Utils on gal.vin

MDT Setup - A script to make MDT deployment easy

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 22:01:00 +0100

User configurable MDT setup script

MDT-Setup is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

-Mike

Features and Requirements

Designed to be run on Windows Server 2016+
The script must be run as an administrator.
Tested with Windows PowerShell 5 (The version of PowerShell included with Windows Server 2016+) and PowerShell 7.
Tested on Windows Server 2022.

Usage Information

This script will install and configure Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and its prerequisites on a Windows computer with an internet connection. It has been tested on a basic Windows Server 2022 Standard edition virtual machine.

Here is what the script will do:

Download the installers for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, the latest MDT patch, the latest ADK and WinPE for ADK.
Silently install all the above.
Create an MDT deployment share(s) and the folder structure.
Download Windows 10/11 from the Media Creation Tool (this requires some user input).
Convert the Windows 10/11 install ESD to a WIM file for MDT and import it.
Create Package folders and Selection Profiles for Windows 10/11.
Import Task Sequence templates.
Set the configuration of CustomSettings.ini for the share(s).
Generate the boot media.
Create Package and Driver folders and Selection Profiles.

When complete the server will be configured to be able to deploy a Windows 10/11 image. There is an option to create a “Build and Capture” environment to create a gold image for Windows 10/11. Once captured the image can then be imported into the Deployment share and create a Task Sequence using the template included.

Some user interaction is still required. For example: importing drivers, adding applications and other things specific to the images you want to deploy.

User Preferences

When you run the script it will ask you a series of questions to customise your installation.

Windows version and update code (e.g. W10-22H2)
Download and convert Windows ESD, edition, language
Optional Build share path (e.g. C:\BuildShare)
Optional Build share name (e.g. BuildShare$)
Deploy share path (e.g. C:\DeployShare)
Deploy share name (e.g. DeployShare$)
Time zone name for the deployed image (e.g. GMT Standard Time)
Keyboard locale code for the deployed image (e.g. 0809:00000809) Please see Microsoft Docs for all the input locales
Keyboard locale name for the deployed image (e.g. en-GB)
Windows UI language for the deployed image (e.g. en-GB)
Windows user language for the deployed image (e.g. en-GB)
Domain group for MDT Admins (e.g. mdt-admins)
Domain user for domain join (e.g. djoin)
Domain password for above user (e.g. p@ssw0rD)
Domain name for above user (e.g. contoso.com)
OU for new PC account (e.g. OU=PCs,DC=contoso,DC=com)
WSUS server name and port (e.g. WSUS-Srv:8530)

How to use

Create a folder on a local disk and put the script inside it.

Run From PowerShell:

`1`	`[path to script]\MDT-Setup.ps1`

This will run the script, user interaction is required to continue.

Change Log

2023-12-04: Version 23.12.04

Added option to create a single deployment share for those who do not want to build a gold image.
Updated Windows 11 Media Creation Tool link to get version 23H2.

2023-08-04: Version 23.08.04

Fixed an issue with the device path of a mounted ISO file being hardcoded. It is now dynamic.

2023-07-02: Version 23.07.02

The latest version of the Windows ADK and Win PE ADK add-on are now installed. Please note that x86 boot media is now not available due to the new ADK not supporting the architecture.
Added fixes for the latest version of Windows ADK from: metisit.com

2023-06-23: Version 23.06.23

Fixed an issue where the Windows ISO file name was hard coded.
Reordered the process so all the user interaction is done up front. When user interaction is complete, you will be told to go make coffee.
Cleaned up the output to be more readable.

2022-12-02: Version 22.12.02

Added text notification when there is no update available.

2022-11-29: Version 22.11.29

Added option to check for updates to the script.
Fixed permissions not being set on the build and deployment shares.
Script now asks for a domain group to be used for MDT Administrators.

2022-10-18: Version 22.10.18

Added support for Windows 10 22H2

2022-09-20: Version 22.09.20

Removed option to enter a key to download Windows as it isn’t really needed. The provided generic key works just fine.
Removed option to choose the edition of Windows as it will become the version that the user is licensed for when activation occurs.

2022-08-16: Version 22.08.16

Added support for Windows 11
Streamlined some locale options so the user isn’t prompted so much for the same information.

2022-07-26: Version 22.07.26

Initial release

Internet Access Control Utility

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 15:09:05 +0000

Control Internet access with Windows Firewall

Internet Access Control Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

It requires Windows Firewall to be active.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0.
This utility has been tested on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-Disable	Block the internet. Create the firewall rule to block ports 80 and 443	N/A
-Enable	Allow the internet. Removes the firewall rule created, allowing the ports 80 and 443	N/A
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Internet-Access-Control.ps1 -Disable`

This will create a Windows Firewall rule to block internet access using ports 80 and 443.

Change Log

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Cleaned up the output.

2022-06-14: Version 22.05.30

Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2020-03-18: Version 20.03.18 ‘Lock’

Improved feedback in the console and log.
Improved documentation.

2020-03-17: Version 20.03.17 ‘Lock’

Added logging.
Added config report.
Made available on PowerShell gallery.
Refactored code.

Logon Audit Utility

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:05:25 +0000

Really simple log on/off auditing utility

Logon Audit Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

The utility should be run on a client machine.
It is ideally triggered as a logon/logoff script by Group Policy.
Any files that the script needs to access should be accessible from a client device.
It can be used to log to a file, send to a webhook or both.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0.
Tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-Logon	Use this option to log a log on event.	N/A
-Logoff	Use this option to log a log off event.	N/A
-Webhook	The txt file containing the URI for a webhook to send the log file to.	[path]webhook.txt
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path\logs]
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Logon-Audit.ps1 -Logon -L [path]`

The above command will record a logon event for the currently logged on user to the log file and also to Teams.

Change Log

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Changed the -Teams switch to -Webhook to better represent it’s function.

