How do I run powershell scripts without admin rights? - powershell

If I try to change the execution policy, I get a message that says I can't modify the registry because I'm not an administrator.
It seems like this should be possible, since I can run batch files and other .exe and .com programs.

If your domain administrator hasn't forbidden it, you can do this:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope CurrentUser
This changes the default execution policy for PowerShell sessions run under the current user, rather than setting it for all users on the machine.
If you instead want to change the execution policy for just the current PowerShell session, you can use this command:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
However, if your domain administrator is using the "Turn on Script Execution" group policy, you will not be able to change your execution policy at all. The group policy setting makes the Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet ineffective.

You can try and set the policy of the process itself.
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy bypass

if you want to have an easy way to run a script myscript.ps1 from the windows shell then all you need is a bat Runmyscript.bat with the following contents:
type myscript.ps1 | powershell -
So simple it makes me wonder why you can't just run the ps1 in the first place, but there we go.
A generic version that prompts for userinput to type the name of the script would be:
set /p filename="Type name of script here: "
type %filename% | powershell -
I suppose if you wanted to, you could also write a generic vbscript script that opens any file in powershell using a dialogue box using this http://todayguesswhat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/windows-7-replacement-for.html

how about
$script = Get-Content .\test.ps1
Invoke-Expression $script

This works for me. Try this: cmd /min /C "set __COMPAT_LAYER=RUNASINVOKER && start "" %SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe

The third technique I've found elsewhere on the internet is to use
powershell.exe -EncodedCommand XXXXXXX
where XXXXXXX is the result of
$code = {
#powershell script goes here.
}
}
[convert]::ToBase64String([Text.Encoding]::Unicode.GetBytes($code))
Ref:
http://dmitrysotnikov.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/powershell-script-in-a-bat-file/

Related

How can I bypass execution policy when running scripts from Powershell ISE

So I can write a script in Powershell ISE, not save it, and it will run (F5/green arrow on the ISE). Once I save it, I get the error saying I can't run saved scripts. If I open a Powershell window in the directory the saved script exists, I can run it with
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File script.ps1
But is there a way I can get this to work when running it via the ISE's green arrow/F5? I don't have admin access to this PC
Edit: Windows 10
Ok so I just found out you can set Execution Policy for yourself (current user) without having admin rights. So if you're coming here from google do this:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope "CurrentUser" -ExecutionPolicy "RemoteSigned"
Also you can run individual script without setting Execution Policy for current user, by passing Execution Policy only for file script.
For example:
Powershell -executionpolicy RemoteSigned -File "C:\scripts\script.ps1"
Very convenient for scheduled tasks in the Windows Task Scheduler to run PowerShell commands (scripts).
That's my addition for google users

Batch script not calling Powershell

I have a batch script that calls a Powershell file in administration mode. I found this code a while ago, and it's worked great ever since:
PowerShell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command
"& {Start-Process PowerShell -ArgumentList '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File %PSFile%' -Verb RunAs}";
This time though, I called the batch script from another program. This program says the process worked, but it didn't actually do anything. Examining the logs from echo, I can see the batch script is being called, but it's not calling Powershell. I tried running the batch script manually, and it calls PS fine, so something with how the batch script is being called by the other program is messing with how it calls PS.
This in mind, I tried changing the batch script to directly run my .ps1 file, instead of starting a new admin instance of powershell to start it. My new .bat file looked like this:
Powershell -File %PSFILE% -Verb RunAs
Calling this from the other program sucessfully calls my Powershell script, but I get a bunch of errors from the PS script, since it's not an admin PS session like it needs to be.
How can I change my batch script to call Powershell as an admin, without using Powershell to call itself (which doesn't seem to work with the program that needs to run it)?
EDIT: After trying a bunch of tweaks, I've found I don't even need to be in admin mode to do what this script does. However, I still get access denied errors when running it through the program (admin or not). So something about running it from the program is making it need more permissions than when I run the batch script manually.
This is what I do (inside the .bat file):
If the .bat is NOT running as admin
powershell.exe -Command "powershell.exe 'C:\path\to\script.ps1' -Verb runAs"
If the .bat is running as admin
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "C:\path\to\script.ps1"
You could use a small utility I wrote called elevate32.exe/elevate64.exe.
elevate64 -- C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "d:\path to script\scriptfile.ps1"
elevate32.exe (32-bit version) and elevate64.exe (64-bit version) basically elevate whatever command line you pass to them.
You can get it here (ElevationToolkit1.zip):
http://www.westmesatech.com/misctools.html
An alternative is to use a short WSH script that, when called, provokes elevation. An example is on Aaron Margosis' blog here:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/aaron_margosis/2007/07/01/scripting-elevation-on-vista/
Script:
// elevate.js -- runs target command line elevated
if (WScript.Arguments.Length >= 1) {
Application = WScript.Arguments(0);
Arguments = "";
for (Index = 1; Index < WScript.Arguments.Length; Index += 1) {
if (Index > 1) {
Arguments += " ";
}
Arguments += WScript.Arguments(Index);
}
new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application").ShellExecute(Application, Arguments, "", "runas");
}
else {
WScript.Echo("Usage:");
WScript.Echo("elevate Application Arguments");
}
The limitations of this approach is that it relies on the WSH command-line parser and can't wait for the program to terminate. These limits may not be a problem in your scenario.
Looks like I was totally off as to the problem source. This was a permissions error on some folders I was editing. The program I was running the scripts through acts as a separate service. I had to add that with modify permissions to the security groups of all the folders I was editing. No elevation required in the scripts, just modifying permissions.

