Windows 7 Built-in Applications - Windows PowerShell

In Windows 7, the Windows PowerShell application is included by default. The Windows PowerShell is an extensible command-line shell application that executes applications written in its associated scripting languages, allowing IT administrators to easily automate and administer their IT infrastructure. Think of Windows PowerShell as the command prompt (with which most Windows users are familiar) on steroids—a very powerful one indeed. Windows PowerShell is available as a separate download for Windows XP and Vista users.

To launch Windows PowerShell, type “Windows PowerShell” in the Start menu text box.

Using the Windows PowerShell, you can issue commands that you normally use with your command prompt window, such as dir:

Windows PowerShell
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PS C:\Users\Wei-Meng Lee> dir

Directory: C:\Users\Wei-Meng Lee
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
d-r-- 5/2/2009 2:49 PM Contacts
d-r-- 6/22/2009 6:48 AM Desktop
d-r-- 6/20/2009 2:28 PM Documents
d-r-- 6/19/2009 12:02 PM Downloads
d-r-- 5/20/2009 9:06 AM Favorites
d-r-- 5/2/2009 2:49 PM Links
d-r-- 5/2/2009 2:49 PM Music
d-r-- 6/14/2009 10:07 PM Pictures
d-r-- 5/2/2009 3:42 PM Saved Games
d-r-- 6/9/2009 2:33 PM Searches
d---- 6/28/2009 9:49 AM Tracing
d-r-- 5/2/2009 2:49 PM Videos
d-r-- 6/20/2009 1:51 PM Virtual Machines

PS C:\Users\Wei-Meng Lee>


When you issue the dir command, PowerShell actually translates it into the name of a cmdlet (Windows 7 has more than 100 cmdlets), which is a programming script. The dir command is an alias of the Get-ChildItem cmdlet.

The following example shows how you can take the directory listing of the Windows directory and then pipe it into another cmdlet named format-list, which displays in detail the information of each directory and file:

PS C:\Windows> dir | format-list

Directory: C:\Windows
Name : addins
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
LastWriteTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
Name : AppCompat
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 2:17:25 PM
LastWriteTime : 5/16/2009 6:47:19 AM
LastAccessTime : 5/16/2009 6:47:19 AM
Name : AppPatch
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 2:17:25 PM
LastWriteTime : 4/22/2009 5:01:13 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 5:01:13 PM
Name : assembly
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 2:17:25 PM
LastWriteTime : 5/28/2009 3:25:15 AM
LastAccessTime : 5/28/2009 3:25:15 AM
Name : Boot
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 2:17:26 PM
LastWriteTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
Name : Branding
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 2:17:26 PM
LastWriteTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 4:55:52 PM
...
...
Name : write.exe
Length : 9216
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 11:39:18 AM
LastWriteTime : 4/22/2009 1:19:45 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 11:39:18 AM
VersionInfo : File: C:\Windows\write.exe
InternalName: write

OriginalFilename: write
FileVersion: 6.1.7100.0 (winmain_win7rc.090421-1700)
FileDescription: Windows Write
Product: Microsoftr Windowsr Operating System
ProductVersion: 6.1.7100.0
Debug: False
Patched: False
PreRelease: False
PrivateBuild: False
SpecialBuild: False
Language: English (United States)
Name : _default.pif
Length : 707
CreationTime : 4/22/2009 9:29:14 AM
LastWriteTime : 3/20/2009 11:42:51 PM
LastAccessTime : 4/22/2009 9:29:14 AM
VersionInfo : File: C:\Windows\_default.pif
InternalName:
OriginalFilename:
FileVersion:
FileDescription:
Product:
ProductVersion:
Debug: False
Patched: False
PreRelease: False
PrivateBuild: False
SpecialBuild: False
Language:


Source of Information : Oreilly Windows 7 Up and Running