2022-06-14: Version 22.05.30

Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2020-03-12: Version 20.03.12 ‘Chick’

Added option to send an event to Microsoft Teams.
Refactored code.
Fully backwards compatible.

2019-09-28 v1.0

Initial public release.

Remove MS Store Apps Utility

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 15:25:17 +0000

Customisable Windows 10/11 Microsoft Store App removal utility, previously known as Remove-Win10-Apps

Remove MS Store Apps Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

Remove specified apps for the current logged on user.
Remove specified apps from the system for all users.
Can be used for imaging and OS deployment, as well as individual user.
Can be used on an offline Windows image.
Requires a text file with a list of the apps to remove.
Tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to get a list of apps to remove

To create a text file with a list of the apps to remove, run the following and copy and paste the app names you wish to remove into a txt file and save it.

`1`	`Remove-MS-Store-Apps.ps1 -PCApps`

To get a list of apps that are installed for the current user, use this command:

`1`	`Remove-MS-Store-Apps.ps1 -UserApps`

How to find the index number of the image in the wim file

Run the following command to find out how many images are present in the wim file:

`1`	`Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath [path\]install.wim \| Format-Table -Property ImageIndex, ImageName`

App Names Table

Here is a table of app names in PowerShell and what they relate to in Windows.

Windows 11 Apps

PowerShell Display Name	App name	Notes
Clipchamp.Clipchamp	Clipchamp	New in 22H2
Microsoft.549981C3F5F10	Cortana	No change
Microsoft.BingNews	Microsoft News	No change
Microsoft.BingWeather	Weather	No change
Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller	winget	No change
Microsoft.GamingApp	Xbox	No change
Microsoft.GetHelp	Get Help	No change
Microsoft.Getstarted	Tips	No change
Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension	None	No change
Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension	None	New in 22H2
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge.Stable	Microsoft Edge	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub	Office	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection	Microsoft Solitaire Collection	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes	Sticky Notes	No change
Microsoft.Paint	Paint	No change
Microsoft.People	People	No change
Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop	Power Automate	No change
Microsoft.RawImageExtension	None	New in 22H2
Microsoft.ScreenSketch	Snip & Sketch	No change
Microsoft.SecHealthUI	None	No change
Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp	None	No change
Microsoft.Todos	Microsoft To Do	No change
Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00	None	No change
Microsoft.VP9VideoExtensions	None	No change
Microsoft.WebMediaExtensions	None	No change
Microsoft.WebpImageExtension	None	No change
Microsoft.Windows.Photos	(2) “Photos” and “Video editor”	No change
Microsoft.WindowsAlarms	Alarms & Clock	No change
Microsoft.WindowsCalculator	Calculator	No change
Microsoft.WindowsCamera	Camera	No change
microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps	(2) “Calendar” and “Mail”	No change
Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub	Feedback Hub	No change
Microsoft.WindowsMaps	Maps	No change
Microsoft.WindowsNotepad	Notepad	No change
Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder	Voice Recorder	No change
Microsoft.WindowsStore	Microsoft Store	No change
Microsoft.WindowsTerminal	Terminal	No change
Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay	Xbox Game Bar	No change
Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay	None	No change
Microsoft.YourPhone	Your Phone	No change
Microsoft.ZuneMusic	Media Player	No change
Microsoft.ZuneVideo	Films & TV	No change
MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist	Quick Assist	New in 22H2
MicrosoftTeams	Microsoft Teams	No change
MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience	None	No change

Windows 10 Apps

PowerShell Display Name	App name	Notes
Microsoft.549981C3F5F10	Cortana	New in 2004
Microsoft.BingWeather	Weather	No change
Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller	winget	No change
Microsoft.GetHelp	Get Help	No change
Microsoft.Getstarted	Tips	No change
Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension	None	No change
Microsoft.Messaging	Messaging	Removed in 2004
Microsoft.Microsoft3DViewer	3D Viewer	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge.Stable	Microsoft Edge	New in 21H1
Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub	Office	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection	Microsoft Solitaire Collection	No change
Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes	Sticky Notes	No change
Microsoft.MixedReality.Portal	Mixed Reality Portal	No change
Microsoft.MSPaint	Paint 3D	No change
Microsoft.Office.OneNote	OneNote	No change
Microsoft.OneConnect	None	Removed in 2004
Microsoft.People	People	No change
Microsoft.Print3D	Print 3D	Removed in 2004
Microsoft.ScreenSketch	Snip & Sketch	No change
Microsoft.SkypeApp	Skype	No change
Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp	None	No change
Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00	None	New in 2004
Microsoft.VP9VideoExtensions	None	No change
Microsoft.Wallet	None	No change
Microsoft.WebMediaExtensions	None	No change
Microsoft.WebpImageExtension	None	No change
Microsoft.Windows.Photos	(2) “Photos” and “Video editor”	No change
Microsoft.WindowsAlarms	Alarms & Clock	No change
Microsoft.WindowsCalculator	Calculator	No change
Microsoft.WindowsCamera	Camera	No change
microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps	(2) “Calendar” and “Mail”	No change
Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub	Feedback Hub	No change
Microsoft.WindowsMaps	Maps	No change
Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder	Voice Recorder	No change
Microsoft.WindowsStore	Microsoft Store	No change
Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxApp	Xbox Console Companion	No change
Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay	Xbox Game Bar	No change
Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider	None	No change
Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay	None	No change
Microsoft.YourPhone	Your Phone	No change
Microsoft.ZuneMusic	Groove Music	No change
Microsoft.ZuneVideo	Films & TV	No change

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-List	The full path to the txt file listing the apps to remove.	[path]apps.txt
-Wim	The full path to the wim file to remove the apps from.	[path]install.wim
-WimIndex	The index number of the image to operate on.	[number]
-WimMountPath	The full path to a folder that the wim file should be mounted to. If you do not configure this temp dir will be used.	[path]
-PCApps	List apps that are currently installed on the system.	N/A
-UserApps	List apps that are currently installed for the user.	N/A
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-Uno	Changes the script to remove all apps NOT listed in the apps.txt file.	N/A
-PCOnly	Only remove provisioned apps, does not take any action on the current users apps.	N/A
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Remove-MS-Store-Apps.ps1 -List [path\]apps-to-remove.txt`

This will remove the apps in the txt file from your Windows installation for all users.