Script to change PowerShell ExecutionPolicy

When I setup my system, I use a number of config scripts to have my cosy place to play.
Based on this, I run by double-clicking the following enableps.js:
new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application").ShellExecute(
"powershell", "-noexit -Command \"& Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned\"", "", "runas");
Because of the -noexit I can issue in the displayed PowerShell window:
Get-ExecutionPolicy
and get as expected:
RemoteSigned
Unfortunately, when opening a new instance of PowerShell, the policy keeps to be Restricted.
If I run in a standard cmd prompt:
cscript "path\to\enableps.js"
it works. But if I embed the command in the enableps.cmd batch and again try to run it by double-clicking, it doesn't work. If I right-click enableps.cmd and use the Runas-Administrator entry, it works again.
So how can I make things working with the standard double-click (plus the related Windows prompt)?
You need to run the command and give it the -Scope argument so that it applies to more than the current session. Add the argument:
-Scope CurrentUser
... and the solution is:
Double click on the file:
// enableps.js
// -----------
new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application").ShellExecute(
"powershell", "-Command \"Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned\" -Scope CurrentUser",
"", "runas");
Consider replacing RemoteSigned with Unrestricted to allow running downloaded scripts too.
Credit goes to TheMadTechnician, who anyway did not write the full code.
By default making system-wide changes will require you to elevate the process if it hasn't been elevated already. If you want your script to disable the execution policy at the machine level then you will either need to switch off UAC or else you will have to run your cscript using a shellExecute, which will present the user with the required UAC approval dialog.

How do I run a PowerShell script when the computer starts?

