To check if a user account is locked in PowerShell, read the LockedOut property. For an Active Directory user, it’s one line with the ActiveDirectory module: For a local account on a Windows PC, the Lockout property of Win32_UserAccount tells you the same thing. Below I cover both, plus finding where a lockout came from, … Read more
To find computers not logged in for 30 days with PowerShell, run Search-ADAccount with -AccountInactive, -ComputersOnly and a 30-day time span: It needs the ActiveDirectory module. Below I set that up, show the Get-ADComputer alternative, explain why the dates can be off by up to two weeks, and cover Microsoft Entra ID devices. My test … Read more
To change the Windows 11 desktop background color with PowerShell, write the color as “R G B” to the Background value in your user registry, with no wallpaper picture on top: No admin rights are needed, because it’s your own HKCU hive. Below I read the current color, convert hex and named colors, and wrap … Read more
To convert a SecureString to plain text in PowerShell 7, use ConvertFrom-SecureString with the -AsPlainText switch: Windows PowerShell 5.1 doesn’t have that switch, so there you’d use the NetworkCredential trick instead. I tested all of these methods in both versions, with sample passwords only. Convert a SecureString with ConvertFrom-SecureString -AsPlainText Printing a SecureString only shows … Read more
“The RPC server is unavailable” (0x800706BA) in PowerShell means your PC couldn’t open an RPC connection to the remote computer. The usual causes are a wrong name, a PC that’s off, or a firewall blocking WMI. The quickest fix on the target is enabling the WMI firewall rules: Run that on the remote PC as … Read more
To find the process locking a file using PowerShell, ask the Windows Restart Manager. It’s the same API installers use to see which apps hold a file, and it works without admin rights: FileLock.ps1 is a short script you’ll copy from this page. Below I also test whether a file is locked, scan a whole … Read more
To list Windows features using PowerShell on Windows 11 or 10, run Get-WindowsOptionalFeature in an admin window. It shows every optional feature and whether it’s enabled: Without admin rights, the Win32_OptionalFeature class gives the same list to any user, so most examples below use it. On Windows Server, Get-WindowsFeature lists roles and features instead. I … Read more
To check if a port is open using PowerShell, run Test-NetConnection with the host name and port. -InformationLevel Quiet returns just True or False: Output: That’s perfect for one check, but it can take 20 seconds or more when the port is closed. Below I show a faster check with a timeout, a reusable function, … Read more
To break out of a foreach loop in PowerShell, use the break keyword. The loop stops right away and the script carries on with the next line after the loop: Output: To skip just one item and move on to the next, use continue instead. Both behave differently in ForEach-Object and switch, which I cover … Read more
Windows PowerShell keeps popping up because something on your PC is starting it: usually a scheduled task, a startup entry, or an app or management script running in the background. Occasionally it’s malware. The fix is to find what launches it. Below I show three read-only checks that do exactly that, then how to stop … Read more