Change Log

2024-11-09: Version 24.11.09

Added new ‘-Uno’ option which removes ALL apps not in the specified text file. The text file becomes an “apps to keep” list, instead of an “apps to remove” list.
Added new ‘-PCOnly’ option which removes provisioned apps only. This will leave the apps for the current user untouched.

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Minor improvement to update checker. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2023-04-24: Version 23.04.24

Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console.

2022-06-14: Version 22.05.30

Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2022-04-26: Version 22.04.26

Added -PCApps switch to list all MS Store apps on the system.
Added -UserApps switch to list all MS Store apps installed for the user.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Also running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.

2022-04-22: Version 22.04.22

If the -WimMountPath is not configured by the user then the default Windows temp folder will be used instead.
If the -WimMountPath is configured by the user but the path does not exist, it will be created.
Added a -LogRotate option to delete logs older than X number of days.

2022-03-27: Version 22.03.27

Utility now ignores blanks lines in Apps list file.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2021-09-07: Version 07.09.21

Added ability to remove apps from offline images.

2020-03-13: Version 20.03.13 ‘Cool’

Refactored code.
Backwards compatible.
Added logging.
Added config report when ran.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.

2019-12-03 v2.0

First public release.

Office Update Utility

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 15:00:47 +0000

Microsoft Office Update Manager

Office Update Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

This utility will check for and download update files for Microsoft Office.
It can also remove old update files.
This utility requires the Office Deployment Tool a free download available here.
This utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0.
This utility has been tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2016.
The update log can be sent via email and/or webhook.

Folder Structure

This utility requires a specific folder structure in order to operate, it expects the Office Deployment Tool and the configuration xml file to be in the same folder. Additionally, the source path of the Office installation files in the configuration xml file should be set to the same location. For example:

Office Deployment Tool location: \\server\share\Office-365-x64\setup.exe
Configuration xml file location: \\server\share\Office-365-x64\config-2019-x64.xml
Source path in the configuration xml file: \\server\share\Office-365-x64

This configuration will result in the Office update files being downloaded and stored in: \\server\share\Office-2019-x64\Office\Data

Generating A Password File For SMTP Authentication

The password used for SMTP server authentication must be in an encrypted text file. To generate the password file, run the following command in PowerShell on the computer and logged in with the user that will be running the utility. When you run the command, you will be prompted for a username and password. Enter the username and password you want to use to authenticate to your SMTP server.

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when send the log via e-mail.

1
2

$creds = Get-Credential
$creds.Password | ConvertFrom-SecureString | Set-Content c:\scripts\ps-script-pwd.txt

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-Office	The folder containing the Office Deployment Tool (ODT).	[path]
-Config	The name of the configuration xml file for the Office ODT. It must be located in the same folder as the ODT.	[file name.xml]
-Days	The number of days that you wish to keep old update files for. If you do not configure this option, no old files will be removed.	[number]
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-Webhook	The txt file containing the URI for a webhook to send the log file to.	[path]webhook.txt
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-Port	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path]ps-script-pwd.txt
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Office-Update.ps1 -Office [path\] -Config [file name.xml] -Days [number]`

This will update the office installation files in the specified directory, and delete update files older than X days

Change Log

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Minor improvement to update checker. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2023-02-07: Version 23.02.07

Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console.
Added webhook option to send log file to.
Removed SMTP authentication details from the ‘Config’ report. Now it just shows as ‘configured’ if SMTP user is configured. To be clear: no passwords were ever shown or stored in plain text.

2022-07-31: Version 22.07.30

Changed how the removal of old files works. Old versions will be removed regardless, -Days option has been removed.

2022-06-22: Version 22.06.22

Fixed an issue where If -L [path] not configured then a non fatal error would occur as no log path was specified for the log to be output to.

2022-06-14: Version 22.05.25

Added new feature: log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2022-05-25: Version 22.05.25

Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Also running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added a -LogRotate option to delete logs older than X number of days.

2021-12-06: Version 21.12.06

Fixed problem with Hostname not displaying.

2021-12-04: Version 21.12.04

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.

2020-03-03: Version 2020.03.01 ‘Crosshair’

New features:

Refactored code.
Fully backwards compatible.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.
Config report matches design of Image Factory Utility.

2019-09-04 v1.1

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2019-06-16 v1.0

Initial release.

Hyper-V Backup Utility

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 20:25:26 +0000

Flexible Hyper-V Backup Utility

Hyper-V Backup Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

Designed to be run on a Hyper-V host.
The Hyper-V host must have the Hyper-V management PowerShell modules installed.
Can be used to backup VMs to a device which the Hyper-V host does not have permission to run a regular export to.
Supports Hyper-V hosts in a clustered configuration.
The utility requires at least Windows PowerShell 5.0.
Tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2016.
The backup log can be sent via email and/or webhook.

An SMB share can be used as a backup location by specifying the UNC path (\\server\share) with the -BackupTo option. Please note that you must use either a local working directory (-Wd path) or the -NoPerms option if your SMB share host and Hyper-V host are not members of an Active Directory domain. Hyper-V cannot perform export VMs to a network share without the Hyper-V host having permissions to the share which are possible when using Windows servers and Active Directory and not available with a NAS appliance such as TrueNAS, QNAP or Synology.