I have a PowerShell script that monitors an image folder. I need to find a way to automatically run this script after the computer starts.
I already tried the following methods, but I couldn't get it working.
Use msconfig and add the PowerShell script to startup, but I cannot find the PowerShell script on that list.
Create a shortcut and drop it to startup folder. No luck.
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -File "C:\Doc\Files\FileMonitor.ps1"
or
%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -File "C:\Doc\Files\FileMonitor.ps1"
Here's my PowerShell script:
$folder = "C:\\Doc\\Files"
$dest = "C:\\Doc\\Files\\images"
$filter = "*.jpg"
$fsw = new-object System.IO.FileSystemWatcher $folder, $filter -Property #{
IncludeSubDirectories=$false
NotifyFilter = [System.IO.NotifyFilters]'FileName, LastWrite'
}
$onCreated = Register-ObjectEvent $fsw Created -SourceIdentifier FileCreated -Action {
Start-Sleep -s 10
Move-Item -Path C:\Doc\Files\*.jpg C:\Doc\Files\images
}
I also tried to add a basic task using taskschd.msc. It is still not working.
Here's what I found, and maybe that will help to debug it.
If I open up a PowerShell window and run the script there, it works. But if I run it in a command prompt,
powershell.exe -File "C:\Doc\Files\FileMonitor.ps1"
It will not work. I am not sure it's a permission problem or something else.
BTW, I have PowerShell 3.0 installed, and if I type $host.version, it will show 3 there. But my powershell.exe seems like it is still v1.0.
%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
I finally got my PowerShell script to run automatically on every startup. You will need to create two files: the first is the Powershell script (e.g. script.ps1) and the second is a .cmd file that will contain commands that will run on the command prompt (e.g. startup.cmd).
The second file is what needs to be executed when the computer starts up, and simply copy-pasting the .ps1 to the startup folder won't work, because that doesn't actually execute the script - it only opens the file with Notepad. You need to execute the .cmd which itself will execute the .ps1 using PowerShell. Ok, enough babbling and on to the steps:
Create your .ps1 script and place it in a folder. I put it on my desktop for simplicity. The path would look something like this:
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\script.ps1
Create a .cmd file and place it in
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\startup.cmd
Doing this will execute the cmd file every time on startup. Here is a link of how to create a .cmd file if you need help.
Open the .cmd file with a text editor and enter the following lines:
PowerShell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" >> "%TEMP%\StartupLog.txt" 2>&1
PowerShell %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\script.ps1 >> "%TEMP%\StartupLog.txt" 2>&1
This will do two things:
Set the Execution Policy of your PowerShell to Unrestricted. This is needed to run scripts or else PowerShell will not do it.
Use PowerShell to execute the .ps1 script found in the path specified.
This code is specifically for PowerShell v1.0. If you're running PowerShell v2.0 it might be a little different. In any case, check this source for the .cmd code.
Save the .cmd file
Now that you have your .ps1 and .cmd files in their respective paths and with the script for each, you are all set.
You could set it up as a Scheduled Task, and set the Task Trigger for "At Startup"
What I do is create a shortcut that I place in shell:startup.
The shortcut has the following:
Target: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -Command "C:\scripts\script.ps1"
(replacing scripts\scripts.ps1 with what you need)
Start In: C:\scripts
(replacing scripts with folder which has your script)
You could create a Scheduler Task that runs automatically on the start, even when the user is not logged in:
schtasks /create /tn "FileMonitor" /sc onstart /delay 0000:30 /rl highest /ru system /tr "powershell.exe -file C:\Doc\Files\FileMonitor.ps1"
Run this command once from a PowerShell as Admin and it will create a schedule task for you. You can list the task like this:
schtasks /Query /TN "FileMonitor" /V /FO List
or delete it
schtasks /Delete /TN "FileMonitor"
This is really just an expansion on #mjolinor simple answer [Use Task Scheduler].
I knew "Task Scheduler" was the correct way, but it took a bit of effort to get it running the way I wanted and thought I'd post my finding for others.
Issues including:
Redirecting output to logs
Hiding the PowerShell window
Note: You must have permission to run script see ExecutionPolicy
Then in Task Scheduler, the most important/tricky part is the Action
It should be Start a Program
Program/Script:
powershell
Add arguments (optional) :
-windowstyle hidden -command full\path\script.ps1 >> "%TEMP%\StartupLog.txt" 2>&1
Note:
If you see -File on the internet, it will work, but understand nothing can be after -File except the File Path, IE: The redirect is taken to be part of the file path and it fails, you must use -command in conjunction with redirect, but you can prepend additional commands/arguments such as -windowstyle hidden to not show PowerShell window.
I had to adjust all Write-Host to Write-Output in my script as well.
Try this: create a shortcut in startup folder and input
PowerShell "& 'PathToFile\script.ps1'"
This is the easiest way.
Prerequisite:
1. Start powershell with the "Run as Administrator" option
2. Enable running unsigned scripts with:
set-executionpolicy remotesigned
3. prepare your powershell script and know its path:
$path = "C:\Users\myname\myscript.ps1"
Steps:
1. setup a trigger, see also New-JobTrigger (PSScheduledJob) - PowerShell | Microsoft Docs
$trigger = New-JobTrigger -AtStartup -RandomDelay 00:00:30
2. register a scheduled job, see also Register-ScheduledJob (PSScheduledJob) - PowerShell | Microsoft Docs
Register-ScheduledJob -Trigger $trigger -FilePath $path -Name MyScheduledJob
you can check it with Get-ScheduledJob -Name MyScheduledJob
3. Reboot Windows (restart /r) and check the result with:
Get-Job -name MyScheduledJob
see also Get-Job (Microsoft.PowerShell.Core) - PowerShell | Microsoft Docs
References:
How to enable execution of PowerShell scripts? - Super User
Use PowerShell to Create Job that Runs at Startup | Scripting Blog
Copy ps1 into this folder, and create it if necessary. It will run at every start-up (before user logon occurs).
C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts\Startup
Also it can be done through GPEDIT.msc if available on your OS build (lower level OS maybe not).
Be sure, whenever you want PowerShell to run automatically / in the background / non-interactive, it’s a good idea to specify the parameters
-ExecutionPolicy Bypass to PowerShell.exe
PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass
