Windows 7 / Getting Started

PowerShell Commands

PowerShell includes three types of commands that can be executed or scripted:

Cmdlets PowerShell cmdlets are built-in commands. They are different from commandprompt commands in that they are tightly integrated with Microsoft's .NET Framework, providing a much richer set of capabilities. You can think of them as mini-programs. Many cmdlets can accept parameters and return values. Values can be displayed, assigned to variables, or passed to other cmdlets or functions.

As an example, the Get-Command cmdlet will retrieve a list of all PowerShell commands. You can modify the command with parameters to alter the results. For example, the following three commands can be used to retrieve a list of only the cmdlets, only the aliases, and only the functions. In these examples, the Get-Command cmdlet is being used with the -CommandType switch, and cmdlet, alias, and function are the parameters passed to the Get-Command cmdlet.

Get-Command -CommandType cmdlet
Get-Command -CommandType alias
Get-Command -CommandType function

Aliases An alias is another name for a cmdlet. Many command-prompt commands have been rewritten as PowerShell commands. While the actual PowerShell command is different from the command-prompt command, many aliases have been created so that you enter the command-prompt command and it will launch the PowerShell command.

As an example, the CD command-prompt command is used to change the current directory. The PowerShell cmdlet is Set-Location, but CD is recognized as an alias for Set-Location. Try it. These two commands achieve the same result of changing the current path to the root of the C: drive:

CD \
Set-Location \

All command-prompt commands have not been rewritten. If you enter a command such as path, which works at the command prompt, you'll see it doesn't work here. You can enter the Get-Alias command to get a list of all the aliases supported within PowerShell. In addition, some longer cmdlets have been rewritten as aliases. As an example, the Get-WMIObject cmdlet has an alias of gwmi.

Functions A function is a type of command that you can run within PowerShell or PowerShell scripts. They are very similar to cmdlets. They can accept parameters and can return values that are displayed, assigned to variables, or passed to other functions or cmdlets.

A commonly used function is the Help function, which provides help on PowerShell topics and concepts. When executed without a parameter, it provides one set of information. When a valid PowerShell command is added as a parameter (such as Help Get-Command), it provides specific help on the command. Another function that is commonly used is the drive letter (such as C:, D:, and so on). It will change the current PowerShell prompt location to the named drive. You can also create your own functions.

Any of these commands can be executed from the PowerShell prompt or embedded into PowerShell scripts. Also, many server applications (such as Internet Information Services (IIS), Exchange Server 2007, and Exchange Server 2010) are heavily intertwined with PowerShell commands. In other words, what you learn here on Windows 7 will be useful when you're managing servers.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Working with the Command Prompt
  2. Starting and Ending a Command Prompt Session
  3. Easy ways to invoke administrator Command Prompt sessions
  4. Starting Command Prompt at a Particular Folder
  5. Strings with Spaces Need Quotes
  6. Cmd.exe vs. Command.com
  7. Commands Are Not Case Sensitive
  8. Starting Command Prompt and Running a Command
  9. Cmd.exe and Other Command Prompts
  10. Using AutoRun to Execute Commands When Command Prompt Starts
  11. Using Cmds Command-Line Syntax
  12. Using Commands
  13. Type /? for help
  14. Starting Programs
  15. Open Windows Explorer at the current Command Prompt folder
  16. Using File-Name and Folder-Name Completion
  17. Use a different completion character
  18. Using Wildcards
  19. Editing the Command Line
  20. Using Command Symbols
  21. The Redirection Symbols
  22. The Pipe Symbol
  23. The Command Combination Symbols
  24. Pausing or Canceling Commands
  25. Simplifying Command Entry with Doskey Macros
  26. DOSKEY Saves Typing
  27. System Variables Identify the Environment
  28. Viewing Environment Variables
  29. Modifying Environment Variables
  30. Predefined Environment Variables
  31. Customizing Command Prompt Windows
  32. Setting the Window Size and Position
  33. Setting the Window Size and Position Visually
  34. Selecting a Font
  35. Setting Colors
  36. Setting Other Options
  37. Copy and paste in the command prompt window
  38. Navigating from the command prompt
  39. Printing a list of filenames
  40. Commands Use Paths
  41. Identifying Executables
  42. Modifying the Path to Executables
  43. Modifying the Path with the GUI
  44. Changing the Current Path with CD
  45. Changing the Current Path with Windows Explorer
  46. Capturing the Output
  47. A Sampling of Commands
  48. Dir
  49. Copy
  50. XCopy
  51. SET
  52. NET USE
  53. SystemInfo
  54. DriverQuery
  55. Echo
  56. Advanced Shell Commands
  57. Creating a Batch File
  58. Scheduling a Batch File
  59. Creating Scheduled Tasks with a Script
  60. Using Windows PowerShell and the PowerShell ISE
  61. Windows PowerShell ISE
  62. PowerShell Commands
  63. Verbs and Nouns
  64. Sending Output to a Text File
  65. PowerShell Syntax
  66. Variables Created with a $ Symbol
  67. Comparison Operators
  68. Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces
  69. Running PowerShell Scripts
  70. PowerShell Execution Policy
  71. Changing the Execution Policy
  72. Looping
  73. Collections
  74. Creating a PowerShell Script
  75. Documenting Scripts
  76. Using PowerShell Commands
  77. Getting Help on PowerShell
  78. Using WMI_Cmdlets
  79. Getting Details on an Object
  80. Querying Information on Specific Objects
  81. Terminate Applications with Win32_process
  82. Formatting Output with the -f Format Operator
  83. Filtering the Output with the Where-Object Command
  84. Using the IF statement
  85. Using the Switch Statement
  86. Script Reusability