When to use the -NoPerms option

The -NoPerms switch is intended as a workaround when used in an environment where the Hyper-V host cannot be given the required permissions to run a regular export to a remote device such as a NAS device. To copy all the files necessary for a complete backup, the VM must be in an offline state for the operation to be completed. Therefore the script will put the VM in a ‘Saved’ state (if it is running) so the files can be copied. In previous versions the VM would be shutdown but this is a faster and safer method as the VM does not require any integrations to be put in a saved state.

Hyper-V’s export operation requires that the computer account in Active Directory have access to the location where the exports are being stored. When a NAS is intended to be used as an export location, Hyper-V will not be able to complete the operation as the computer account cannot be given access to the share on the NAS.

7-Zip support

I’ve implemented support for 7-Zip into the script. You should be able to use any option that 7-zip supports, although currently the only options I’ve tested fully are ‘-t’ archive type, ‘-p’ password and ‘-v’ split files.

Generating A Credentials File For SMTP Authentication

The password used for SMTP server authentication must be in an encrypted text file. To generate the password file, run the command below in PowerShell on the same computer and logged in with the user that will be running the utility. When you run the command, you will be prompted for a username and password. Enter the username and password you want to use to authenticate to your SMTP server.

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when sending the log via e-mail.

`1`	`[path\]Hyper-V-Backup.ps1 -MakeCreds [filename.txt]`

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Restoring a virtual machine from backup

The easiest and quickest way to restore a Virtual Machine that has been backed up using this script is to use Hyper-V’s native import function.

Copy the backup of the VM you want to restore to a location on the VM host server that the VM should run from. If the backup is compressed, uncompress the file.
In the Hyper-V Manager, right-click on the VM host and select ‘Import Virtual Machine’.
Browse to the location of the VM backup folder and click Next.
Select the VM you want to restore.
Select ‘Register the virtual machine in-place’ option.
The VM will be registered in Hyper-V and available for use.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-BackupTo	The path the virtual machines should be backed up to. Each VM will have its own folder inside this location. This can be an SMB share but you must also use either -Wd or -NoPerms.	[path] or [\\server\path]
-SMBUsr	Enter the domain and user required to access the SMB share. Use only if required.	domain\user
-SMBPwd	Enter the password for the above account required to access the SMB share. Use only if required.	password
-AllVms	If this option is configured all VMs will be backed up.	N/A
-Prefix	Use this option to specify VM names beginning with the string specified to backup.	[string]
-List	Enter the path to a txt file with a list of Hyper-V VM names to backup. If this option, -Prefix and -AllVms are not configured, all running VMs will be backed up.	[path\vms.txt]
-CaptureState	Enter a method to use when exporting the VM. If this option is not configured, the default method will be used.	CaptureCrashConsistentState, CaptureSavedState, CaptureDataConsistentState
-Wd	The path to the working directory to use for the backup before copying it to the final backup directory. Use a directory on local fast media to improve performance.	[path]
-NoPerms	Configures the utility to shut down running VMs to do the file-copy based backup instead of using the Hyper-V export function.	N/A
-Keep	Instructs the utility to keep a specified number of days worth of backups. VM backups older than the number of days specified will be deleted.	[number]
-Compress	This option will create a zip file of each Hyper-V VM backup.	N/A
-Sz	Configure the utility to use 7-Zip to compress the VM backups. 7-Zip must be installed in the default location `$env:ProgramFiles` if it is not found, Windows compression will be used.	N/A
-SzOptions	Use this switch to configure options for 7-Zip. The switches must be comma separated.	“'-t7z,-v2G,-ppassword'”
-ShortDate	Configure the script to use only the Year, Month and Day in backup filenames.	N/A
-LowDisk	Remove old backups before new ones are created. For low disk space situations.	N/A
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-ProgCheck	Send notifications (email or webhook) after each VM is backed up.	N/A
-OptimiseVHD	Optimise the VHDs and make them smaller before copy. Must be used with -NoPerms option.	N/A
-Webhook	The txt file containing the URI for a webhook to send the log file to.	[path\webhook.txt]
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-Port	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path\ps-script-pwd.txt]
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A
-MakeCreds	Use this option to create a credentials file for SMTP authentication. The file will be created in the same directory as the script.	[filename.txt]

How to use

`1`	`[path\]Hyper-V-Backup.ps1 -BackupTo [path]`

This will backup all the VMs running to the backup location specified.

Change Log

2024-08-29: Version 24.08.29

Added Sponsorship information to the projects Github.
Added SMB Authentication, based on work from PR 37
Added -MakeCreds option to help in creation of SMTP authentication file.
Added -AllVms option to specify the backing up of all VMs on a Hyper-V server without the need for a list file.
Added -Prefix option to backup all VMs beginning with the string specified.
Added more information about Hyper-V’s export limitations to the documentation and in app help.

2024-05-11: Version 24.05.11

Fixed an issue where backup success would be reported when using a working directory and the final destination directory for the backup didn’t have enough disk space. From Issue 27

2024-03-21: Version 24.03.21

Added -CaptureState option for the user to specify the method that Export-VM uses to capture the state of the VM whilst running. From Issue 34

2024-03-18: Version 24.03.18

Added fix for verifying password protected 7-Zip archives from Issue 33

2024-03-08: Version 24.03.08

Fixed 7-Zip split files getting renamed and not keeping file extensions when short dates are used.
Added a verify operation for 7-Zip created archives as per Issue 33
Fixed an issue where failed backups where also listed as successful.
Overhauled the backup success/fail checks. They now work a lot more reliably.
Added check for the work dir/backup dir to exist before trying to remove as this caused a script error.
Cleaned up console and log file output.

2023-09-05: Version 23.09.05

Added new features from Issue 28
Added -ProgCheck option. With this option set, notifications will be sent after each VM is backup is finished.
Added backup time duration to the script output.
Added -OptimiseVHD option to shrink the size of the VHDs. Can only be used the the -NoPerms option as the VM must be offline to optimise the VHDs.