I have a script that starts a file system watcher as well, but once the script window is closed the watcher dies. It will run all day if I start it from a powershell window and leave it open, but the minute I close it the script stops doing what it is supposed to.
You need to start the script and have it keep powershell open.
I tried numerous ways to do this, but the one that actually worked was from http://www.methos-it.com/blogs/keep-your-powershell-script-open-when-executed
param ( $Show )
if ( !$Show )
{
PowerShell -NoExit -File $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path 1
return
}
Pasting that to the top of the script is what made it work.
I start the script from command line with
powershell.exe -noexit -command "& \path\to\script.ps1"
A relatively short path to specifying a Powershell script to execute at startup in Windows could be:
Click the Windows-button (Windows-button + r)
Enter this:
shell:startup
Create a new shortcut by rightclick and in context menu choose menu item: New=>Shortcut
Create a shortcut to your script, e.g:
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command "C:\Users\someuser\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Scripts\somesscript.ps1"
Note the use of -NoProfile
In case you put a lot of initializing in your $profile file, it is inefficient to load this up to just run a Powershell script. The -NoProfile will skip loading your profile file and is smart to specify, if it is not necessary to run it before the Powershell script is to be executed.
Here you see such a shortcut created (.lnk file with a Powershell icon with shortcut glyph):
This worked for me. Created a Scheduled task with below details:
Trigger : At startup
Actions:
Program/script : powershell.exe
Arguments : -file
You can see scripts and more scheduled for startup inside Task Manager in the Startup tab. Here is how to add a new item to the scheduled startup items.
First, open up explorer to shell:startup location via start-button => run:
explorer shell:startup
Right click in that folder and in the context menu select a new shortcut. Enter the following:
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -NoProfile
-Command "C:\myfolder\somescript.ps1"
This will startup a Powershell script without starting up your $profile scripts for faster execution. This will make sure that the powershell script is started up.
The shell:startup folder is in:
$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows
And then into the folder:
Start Menu\Programs\Startup
As usual, Microsoft makes things a bit cumbersome for us when a path contains spaces, so you have to put quotes around the full path or just hit tab inside Powershell to autocomplete in this case.
If you do not want to worry about execution policy, you can use the following and put into a batch script. I use this a lot when having techs at sites run my scripts since half the time they say script didnt work but really it's cause execution policy was undefined our restricted. This will run script even if execution policy would normally block a script to run.
If you want it to run at startup. Then you can place in either shell:startup for a single user or shell:common startup for all users who log into the PC.
cmd.exe /c Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File "c:\path\to\script.ps1"
Obviously, making a GPO is your best method if you have a domain and place in Scripts (Startup/Shutdown); under either Computer or User Configurations\Windows Settings\Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).
If you go that way make a directory called Startup or something under **
\\yourdomain.com\netlogon\
and put it there to reference in the GPO. This way you know the DC has rights to execute it. When you browse for the script on the DC you will find it under
C:\Windows\SYSVOL\domain\scripts\Startup\
since this is the local path of netlogon.
Execute PowerShell command below to run the PowerShell script .ps1 through the task scheduler at user login.
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "SOME TASKNAME" -Trigger (New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogon) -Action (New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "${Env:WinDir}\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -Argument "-WindowStyle Hidden -Command `"& 'C:\PATH\TO\FILE.ps1'`"") -RunLevel Highest -Force;
-AtLogOn - indicates that a trigger starts a task when a user logs on.
-AtStartup - indicates that a trigger starts a task when the system is started.
-WindowStyle Hidden - don't show PowerShell window at startup. Remove if not required.
-RunLevel Highest - run PowerShell as administrator. Remove if not required.
P.S.
If necessary execute PowerShell command below to enable PowerShell scripts execution.
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope LocalMachine -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force;
Bypass - nothing is blocked and there are no warnings or prompts.
Unrestricted - loads all configuration files and runs all scripts. If you run an unsigned script that was downloaded from the internet, you're prompted for permission before it runs.
I 'm aware that people around here don't need a tool like this. But I think it will be useful especially for novice users. Auto start tool It is a Portable freeware which designed to simplify the process to automatically launch an App or script when you login to Windows. It offers 3 different options for autostart
Task Scheduler
Startup folder
Registry run key
The best part of the tool is supports powershell scripts (.Ps1) . this means that you can run a Powershell script automatically at system startup with all 3 methods.
Download
https://disk.yandex.com.tr/d/dFzyB2Fu4lC-Ww
Source:
https://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=25761
One thing I found. if you are using Write-Host within your PowerShell scripts, and are also using Task Scheduler (as shown in the posts above), you don't get all the output from the command line.
powershell.exe -command C:\scripts\script.ps1 >> "C:\scripts\logfile.log"
In my case, I was only seeing output from commands that ran successfully from the PowerShell script.
My conclusion so far is PowerShell uses Out-File to output to another command or in this case a log file.
So if you use *> instead of >> you get all the output from the CLI for your PowerShell script, and you can keep using Write-Host within your script.
powershell.exe -command C:\scripts\script.ps1 *> "C:\scripts\logfile.log"
https://lazyadmin.nl/powershell/output-to-file/
You can also run the script in the background, regardless of user login.
Within your task in Task Scheduler set "Run whether user is logged on or not", and then in the password prompt type your hostname\username then your password (In my case an account with Admin permissions).
I used Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser to get around the script execution problem. I still would have preferred to run it on a per-process basis though. A problem for another time.

