Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. I often find that presenters at conferences and user group meetings already have PowerShell running when they start entry-level presentations.

This book begins by answering the questions I've heard attendees gor haven't previously used PowerShell ask in those sessions. Specifically, this chapter focuses on finding and launching PowerShell, and solving some of the initial pain points that new users experience with PowerShell.

Be sure to follow along and walk through the examples shown in this chapter on your Windows 10 lab environment computer. All modern versions of Windows operating systems ship with PowerShell installed. If you're running a version older than 5. Notice that fot different shortcuts for PowerShell are shown in Figure The computer used for demonstration purposes in wnidows book is running the bit version of Windows 10 so there's a bit version of the PowerShell console and the PowerShell ISE Integrated Scripting Environment windlws, and a bit version of each one as denoted by the x86 suffix on the shortcuts.

If you happen to be running a bit version of Windows 10, you'll only have two shortcuts. Those items don't have the x86 suffix, but are bit versions. If you have a bit operating system, windows powershell for windows 10 recommendation is to run the bit version of PowerShell unless you have a specific reason for running the bit version. In the production enterprise environments that I support, I use three different Active Directory user accounts.

I've mirrored those accounts in the lab environment windows powershell for windows 10 in this book. I log into the Windows 10 computer as a domain user who is not a domain or local administrator. That means it's unable to prompt for powershwll windows powershell for windows 10 tasks that require the approval of an administrator.

The following error message is generated:. The solution to this problem is to run PowerShell as a domain user who is a local administrator.

This is how my second domain user account is configured. Using the principle of least privilege, this windoes should NOT be a domain administrator, or have any elevated privileges in the domain. Close PowerShell. Relaunch the PowerShell console, except this time right-click on the Windows Windoes shortcut fo select Run as administrator as shown in Figure If you're logged into Windows as a normal user, you'll be prompted for credentials.

I'll enter the credentials for my user account who is a domain user and local admin as shown in Figure Once PowerShell is relaunched windows powershell for windows 10 an administrator, the title bar should say "Administrator: Windows PowerShell" as shown in Figure Now that PowerShell is being run elevated as a local administrator, UAC will no longer be a problem when a command is run on windows powershell for windows 10 local computer that would normally require a prompt for elevation.

Keep in mind though that any command run from this elevated instance of the PowerShell console, also runs elevated. To simplify finding PowerShell and launching it as an administrator, I recommend pinning it to the taskbar and setting it to automatically launch as an admin each time it's run. Search for PowerShell windowa, except this time right-click on it and select "Pin to taskbar" as shown powfrshell Figure Right-click on the PowerShell shortcut that's now pinned to the taskbar and select properties as shown in Figure Click on "Advanced" as denoted by 1 in Figurethen check the "Run as administrator" checkbox as denoted by 2 in Figureand then click OK twice to accept the changes and exit out of both dialog boxes.

You'll never have to worry lowershell finding PowerShell or whether or not it's running as an administrator again. Running PowerShell elevated as an administrator to prevent having problems with UAC only impacts commands that are run against the local computer.

It has no effect on commands that target remote computers. There are a number of automatic variables in PowerShell that store state information. A specific version of the. To upgrade to Windows PowerShell 5. Contrary to popular belief, the execution policy in PowerShell is not a security boundary.

It's designed to prevent a user from unknowingly running a script. A determined user can easily bypass windows powershell for windows 10 execution policy in PowerShell. Table windows powershell for windows 10 the default execution policy for current Windows operating systems. Regardless of the execution policy setting, any PowerShell command can be run interactively.

The execution policy only affects commands running in a script. The Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet is used to determine what the current execution policy setting is and the Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet is used to change the execution policy. My windlws is to use the RemoteSigned policy, which requires downloaded scripts to be signed windosw a trusted publisher in order wnidows be run. PowerShell scripts can't be run at all when the execution policy tor set to Restricted.

This is the default setting on all Windows client operating systems. To demonstrate the problem, save the following code as a. That command runs interactively without error as opwershell as PowerShell is run elevated as an administrator. But as soon as it's saved as a script file and you try to execute the script, it generates an error:.

Notice that the error shown in the previous set of results tells you exactly what the problem is running scripts is disabled on this system. When you run a command ror PowerShell that generates an error message, be sure to read the error message instead of just rerunning the command and hoping that it runs successfully.

Be sure to read the warning that's displayed aindows changing the execution policy. Be sure to start your Windows Time service before continuing otherwise you may run into unforeseen problems. In this chapter, you've learned how to find and launch PowerShell, and how to create a shortcut that launches PowerShell as an administrator.

You've also learned about windows powershell for windows 10 default windows powershell for windows 10 policy and how to change it. For those who want to know more information poeershell the topics covered windows powershell for windows 10 this chapter, I recommend reading the following PowerShell help topics.

In the next chapter, you'll learn about the discoverability of commands in Wibdows. One of the things that will be covered is how to update PowerShell so those help topics can be viewed right from within PowerShell instead of having to view them on the internet.

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