~~### 2023-07-25: Version 23.07.25~~

~~* Changed strings that check for VM state to numerical values to help with non-english systems. Thanks to ‘mannyagre’ for the suggestion.~~

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Minor improvement to update checker. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2023-02-18: Version 23.02.18

Removed specific SMTP config info from config report. Issue 24
Added a “simple auth edition” version of the script. Issue 25

2023-02-07: Version 23.02.07

Removed SMTP authentication details from the ‘Config’ report. Now it just shows as ‘configured’ if SMTP user is configured. To be clear: no passwords were ever shown or stored in plain text.

2023-01-09: Version 23.01.09

Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console.
Added VM restore instructions to readme.md.
Added “low disk space” mode. -LowDisk switch deletes previous backup files and folders before backup for systems with low disk space.
Added webhook option to send log file to.
Lot’s of refactored code using functions. Simpler, easier to manage. Long overdue.
Fixed bug that started VMs that were shutdown.
Changed “VM not running” from an error state to an informational state.
Changed “Backup Success” to a success state (green text in console).
Changed -NoPerms so that VMs are now saved instead of shutdown (safer, faster, does not require Hyper-V integrations)

2022-06-22: Version 22.06.22

Fixed an issue with the code checking for OS version too late.

2022-06-18: Version 22.06.18

Fixed Get-Service check outputting to console.
Fixed backup success/fail counter not working with -NoPerms switch.

2022-06-17: Version 22.06.17

Fixed an issue with Windows Server 2012 R2 when checking for the Hyper-V service to be installed and running.

2022-06-14: Version 22.06.11

Fixed Issue 19 on GitHub - All Virtual Hard Disk folders should now be called “Virtual Hard Disks” and not some with the name “VHD”.
Fixed Issue 20 on GitHub - If -L [path] not configured then a non fatal error would occur as no log path was specified for the log to be output to.
Fixed an issue where a VM would not be backed up if it were in the state “saved” and was present in the user configured VM list text file.
Added user feedback - make backup success or fail clear in the log and console.
Added user feedback - add “VMs backed up x/x” to email subject for clear success/fail visibility.
Added user feedback - Log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2022-03-27: Version 22.03.26

Made a small fix to the ‘NoPerms’ function: The VM will be left in the state it was found. For example, when a VM is found in an offline state, the script will not start the VM once the backup is complete. In the previous version the VM would be started regardless of what state it was in previously.

2022-02-08: Version 22.02.08

Added fix for potential BSOD on Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V host when exporting VMs using VSS. The change to the registry will only happen if Windows Server 2016 is detected as the Hyper-V host and only if the registry value is in the default state. If it has been configured previously no change will be made. Issue 17 on GitHub

2022-01-20: Version 22.01.19

When using -NoPerms the utility now waits for disk merging to complete before backing up.
Utility now ignores blanks lines in VM list file.
Added checks for success or failure in the backup, copy/compression process. If it fails none of the previous backups should be removed.

2021-12-28: Version 21.12.28

Put checks in place so if a VM fails to backup the old backup for that VM is not removed and the error is logged.

2021-11-12: Version 21.11.09

Added more logging info, clearer formatting.

2021-11-05: Version 21.11.05

Fixed an error when moving compressed backup files from a working directory.
Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Improved log output, added more information for each stage of the backup.

2021-08-10: Version 21.08.10

Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.

2021-07-02: Version 21.07.02

Fixed many bugs introduced with implementing more 7-zip options. 7-zip options I’ve tested fully are ‘-t’ archive type, ‘-p’ password and ‘-v’ split files.
Implemented and automated a formal testing process.

2021-06-14: Version 21.06.14

Replaced -Sz* specific options with -SzOptions which will support any option that 7-zip supports.

2021-06-02: Version 21.06.02

Fixed an error where file types which are not .zip were not being moved from the working directory to the final backup location.

2021-05-30: Version 21.05.30

Added additional 7-Zip options. -SzSplit to split archives into configuration volumes.
Changed existing switches for 7-Zip options. Users must now add an additional hyphen ‘-’ for 7-Zip options. This has been done to better support features that 7-Zip supports.
Changed how old files are removed. Users should take extra care if they are storing non back-up files in the backup location. This has been done so that 7-Zip’s split function can be supported.

2020-07-13: Version 20.07.13

Added -ShortDate option. This will create backups with only the Year, Month, Day as the file name.
Added pass through for 7-Zip options - CPU threads to use and compression level.
Added proper error handling so errors are properly reported in the console, log and email.
Bug fixes to create folders when paths are configured without the folders existing.

2020-02-28: Version 20.02.28 ‘Artifact’

Fixed e-mail report extra line breaks in Outlook 365, Version 2001.
Config report matches design of Image Factory Utility.
Improved and simplified code.

2020-02-18: Version 2020.02.14 ‘Valentine’

Current known issues:

E-mail report has extra line breaks in Outlook 365, Version 2001.

New features:

Refactored code.
Fully backwards compatible.
Added option to use a working directory to stage backups before moving them to final backup location.
Added option to use 7-Zip for backup compression.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.

2019-09-04 v4.5

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2019-05-26 v4.4

Added more feedback when the script is used interactively.

2018-06-21 v4.3

Added the ability to specify the VMs to be backed up using a txt file.

2018-03-04 v4.2

Improved logging slightly to be clearer about which VM’s previous backups are being deleted.

2018-03-03 v4.1

Added option to compress the VM backups to a zip file. This option will remove the original VM backup.
Added option to keep a configurable number of days’ worth of backups, so you can keep a history/archive of previous backups. Every effort has been taken to only remove backup files or folders generated by this utility.
Changed the script so that when backup is complete, the VM backup folders/zip files will be have the time and date append to them.

