Unable to get PowerShell code to work - powershell

Question

I am trying to run a script from my Active Directory host to the other hosts on the network that will pull device info for each of the hosts.
The code I am using is:
# Exports Local System Information to CSV
# Run this PowerShelll script at log on to collect PC information to a CSV file on a network share
# Thom McKiernan 28/08/2014
#Get hostnames
#$Computers = Get-Content ("C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\ComputerListAug2015.txt") -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
foreach ($computer in Get-Content "C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\ComputerListAug2015.txt")
{
# Collect the info from WMI
$computerSystem = get-wmiobject Win32_ComputerSystem -Computer $computer.$deviceinfile
$computerBIOS = get-wmiobject Win32_BIOS -Computer $computer.$deviceinfile
$computerOS = get-wmiobject Win32_OperatingSystem -Computer $computer.$deviceinfile
$computerCPU = get-wmiobject Win32_Processor -Computer $computer.$deviceinfile
$computerHDD = Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk -ComputerName $computer.$deviceinfile -Filter drivetype=3
$macAddress = Get-WmiObject win32_networkadapterconfiguration -Computer $computer.$deviceinfile -Filter "IpEnabled = TRUE"
#Build the CSV file
$csvObject = New-Object PSObject -property #{
"PCName" = $computerSystem.Name
"Manufacturer" = $computerSystem.Manufacturer
"Model" = $computerSystem.Model
"SerialNumber" = $computerBIOS.SerialNumber
"RAM" = "{0:N2}" -f ($computerSystem.TotalPhysicalMemory/1GB) + "GB"
"HDDSize" = "{0:N2}" -f ($computerHDD.Size/1GB) + "GB"
"HDDFree" = "{0:P2}" -f ($computerHDD.FreeSpace/$computerHDD.Size) + "GB"
"CPU" = $computerCPU.Name
"OS" = $computerOS.caption
"SP" = $computerOS.ServicePackMajorVersion
"User" = $computerSystem.UserName
"BootTime" = $computerOS.ConvertToDateTime($computerOS.LastBootUpTime)
"MACAddress" = $macAddress.MacAddress
}
#Export the fields you want from above in the specified order
$csvObject | Select PCName, Maufacturer, Model, SerialNumber, RAM, HDDSize, HDDFree, CPU, OS, SP, User, BootTime, MACAddress | Export-Csv 'system-info.csv' -NoTypeInformation -Append
}
# Open CSV file for review (leave this line out when deploying)
notepad system-info.csv
However, I am continuously getting the following error:
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try the command again.
I have tried to set up the txt file as just computer names (exported from Active Directory) and I have tried to append each name with ".domain.com" and neither have worked.
I tried to have just my own device in the list, and no error occurred, but there was no output either. It was as if it didn't run when using "powershell -noexit .\ComputerDetails.ps1" but when I just run the script by right-clicking on it I can see the errors fly by, and an error from Notepad saying the file does not exist.
I have tried to google this issue, and found countless resources, that do not seem to help get rid of this error.
Full list of errors recieved:
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:12 char:63
+ $computerSystem = get-wmiobject Win32_ComputerSystem -Computer <<<< $compute
r.$deviceinfile
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:13 char:51
+ $computerBIOS = get-wmiobject Win32_BIOS -Computer <<<< $computer.$deviceinf
ile
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:14 char:60
+ $computerOS = get-wmiobject Win32_OperatingSystem -Computer <<<< $computer.$
deviceinfile
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:15 char:55
+ $computerCPU = get-wmiobject Win32_Processor -Computer <<<< $computer.$devic
einfile
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:16 char:61
+ $computerHDD = Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk -ComputerName <<<< $computer.
$deviceinfile -Filter drivetype=3
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Get-WmiObject : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'ComputerName'. The argum
ent is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try
the command again.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:17 char:72
+ $macAddress = Get-WmiObject win32_networkadapterconfiguration -Computer <<<<
$computer.$deviceinfile -Filter "IpEnabled = TRUE"
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-WmiObject], ParameterBindi
ngValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
Shell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand
Attempted to divide by zero.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:27 char:53
+ "HDDFree" = "{0:P2}" -f ($computerHDD.FreeSpace/ <<<< $computerHDD.Size)
+ "GB"
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : RuntimeException
Export-Csv : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'Append'.
At C:\Users\Administrator.ESP\Documents\SoftwareAuditing\ComputerDetails\Comput
erDetails.ps1:37 char:183
+ $csvObject | Select PCName, Maufacturer, Model, SerialNumber, RAM, HDDSize, H
DDFree, CPU, OS, SP, User, BootTime, MACAddress | Export-Csv 'system-info.csv'
-NoTypeInformation -Append <<<<
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Export-Csv], ParameterBind
ingException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : NamedParameterNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Comm
ands.ExportCsvCommand

Answer 1

The issue you are having here is that PowerShell is trying to get the property defined by $deviceinfile from the object $computer. However $computer is just a string that does not have a property $deviceinfile. Is that supposed to be a suffix as part of your naming convention?
Brief Explanation of the issue
Look at the following example
$Computer = "comp1"
$deviceinfile = "Test"
$Computer.$deviceinfile
That returned nothing since there is not "Test" property on the $computer string object. I think the result you were expecting was comp1.Test. Now look at this example.
$deviceinfile = "Test"
$computer = New-Object -TypeName PSCustomObject -Property #{Test = "Bagel"}
$Computer.$deviceinfile
We made an object with a property called Test. "Bagel" is what is returned from that code.
What you can do in your code
If this is a naming convention you need to put that into quotes to stop it from being treated like a property call. Those variable will be expanded the way you would expect them. That is of course assuming you have $deviceinfile defined before it is called.
$computerSystem = get-wmiobject Win32_ComputerSystem -Computer "$computer.$deviceinfile"
Else just remove it.
$computerSystem = get-wmiobject Win32_ComputerSystem -Computer $computer