Why are my PowerShell scripts not running?

I wrote a simple batch file as a PowerShell script, and I am getting errors when they run.
It's in a scripts directory in my path. This is the error I get:
Cannot be loaded because the execution of scripts is disabled on this system.
Please see "get-help about-signing".
I looked in the help, but it's less than helpful.
It could be PowerShell's default security level, which (IIRC) will only run signed scripts.
Try typing this:
set-executionpolicy remotesigned
That will tell PowerShell to allow local (that is, on a local drive) unsigned scripts to run.
Then try executing your script again.
You need to run Set-ExecutionPolicy:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted <-- Will not allow any powershell scripts to run. Only individual commands may be run.
Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned <-- Will allow signed powershell scripts to run.
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned <-- Allows unsigned local script and signed remote powershell scripts to run.
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted <-- Will allow unsigned powershell scripts to run. Warns before running downloaded scripts.
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass <-- Nothing is blocked and there are no warnings or prompts.
Use:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
Always use the above command to enable to executing PowerShell in the current session.
I was able to bypass this error by invoking PowerShell like this:
powershell -executionpolicy bypass -File .\MYSCRIPT.ps1
That is, I added the -executionpolicy bypass to the way I invoked the script.
This worked on Windows 7 Service Pack 1. I am new to PowerShell, so there could be caveats to doing that that I am not aware of.
[Edit 2017-06-26] I have continued to use this technique on other systems including Windows 10 and Windows 2012 R2 without issue.
Here is what I am using now. This keeps me from accidentally running the script by clicking on it. When I run it in the scheduler I add one argument: "scheduler" and that bypasses the prompt.
This also pauses the window at the end so I can see the output of PowerShell.
if NOT "%1" == "scheduler" (
#echo looks like you started the script by clicking on it.
#echo press space to continue or control C to exit.
pause
)
C:
cd \Scripts
powershell -executionpolicy bypass -File .\rundps.ps1
set psexitcode=%errorlevel%
if NOT "%1" == "scheduler" (
#echo Powershell finished. Press space to exit.
pause
)
exit /b %psexitcode%
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
The above command worked for me even when the following error happens:
Access to the registry key 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell' is denied.
Also it's worth knowing that you may need to include .\ in front of the script name. For example:
.\scriptname.ps1
The command set-executionpolicy unrestricted will allow any script you create to run as the logged in user. Just be sure to set the executionpolicy setting back to signed using the set-executionpolicy signed command prior to logging out.
We can bypass execution policy in a nice way (inside command prompt):
type file.ps1 | powershell -command -
Or inside powershell:
gc file.ps1|powershell -c -
On Windows 10:
Click change security property of myfile.ps1 and change "allow access" by right click / properties on myfile.ps1
It would be ideal to bypass execution policies e.g. through
powershell -executionpolicy bypass -File .\MYSCRIPT.ps1
Unfortunately this can still be prevented by group policies. As a workaround, you can encode your script as Base64 by running this in PowerShell:
[Convert]::ToBase64String([Text.Encoding]::Unicode.GetBytes((Get-Content .\MYSCRIPT.ps1)))
Then execute the result like this:
powershell.exe -EncodedCommand "put-your-base64-string-here"
Caveat: This won't work with scripts that require parameters.