2018-01-15 v4.0

The backup script no longer creates a folder named after the Host server. The VM backups are placed in the root of the specified backup location.
Fixed a small issue with logging where the script completes the backup process, then states incorrectly “there are no VMs to backup”.

2018-01-12 v3.9

Fixed a small bug that occurred when there were no VMs to backup, the script incorrectly logged an error in exporting the VMs. It now states that that are no VMs to backup.

2018-01-12 v3.8

The script has been tested performing backups of Virtual Machines running on a Hyper-V cluster.
Minor update to documentation.

2017-10-16 v3.7

Changed SMTP authentication to require an encrypted password file.
Added instructions on how to generate an encrypted password file.

2017-10-07 v3.6

Added necessary information to add the script to the PowerShell Gallery.

2017-09-18 v3.5

Improved the log output to be easier to read.

2017-07-22 v3.4

Improved commenting on the code for documentation purposes.
Added authentication and SSL options for e-mail notification.

2017-05-20 v3.3

Added configuration via command line switches.
Added option to perform regular online export if destination allows it.

2017-04-24 Minor Update

Cleaned up the formatting and commented sections of the script.

2017-04-21 Minor Update

Added the ability to email the log file when the script completes.

On-Prem AD User Creator Utility

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 19:00:25 +0000

Configurable Script For Creating On-Prem Active Directory User Accounts

On-Prem AD User Creator Utility is available from:

GitHub

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

Requires the Active Directory PowerShell module be installed.
Requires A CSV file containing the FirstName and LastName of each user to create.
Configurable list of groups to add new users to.
Randomly generated passwords for each user.
User names are generated from first name & a 3 digit random number.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0.
Tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016.

Generating A Password File For SMTP Authentication

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when send the log via e-mail.

1
2

$creds = Get-Credential
$creds.Password | ConvertFrom-SecureString | Set-Content c:\scripts\ps-script-pwd.txt

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-CSV	The path of the csv file containing the user info. Please see the users-example.csv file for how to structure your own file.	[path]user-list.csv
-OU	The Organizational Unit to create the users in. If none is configured the default Computers OU will be used.	‘OU=User_Accounts,DC=contoso,DC=com’
-UPN	The Universal Principal Name the users should be configured with. If none is configured the forest name will be used.	[contoso.com]
-HomeLetter	The drive letter to use for the home drive path.	[drive letter]
-HomePath	The path where the location of the home drive should reside.	[path]
-Groups	The name of the group(s) separated by a comma that all the new users should be a member of.	[UserGroup1,UserGroup2]
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-Port	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path]ps-script-pwd.txt
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]On-Prem-AD-User-Creator.ps1 -csv [path\]user-list.csv`

This will create new users from the names in the csv file. The user objects will be created in the ‘Computers’ builtin OU.

Change Log

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Removed specific SMTP config info from config report.
Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2022-06-14: Version 22.06.06

Added new feature: log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.

2021-09-20: Version 21.09.20

Added code to make sure sam account name will never be more than 19 characters, due to the default sam account name length being 20 characters.

2021-09-15: Version 21.09.15

Completely rewritten to streamline the user creation process.
User passwords are now randomly generated.
Added option to add users to multiple groups.
Utility will find groups based on the AD name. No more having to specify the whole DN.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.
Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.

2019-09-04 v1.6

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2017-10-16 v1.5

Changed SMTP authentication to require an encrypted password file.
Added instructions on how to generate an encrypted password file.

2017-10-07 v1.4

Added necessary information to add the script to the PowerShell Gallery.

2017-09-13 v1.3

Added check for existence of user before attempting to create user.
Improved logging to handle the above change.

2017-07-22 v1.2

Improved code commenting for documentation purposes.
Added authentication and SSL options for e-mail notification.

WSUS Maintenance Utility

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 20:15:22 +0000

Clean up WSUS

WSUS Maintenance Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

It’s designed to run either on a WSUS server itself or can be run from a remote machine.
The computer that is running the utility must have the WSUS management PowerShell modules installed.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0
This utility has been tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016.

Generating A Password File For SMTP Authentication

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when send the log via e-mail.

1
2

$creds = Get-Credential
$creds.Password | ConvertFrom-SecureString | Set-Content c:\scripts\ps-script-pwd.txt

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-Run	Run the maintenance routine on the local computer.	N/A
-Server	The WSUS server to run the maintenance routine on.	[server name]
-Port	The port WSUS is running on the server. If you do not configure this, the default port will be used.	[port number]
-WsusSsl	Use this option if your WSUS server uses SSL. If you do not configure the port using the above, then the default SSL port will be used.	N/A
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-Webhook	The txt file containing the URI for a webhook to send the log file to.	[path]webhook.txt
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-SmtpPort	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path]ps-script-pwd.txt
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Wsus-Maintenance.ps1 -Run`

This will run the maintenance jobs on the local server

Change Log

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Minor improvement to update checker. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2023-03-21: Version 23.03.21

Removed specific SMTP config info from config report.
Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console.
Added webhook option to send log file to.

2022-06-18: Version 22.06.18

Fixed Get-Service check outputting to console.

2022-06-14: Version 22.05.28

Added new feature: log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.
Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2020-03-20: Version 20.03.20

Added code contribution from ideas@habs.homelinux.net.
Individual clean-up jobs now run separately.
Improved reporting.
Made slight improvements to documentation.

2020-03-05: Version 20.03.03 ‘Burger’

Added SSL option for connecting to the WSUS server.
Made the -Port switch optional. If it is not specified, the default port is used. If -WsusSsl is specified, the default port for SSL is used.
Added config report.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.
Refactored code.
Fully backwards compatible.

2019-09-04 v1.8

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2019-04-23 v1.7

The script will now not run the clean up process twice.
The script will now report if the service isn’t running before starting.

