Windows 7 and Vista Guide to Scripting, Automation, and Command Line Tools - Softcover

Knittel, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789737280 ISBN 13: 9780789737281

Publisher: Que Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

THE ONLY HANDS-ON, UP-TO-DATE GUIDE TO VBSCRIPT, THE WINDOWS COMMAND LINE, AND WINDOWS POWERSHELL

Windows 7 and Vista contain state-of-the-art tools for streamlining or automating virtually any system management task. If you’re a power user, administrator, or developer, these tools can help you eliminate repetitive work and manage your systems far more reliably and effectively.

 

Renowned Windows expert Brian Knittel brings together the practical knowledge you need to use all these tools, including VBScript and Windows Scripting Host (WSH), traditional batch files, the advanced PowerShell command console, and more. Using plenty of examples, Knittel explains how each tool works, and how to solve real-world problems with them.

 

You’ll master techniques ranging from accessing files to manipulating the Registry, sending automated emails to configuring new users. Knittel also provides concise, handy references to Windows 7/Vista’s command line, GUI scripting, and object-based management tools.

 

The only single-source guide to all leading methods of Windows scripting and automation, this book will help you get far more done–in far less time!

•    Understand Windows Scripting Host (WSH) and the modern Windows scripting environment
•    Script objects with VBScript, JScript, ActivePerl, and ActivePython
•    Read and write files, including XML and HTML files
•    Manipulate programs and shortcuts
•    Manage network, printer, and fax connections
•    Make the most of PowerShell under Windows 7 and Vista
•    Monitor and administer Windows systems with Windows Management Interface (WMI)
•    Use ADSI to control Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange, and manage users more efficiently
•    Avoid mistakes that can compromise script security
•    Use Windows’ debugging tools to test and troubleshoot scripts
•    Develop batch files that take full advantage of the command line
•    Send faxes and email messages from scripts with Windows Fax and Collaboration Data Objects (CDO)
•    Deploy your scripts throughout your organization

 

Brian Knittel has been a software developer for more than 30 years. He has coauthored five
titles in Que’s Special Edition Using series, covering Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, and 2000.
He is also author of Windows XP Under the Hood, and coauthor of Upgrading and Repairing Windows (with Scott Mueller).

 

 

 

About this title

From the Back Cover

The addition of the mouse and the Graphical User Interface made the computer accessible to many more people than would have been possible otherwise. Still, "pointing and clicking" can be tedious when performing routine or repetitive tasks. Just as people learn to use menu shortcuts (the Alt key) to save time, savvy users and administrators learn to write batch files and scripts to avoid having to type the same commands over and over. Scripts save time, increase accuracy, and serve as documentation to boot. Windows 7 and Windows Vista come with scripting, batch file, and command line tools that can make a power user or administrator's life easier - if she or he knows what they are and how to use them. However, a general lack of information and awareness prevent their widespread use. Most current Windows users have no idea how powerful and effective these tools can be. The new scripting languages are a mystery to most Windows users. And, in Windows 7, most command line tools aren't even discussed in the Windows Help system. Microsoft has released a completely new scripting and command line environment called the Windows PowerShell, but few users are aware of its existence, let alone its power and potential.

About the Author

Brian Knittel has been a software developer for more than 30 years. After doing graduate work in electrical engineering applied to nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging technologies, he began a career as an independent consultant.An eclectic mix of clients has led to long-term projects in medical documentation; workflow management; real-time industrial system control; and, most importantly, over 25 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS,Windows, and computer networking in the business world. Brian has coauthored Que’s Windows 7 In Depth; Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows; and bestselling books in the Special Edition Using series covering Windows Vista,Windows XP Professional and Home Edition, and Windows 2000 Professional.

 

Brian lives in Oakland, California. He spends his free time restoring antique computers (for example, www.ibm1130.org) and trying to perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Que Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0789737280
• ISBN 13: 9780789737281
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 840