Windows PowerShell¶

PowerShell is a powerful tool from Microsoft designed for task automation and configuration management. It combines a command-line interface and a scripting language built on the .NET framework.

Getting Started¶

PowerShell can be launched from a Command Prompt (cmd.exe) by typing powershell and pressing ++enter++.

PowerShell commands are known as cmdlets.

Discovering Commands¶

Cmdlet	Description
`Get-Command`	List all available cmdlets
`Get-Command -CommandType "Function"`	Filter commands based on type
`Get-Help`	Detailed information about cmdlets
`Get-Alias`	Lists all aliases available

Tip

Use Get-Help <cmdlet> -Examples to see practical usage examples for any command.

Navigating the File System¶

Cmdlet	Description
`Get-ChildItem`	Lists files and directories at a specified `-Path`
`Set-Location`	Navigate to a different directory
`New-Item`	Create a new item (specify path and type)
`Remove-Item`	Removes both directories and files
`Copy-Item`	Equivalent to `copy`
`Move-Item`	Equivalent to `move`
`Get-Content`	Read and display the contents of a file

Creating a New Directory¶

New-Item -Path ".\Documents" -ItemType "Directory"

System and Network Information¶

Cmdlet	Description
`Get-ComputerInfo`	Retrieves comprehensive system information
`Get-LocalUser`	Lists all local user accounts on the system
`Get-NetIPConfiguration`	Provides detailed information about the network
`Get-NetIPAddress`	Shows details for all IP addresses configured
`Get-Process`	Detailed view of all currently running processes
`Get-Service`	Retrieval of information about service status
`Get-NetTCPConnection`	Displays current TCP connections
`Get-FileHash`	For generating file hashes

Generating a File Hash¶

Get-FileHash -Path .\ship-flag.txt

Remote Command Execution¶

Invoke-Command is essential for executing commands on remote systems.

Security Note

Remote command execution requires proper authentication and should only be used on systems you have authorization to access.

Quick Reference¶

File OperationsSystem InfoNetwork

# List files in current directory
Get-ChildItem

# Read a file
Get-Content .\myfile.txt

# Copy a file
Copy-Item .\source.txt .\destination.txt

# Create a new directory
New-Item -Path ".\NewFolder" -ItemType "Directory"

# Get system details
Get-ComputerInfo

# List running processes
Get-Process

# Check services
Get-Service

# View network config
Get-NetIPConfiguration

# View IP addresses
Get-NetIPAddress

# View TCP connections
Get-NetTCPConnection

# Generate file hash
Get-FileHash -Path .\file.txt