We are living in a big data world which is both a blessing and a curse. Big data usually means a huge number of files such as photos and videos and finally […]
Windows: Find and eliminate Duplicate Files with PowerShell
List all Server Roles from all Windows Servers with PowerShell
So you are about to document your network and os environment? You don’t want to purchase 3rd party software? You want to list all server roles from all servers in your network? […]
PowerShell 7: Foreach-Object -Parallel
With PowerShell 7 a new feature was introduced: Foreach-Object -Parallel. The parallel feature will speed up loops in PowerShell. In this blog post I will compare the old technique with the new […]
Test-Connection (ping) with PowerShell 7
In one of my previous articles I dedicated myself to the modern version of ping called Test-Connection. I recently discovered that the cmdlet in PowerShell Core 7 offers more parameters than in […]
Active Directory: Changing Default Password and Lockout Policies
Default Domain Policy password policies determine the complexity and minimum length of Active Directory domain passwords. Because the preconfigured default settings are suboptimal, many administrators decide to change the default policy settings. […]
PowerShell: Get Last Domain Logon with Get-ADUserLastLogon
The function covered in this blog post is part of my Active Directory Domain Services Section tool, which has been published in 2018. After some time, I decided to create an explicit […]
PowerShell: Retrieve List of Domain-Computers by Operating System
As an administrator, you should have an overview of your Active Directory environment. Of course, this also includes user and computer accounts . In this blog post I will carry out some […]
Top 10 built-in MMC Consoles (msc) and Control Panel files (cpl) in Windows 10 and Windows Server
I am used to working with built-in MMC consoles and control panel files. I know most of them by heart. I always tell my students to remember the most common ones in […]
Microsoft Azure: How to exclude VMs from the Auto Start-Stop schedule with PowerShell
Last weekend I successfully created an automation account in Azure to auto start-stop my Azure VMs as described here: Start/Stop VMs during off-hours solution in Azure Automation. Right after that I realized […]
Creating multiple SMB Shares at once (Bulk) with PowerShell
So you are about to provide a new file server. Several folder shares have to be created. If you don’t want to point and click inside the graphical interface, you might consider […]
Active Directory: Customizing the Windows 10 Taskbar and Start Menu with Group Policies
A standardized and tidy desktop is a key factor for satisfied users. In order to provide the ease of use of Windows systems in an enterprise environment it’s reasonable that the taskbar […]
PowerShell: Retrieve and monitor System Time of all Computers with Get-Time
Do you have problems with time synchronization in your Active Directory domain or are you only interested in monitoring and determining the system time of your servers, workstations or domain-controllers? If your […]
Windows 10: Deny Windows Store Access and Disable all Apps from Microsoft Store with Group Policies
With the release of Windows 10, Microsofts Client-Operating System has become more and more an app-focused operating system. Windows 10 S underlines that. In Windows 10 S, users can only install apps […]
Server Core 2019: Installing Features on Demand (FOD)
At least since the introduction of Windows Server the Windows world has changed dramatically. No excuses anymore for administrators, because if they are struggling with the huge amount of Windows updates, it’s […]
Create a bootable USB stick with PowerShell (Create-BootableUSBStick)
Creating a bootable USB stick could be a tricky task. You’ll need a tool (eg. the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool) or you have to struggle with those old cmd commands like bootsect.exe. […]
My name is Patrick Gruenauer. Microsoft MVP on PowerShell. Have fun reading.
