To extract URLs from an XML sitemap using PowerShell, cast the file to [xml] and read the loc element of every url entry: That returns every URL as plain text. Below I filter them by keyword, remove duplicates, handle sitemap index files, and save the list. I tested each step in PowerShell 7 and Windows … Read more
To sort files by date in PowerShell, pipe Get-ChildItem to Sort-Object LastWriteTime. Add -Descending to put the newest file first: LastWriteTime is the date modified you see in File Explorer. I set up a test folder with known dates and ran every example in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1. Sort files by date modified … Read more
To convert JSON to CSV in PowerShell, read the file as one string, turn it into objects with ConvertFrom-Json, and save them with Export-Csv: That works for flat JSON. Nested objects, dates and records with different fields need a little more, so I tested each case in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1. Convert a … Read more
To get the Windows version using PowerShell, combine Win32_OperatingSystem for the edition with the registry for the version name and build: On my PC that returns Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise and 25H2. Below I show the full build number, a trap that makes Windows 11 look like Windows 10, and what changed between PowerShell 7 … Read more
To find stale computer objects in Active Directory with PowerShell, filter Get-ADComputer on lastLogonTimestamp. This finds computers that haven’t signed in for 90 days: Then disable them, wait, and only delete what nobody misses. My test PC isn’t in a domain, so the AD cmdlets are shown as code. The date math and the cleanup … Read more
To get window titles using PowerShell, read the MainWindowTitle property of each process and keep the ones that aren’t empty: That lists one title per app. For my screenshots I opened two test windows and filtered to them, so none of my own apps show. Everything below ran in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1. … Read more
To get the window size in PowerShell, read $Host.UI.RawUI.WindowSize. It returns the width in characters and the height in lines: To set the window size, assign a new Size object to the same property, keeping the buffer at least as wide. I tested this in the classic console window in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell … Read more
To uninstall Firefox using PowerShell, run winget with Firefox’s package ID. –silent hides the uninstaller window: Without winget, run Firefox’s own uninstaller, helper.exe, with /S. Below I find the install first, build a safe uninstall function, and cover remote PCs. I tested the read-only parts in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1. Check if Firefox … Read more
To find SQL Server instances using PowerShell on a server, read the Instance Names\SQL registry key. Every installed instance has a value there, named after the instance: To search a whole network instead, you’ll need Windows PowerShell 5.1 or the SQL tools. Below I cover the registry, services, the network search and remote servers, with … Read more
To check if a process is running in PowerShell, call Get-Process with the name and turn the result into True or False. -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue hides the error when nothing matches: Use the process name without .exe, like explorer or chrome. Below I check several names, start a program only when it isn’t running, wait for … Read more