2017-10-16 v1.6

Changed SMTP authentication to require an encrypted password file.
Added instructions on how to generate an encrypted password file.

2017-10-07 v1.5

Added necessary information to add the script to the PowerShell Gallery.

2017-09-25 v1.4

Cleaned up formatting, minor changes to code for efficiency.

2017-08-11 v1.3

Improved, cleaner logging. The log file is no longer produced from PowerShell’s Transcript function.

2017-07-22 v1.2

Improved commenting on the code for documentation purposes.
Added authentication and SSL options for e-mail notification.

2017-05-22 v1.1

Added configuration via command line switches.

Image Factory Utility

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 11:30:52 +0000

Automate Creation of WIM Files

Image Factory Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

This utility is designed to run on a computer with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit installed.
The computer must have either the Hyper-V management PowerShell modules installed, or Virtual Box.
The primary function of this utility is to automate the creation of wim files from MDT task sequences.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0.
This utility has been tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

Virtual Box Support

This utility expects Oracle Virtual Box to be installed in the default location of: C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox

Important Information

The utility will make changes to your customsettings.ini file, although it will make a backup first. These changes are necessary so that the build process runs automated. Depending on your environment, you may need to make additional changes to your customsettings.ini.

Separating your build and deployment shares

I would recommend running with a separate build share so that:

The Image Factory Utility doesn’t tie up the main deployment share whilst running.
The build environment can be configured separately.
The boot media for the build share can be configured to automatically log into the deployment environment.

Here are the settings you’ll need to add to your Bootstrap.ini to automatically log into the build share. Don’t forget to update your build share in MDT and regenerate the boot images.

[Settings]
Priority=Default

[Default]
DeployRoot=[path\]BuildShare$
UserDomain=contoso.com
UserID=mdt_admin
UserPassword=P@ssw0rd
SkipBDDWelcome=YES

Generating A Password File For SMTP Authentication

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when send the log via e-mail.

1
2

$creds = Get-Credential
$creds.Password | ConvertFrom-SecureString | Set-Content c:\scripts\ps-script-pwd.txt

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-Build	Location of the build share. It can be the same as the deployment share, and it can be a local or UNC path.	[path]
-Deploy	Location of the deployment share. It can be the same as the deployment share, and it can be a local or UNC path.	[path]
-Vh	Hyper-V Only - Name of the Hyper-V host if remote. If not set it will default to local.	[hostname]
-Vhd	The path to store the virtual hard disk file(s). If using a remote Hyper-V server the path should be relative for that server.	[path]
-Boot	The path to the iso file to boot from. If using a remote Hyper-V server the path should be relative for that server.	[path]LiteTouchPE_x64.iso
-Vnic	Hyper-V Only - Name of the virtual switch that the VM should use to communicate.	“‘virtual NIC name’”
-Ts	The comma-separated list of task sequence ID’s to build.	[W11-21H2,W10-21H2]
-VBox	Use this switch to use Oracle Virtual Box instead of Hyper-V	N/A
-Compat	Legacy Hyper-V Only - Use this switch if the Hyper-V host is Windows Server 2012 R2 and the script is running on Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016/2019. This loads the older version of the Hyper-V module, so it can manage WS2012 R2 Hyper-V VMs.	N/A
-Remote	Hyper-V Only - Use this switch if the Hyper-V server is a remote device.	N/A
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-ProgCheck	Send notifications (email or webhook) after each Task Sequence is processed.	N/A
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-Port	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path]ps-script-pwd.txt
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Image-Factory.ps1 -Build [path\] -Deploy [path\] -Boot [path\]LiteTouchPE_x64.iso -Vnic [virtual NIC name] -Ts W11-21H2,W10-21H2`

This will use Hyper-V VMs on the local machine to build wim files from the task sequences W11-21H2 and W10-21H2. The wim files will be imported to the deployment share specified.

Change Log

2023-09-01: Version 23.09.01

Added -ProgCheck option. With this option set, notifications will be sent after each Task Sequence is processed.

2023-04-28: Version 23.04.28

Removed specific SMTP config info from config report.
Added script update checker - shows if an update is available in the log and console. If the internet is not reachable it silently errors out.

2022-06-18: Version 22.06.18

Fixed Get-Service check outputting to console.

2022-06-17: Version 22.06.17

Fixed an issue with Windows Server 2012 R2 when checking for the Hyper-V service to be installed and running.

2022-06-14: Version 22.06.07

Added new feature: log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-02: Version 21.12.01

Added option to use Oracle Virtual Box instead of Hyper-V.
Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.

2021-06-22: Version 21.06.22

Added a progression bar display.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2020-02-27: Version 20.02.24 ‘Robot’

New features:

Refactored code.
Fully backwards compatible.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.

2019-09-04 v2.9

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2018-12-17 v2.8

The script will now set automatic checkpoints to ‘disabled’ on the VM’s. This is to help with VM disk management and clean up.

2017-10-16 v2.7

Changed SMTP authentication to require an encrypted password file.
Added instructions on how to generate an encrypted password file.

2017-10-09 v2.6

Added necessary information to add the script to the PowerShell Gallery.

2017-09-18 v2.5

Added a sanity check of the MDT deployment share. The script now checks for an existing CustomSettings-backup.ini file. If it exists, it reports that the deployment share is not clean.
Added extra line breaks when editing the CustomSettings.ini as previously it was adding the required configuration on the last line of the ini file and causing the deployment to fail. Many thanks to Twitter user @thestardawg for reporting this bug.

2017-08-26 v2.4

Improved logging so that the log file and console output is now more readable.

2017-07-22 v2.3

Improved commenting on the code for documentation purposes.
Added authentication and SSL options for e-mail notification.

2017-05-11 v2.2

Added command line configuration options so the script itself does not need to be edited.
Added code to manage the Virtual Machines without the need for extra configuration options.
Removed some unnecessary extra configuration options and variables.

