PSDrive -PSProvider registry<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Root<\/span><\/p>\n

HKCU                                                                Registry             HKEY_CURRENT_USER<\/p>\n

HKLM                                                               Registry             HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\nThe previous command reveals two registry drives: HKCU and HCLM. To create a new PSDrive, I use the New-PSDrive<\/b> Windows PowerShell cmdlet. When using the New-PSDrive<\/b> cmdlet, I need to specify the provider, the registry<\/b> <\/i>provider for this example, a name, and the root location for the drive. The command and associated output are shown here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> New-PSDrive -PSProvider registry -Name HKCR -Root HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Rouot<\/p>\n

HKCR                                                                Registry             HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\nTo use the drive, I can use it like any other drive. If I do not put a colon at the end of the drive name, an error is displayed. This is illustrated here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Get-ChildItem HKCR<\/p>\n

Get-ChildItem : Cannot find path ‘C:HKCR’ because it does not exist.<\/p>\n

At line:1 char:14<\/p>\n

+ Get-ChildItem <<<<  HKCR<\/p>\n

    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (C:HKCR:String) [Get-ChildItem], ItemNotFoundExcept<\/p>\n

   ion<\/p>\n

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand\nWhen I add the colon at the end of the drive name, the command works as shown here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Get-ChildItem HKCR:<\/p>\n

    Hive: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SKC<\/span>      VC Name<\/span>                      Property<\/span><\/p>\n

3          16 *                              {ContentViewModeLayoutPatternForBrowse, ContentViewModeFo…<\/p>\n

1          2 .386                           {(default), PerceivedType}<\/p>\n

2          3 .3g2                           {(default), PerceivedType, Content Type}<\/p>\n

2          3 .3gp                           {(default), PerceivedType, Content Type}<\/p>\n

<<OUTPUT TRUNCATED>>\nI do not have to create a PSDrive at a root location. I can specify a different location. For example, I might want a PSDrive that exposes the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE hive. To do this, I use the New-PSDrive<\/b> cmdlet, specify the registry<\/b> <\/i>provider, give it a name, and identify the root of the drive. The resultant command is shown here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> New-PSDrive -PSProvider registry -Name sw -Root HKLM:SOFTWARE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Root<\/span><\/p>\n

Sw                                                                    Registry             HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE\nI can then change my working location to the new software drive, and use the Get-ChildItem<\/b> cmdlet to explore the drive. These two commands are shown here:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Set-Location sw:<\/p>\n

PS sw:> Get-ChildItem<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

                                                                       <\/p>\n

SKC<\/span>                  VC Name<\/span>                                  Property<\/span><\/p>\n

0                      1 7-Zip                                      {Path}<\/p>\n

1                      0 Analog Devices                       {}<\/p>\n

1                      0 ATI Technologies                     {}<\/p>\n

756                   1 Classes                                   {(default)}<\/p>\n

8                      0 Clients                                    {}<\/p>\n

1                      1 CXT                                        {IsDriverLoaded}<\/p>\n

1                      0 Hewlett-Packard                      {}<\/p>\n

3                      0 IBM                                        {}<\/p>\n

1                      0 IM Providers                           {}<\/p>\n

2                      0 InstalledOptions                      {}<\/p>\n

1                      0 Intel                                       {}<\/p>\n

3                      1 LENOVO                                 {(default)}<\/p>\n

198                   0 Microsoft                                {}<\/p>\n

3                      0 MozillaPlugins                         {}<\/p>\n

1                      0 MSIT TPM Crypto Provider       {}<\/p>\n

1                      0 nsoftware                               {}<\/p>\n

4                      1 NVIDIA Corporation                {nvDelFiles}<\/p>\n

2                      0 ODBC                                     {}<\/p>\n

4                      0 Policies                                   {}<\/p>\n

5                      0 PowerPivot                             {}<\/p>\n

0                      16 RegisteredApplications           {Windows Address Book, Paint, Windows Search,<\/p>\n