2017-04-25 v2.1

I’ve added logging to the script and the ability to email the log on completion. I’ve also added a variable to configure the Virtual Switch that the VM’s Network Adaptor should use. This was an oversight on the previous version.

2017-04-17 Minor update

I’ve added hour and minutes to the WIM file creation name as I have been running multiple images of the same Task Sequence within a day and needed some extra data to prevent the image from over writing the previous one. I’ve also made another script, using this one as a base so I can generate VMs to test the deployment of the captured images after I’ve manually renamed them in MDT and added to the task sequences. The VMs are named after the Task Sequence ID and do not delete after the Task Sequence completes.

Log Manager Utility

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 18:26:14 +0000

Flexible clean up and backup of log files

For full change log and more information, visit my site.

Log Manager Utility is available from:

Please consider supporting my work:

Support with a one-time donation using PayPal.

Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub.

Thanks
-Mike

Features and Requirements

The utility will delete files and folders older than X days.
It can also backup files and folders older than X days to another location.
It can also compress backups as a zip file.
The utility requires at least PowerShell 5.0
This utility has been tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

Generating A Password File For SMTP Authentication

Please note: This is only required if you need to authenticate to the SMTP server when send the log via e-mail.

1
2

$creds = Get-Credential
$creds.Password | ConvertFrom-SecureString | Set-Content c:\scripts\ps-script-pwd.txt

After running the commands, you will have a text file containing the encrypted password. When configuring the -Pwd switch enter the path and file name of this file.

Configuration

Here’s a list of all the command line switches and example configurations.

Command Line Switch	Description	Example
-LogsPath	The path that contains the logs that the utility should process.	[path]
-LogKeep	Use this option to specify how long to keep logs for. Logs older than the number of days specified will be deleted.	[number]
-BackupTo	The path the logs should be backed up to. A folder will be created inside this location. If this option is not used, backup will not be performed.	[path]
-BacKeep	Use this option to specify how long to keep the backups. Backups older than the number of days specified will be deleted.	[number]
-Wd	Specify a ‘working directory’ for the creation of the zip file.	[path]
-Compress	This option will create a zip file of the log files.	N/A
-Sz	Configure the utility to use 7-Zip to compress the backups. 7-Zip must be installed in the default location `$env:ProgramFiles` if it is not found, Windows compression will be used.	N/A
-ZipName	Use this to name the zip file as you wish - the time and date will be appended to this name.	“‘IIS Logs’”
-L	The path to output the log file to.	[path]
-LogRotate	Remove logs produced by the utility older than X days	[number]
-NoBanner	Use this option to hide the ASCII art title in the console.	N/A
-Help	Display usage information. No arguments also displays help.	N/A
-Subject	Specify a subject line. If you leave this blank the default subject will be used	“'[Server: Notification]'”
-SendTo	The e-mail address the log should be sent to. For multiple address, separate with a comma.	[example@contoso.com]
-From	The e-mail address the log should be sent from.	[example@contoso.com]
-Smtp	The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP server.	[smtp server address]
-Port	The Port that should be used for the SMTP server. If none is specified then the default of 25 will be used.	[port number]
-User	The user account to authenticate to the SMTP server.	[example@contoso.com]
-Pwd	The txt file containing the encrypted password for SMTP authentication.	[path\ps-script-pwd.txt]
-UseSsl	Configures the utility to connect to the SMTP server using SSL.	N/A

Example

`1`	`[path\]Log-Manager.ps1 -LogsPath [path\] -LogKeep [number] -BackupTo [path\]`

This will backup and remove logs in the path specified older than X days.

Change Log

2022-06-14: Version 22.06.01

Added new feature: log can now be emailed to multiple addresses.
Added checks and balances to help with configuration as I’m very aware that the initial configuration can be troublesome. Running the utility manually is a lot more friendly and step-by-step now.
Added -Help to give usage instructions in the terminal. Running the script with no options will also trigger the -help switch.
Cleaned user entered paths so that trailing slashes no longer break things or have otherwise unintended results.
Added -LogRotate [days] to removed old logs created by the utility.
Streamlined config report so non configured options are not shown.
Added donation link to the ASCII banner.
Cleaned up code, removed unneeded log noise.

2021-12-09: Version 21.12.09

Moved config output so user can see it even if there’s no files to process.

2021-12-08: Version 21.12.08

Configured logs path now is created, if it does not exist.
Added OS version info.
Added Utility version info.
Added Hostname info.
Added an option to specify the Port for SMTP communication.
Changed a variable to prevent conflicts with future PowerShell versions.

2020-07-30: Version 20.07.27

Added improved error handling and reporting.

2020-07-21: Version 20.07.21

Fixed error when using script without a log output configured.

2020-03-23: Version 20.03.23

Fixed a user reported issue: wildcards in the -LogsPath switch no longer worked. They will now work.

2020-03-11: Version 20.03.11 ‘Cow’

The previous command line switch of -LogPath is now -LogsPath. This fixes an issue with a duplicate variable and switch alias preventing utility from running currently.

2020-03-09: Version 20.03.06 ‘Fish’

Added custom name for zip file based on user feedback.
Added option to use 7-zip for zip file backup.
Added time to keep backups for.
Added config report.
Added ASCII banner art when run in the console.
Added option to disable the ASCII banner art.
Refactored code.

2019-09-04 v1.8

Added custom subject line for e-mail.

2017-10-16 v1.7

Changed SMTP authentication to require an encrypted password file.
Added instructions on how to generate an encrypted password file.

2017-10-09 v1.6

Added necessary information to add the script to the PowerShell Gallery.

2017-09-20 v1.5

Improved log output to be more legible.

2017-06-21 v1.4

Improved commenting on the code for documentation purposes.
Added authentication and SSL options for e-mail notification.

2017-06-13 v1.3

First public release.