1                      0 Sonic                                      {}<\/p>\n

4                      0 Synaptics                                {}<\/p>\n

1                      1 tdbg_trace                              {(default)}<\/p>\n

35                     1 Wow6432Node                       {(default)}<\/p>\n

1                      0 Xerox                                     {}\nSome companies, such as Microsoft, make extensive use of certificates. A PSDrive that is useful is to create one that exposes the my<\/b> certificate store for the current user. In the following command, I use the certificate<\/b> provider to create a new certificate drive named mycerts<\/b>. <\/i><\/p>\n

PS C:> New-PSDrive -Name mycerts -PSProvider certificate -Root cert:CurrentUserMy<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Root<\/span><\/p>\n

Mycerts                                                             Certificate          CurrentUserMy\nAfter I have the mycerts: drive, I can easily query the drive to find certificates that are going to expire in the next month:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Get-ChildItem mycerts: | where { $_.notafter -le “11\/1\/2011” } | select thumbprint, notafter<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thumbprint<\/span>                                                                   NotAfter<\/span><\/p>\n

4D43DC0CDFE1FDF31857FFA03120ACF4DB5C3CE6           10\/1\/2011 2:01:33 PM\nI do not have to use a specific location when creating a new PSDrive. For example, I can use an environmental variable if I want to. In the following example, I create a new PSDrive called tmp <\/i>that points to the temp folder in my profile. To get at this location, I use the $env:temp<\/b> variable:<\/p>\n

PS C:> New-PSDrive -Name tmp -PSProvider filesystem -Root $env:temp<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Root<\/span><\/p>\n

Tmp                                          47.49                FileSystem         C:UsersedwilsAppDataLocalTemp\nWell, if I can use an environmental variable when creating a new PSDrive, can I use a WMI query? In the following command, I use a WMI query to find the drive on my machine that has the greatest amount of free space. I then create a new PSDrive called data:<\/b> that is located on that drive. This is a really cool way to have immediate access to the drive on your machine that has the greatest amount of free space. Here is the command:<\/p>\n

PS C:> New-PSDrive -Name data -PSProvider filesystem -Root (gwmi win32_logicaldisk | sort freespace<\/p>\n

 -Descending | select deviceID -First 1).deviceID<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name<\/span>               Used (GB)<\/span>          Free (GB)<\/span>           Provider<\/span>            Root<\/span>     CurrentLocation<\/span><\/p>\n

Data                 100.02               47.49                FileSystem         C:<\/p>\n

 \nAfter the drive is created, I can easily set my working location to that drive:<\/p>\n

PS C:> Set-Location data:<\/p>\n

PS data:><\/p>\n

 \nBy the way, the WMI query I used to find the drive with the most free space is shown here (it is useful in and of itself):<\/p>\n

(gwmi win32_logicaldisk | sort freespace -Descending | select deviceID -First 1).deviceID \n \nWell, BP, that is all there is to playing around with new PSDrives. Join me tomorrow when I will have a guest blog article written by Boe Prox<\/a>. It is cool, and you will not want to miss it.\nI invite you to follow me on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>. If you have any questions, send email to me at scripter@microsoft.com<\/a>, or post your questions on the Official Scripting Guys Forum<\/a>. See you tomorrow. Until then, peace.\nEd Wilson, Microsoft Scripting Guy<\/b>\n \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Learn different ways to work with Windows PowerShell drives, including using WMI to find the root.   Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been trying to grasp this idea of Windows PowerShell drives. I am not certain how they are useful, or how I can find information about them. Can you help? —BP   Hello […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":596,"featured_media":87096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[51,3,4,45],"class_list":["post-12551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scripting","tag-getting-started","tag-scripting-guy","tag-scripting-techniques","tag-windows-powershell"],"acf":[],"blog_post_summary":"

Summary: Learn different ways to work with Windows PowerShell drives, including using WMI to find the root.   Hey, Scripting Guy! I have been trying to grasp this idea of Windows PowerShell drives. I am not certain how they are useful, or how I can find information about them. Can you help? —BP   Hello […]<\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/scripting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}