Windows XP Under the Hood: Hardcore Windows Scripting and Command Line Power

694 Pages·2002·3.89 MB·English

by  Brian Knittel

Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by Que
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information
contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the
publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for
damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001099513
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: September 2002
05 04 03 02 4 3 2 1
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been
appropriately capitalized. Que cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this
book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty
or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an "as is" basis. The author and the publisher shall
have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages
arising from the information contained in this book.
Credits
Associate Publisher
Greg Wiegand
Executive Editor
Rick Kughen
Acquisitions Editor
Rick Kughen
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Development Editor
Todd Brakke
Managing Editor
Thomas F. Hayes
Project Editor
Sheila Schroeder
Production Editor
Maribeth Echard
Copy Editor
Bart Reed
Indexer
Ken Johnson
Proofreader
Plan-it Publishing
Technical Editor
Brian Fulk
Team Coordinator
Sharry Lee Gregory
Multimedia Developer
Michael Hunter
Interior Designer
Anne Jones
Cover Designer
Alan Clements
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Dedication
To the teachers and staff of San Rafael High School, who gave me an education for which I am still
grateful every day, 25 years later.
—Brian
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About the Author
Brian Knittel has been a software developer for more than 20 years. After doing graduate work in
Electrical Engineering applied to nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging technologies, he
began a career as an independent consultant. An eclectic mix of clients has led to long-term projects in
medical documentation, workflow management, real-time industrial system control, and most
importantly, over 15 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer networking
in the business world. Brian has coauthored Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional, Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional, and Special Edition Using
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and has contributed to several other Windows books.
Brian lives in Albany, California, halfway between the tidal wave zone and the earthquake fault. He
spends his free time restoring antique computers (for example, see www.ibm1130.org) and trying to
perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.
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Acknowledgments
I had a conversation with Que Executive Editor Rick Kughen a couple of years ago about the nifty but
unglamorous tools and programs that are provided with Windows, the tools we somehow don't have
room to write about in those thick Special Edition Using tomes. Perhaps I caught him at a weak and
confused moment, but he suggested that I ought to write a book about them, and that Que ought to
publish it. I bring this up because this was and is quite an honor. It's not every day that a publisher says,
in essence, "If you're excited about this, we are too." So, to start with, I thank Rick Kughen for his
confidence in me and in this project, and for his unflagging support, patience, encouragement, guidance,
and more patience. All that and the guy is kind, funny, and one heck of a fisherman to boot.
It's an honor to work with a highly respected publisher like Que. Thanks to Associate Publisher Greg
Wiegand for his faith in me and in the rest of his outstanding team during this arduous project. This
book would not have made any sense at all, or at least, it would not make whatever sense it does make
without Todd Brakke's hand in developing and editing it. I am grateful for his organizational guidance
and enthusiasm for the material. Also, many, many thanks to Bart Reed for not only his amazing
attention to detail in copy editing, but for very helpful technical questions and answers.
Don't let those job descriptions fool you—at Que at least, titles such as "development editor" and "copy
editor" don't begin to describe the breadth of the contributions that each team member makes to each
book.
I'd also like to acknowledge the support of our technical editor Brian Fulk, who meticulously tried every
sample program and example, and who went over every syntax statement with a fine-tooth comb. Then,
there is an entire army of people who labor largely unseen and unthanked—the people who do the real
work. I'd like to thank the editorial, indexing, layout, art, proofing, and other production staff at Que.
And finally, thanks to Sheila Schroeder and Tonya Simpson for managing the whole project through its
erratic course.
I would not be writing at all if it were not for Bob Cowart who brought me into this arena to begin with.
Thank you, Bob, for your confidence, partnership, and your example. I also thank Chris Van Buren for
his hand in making this project come about and for taking care of the business end of all this.
Then, there are the people who have made it possible for me to get through these months of writing:
Frank and Pete who made me leave the office at least a few times to go snowboarding, the crew at Peet's
Coffee & Tea who kept me well-decaffeinated every afternoon, my business partner Eric who has let me
turn our office into a paper- and book-strewn horror house for the last six months, Mike Holloway who
helped collate, research, and test the object and command-line references, and Bryce Carter who has
provided guidance and encouragement of the deepest sort.
Finally, love and gratitude to Norm, my anesthesiologist, whom I promised after the last round of book
writing that life would soon get back to normal. Well, I may have missed by six or eight months, but it's
going to happen.
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Tell Us What You Think
As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We value your opinion
and want to know what we're doing right, what we could do better, what areas you'd like to see us
publish in, and any other words of wisdom you're willing to pass our way.
As an associate publisher for Que, I welcome your comments. You can e-mail or write me directly to let
me know what you did or didn't like about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books
better.
Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book. We do have
a User Services group, however, where I will forward specific technical questions related to the book.
When you write, please be sure to include this book's title and author as well as your name, e-mail
address, and phone number. I will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and
editors who worked on the book.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mail: Greg Wiegand
Que
201 West 103rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46290 USA
For more information about this book or another Que title, visit our Web site at
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Contents
Copyright
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Tell Us What You Think
Introduction
Why Learn About This Stuff?
How This Book Is Organized
Conventions Used in This Book

Part I: Scripting
Chapter 1. Introduction to Windows Script Host
What Is a Windows Script?
Scripting Languages
A Simple Script
Script Files
Running Scripts
Security Concerns
Debugging Scripts
Where to Get More Information

Chapter 2. VBScript Tutorial
Introduction to VBScript
Flow Control
VBScript Functions
Interacting with the User
Advanced VBScript Topics
Where to Go from Here

Chapter 3. Scripting and Objects
Introduction to Objects
Using Objects with VBScript
Using Objects with JScript
Using Objects with ActivePerl
Using Objects with ActivePython
Using Objects with Object REXX
Using the WScript Object
Locating and Using Unusual Objects

Chapter 4. File and Registry Access
Getting Real Work Done
Manipulating Files and Folders
Reading and Writing Files
Reading and Writing XML and HTML
Manipulating Programs and Shortcuts
Working with the Environment
Working with the Registry

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Chapter 5. Network and Printer Objects
Managing Network and Printer Connections
Displaying Network User Information
Managing Drive Mappings
Managing Network Printer Connections
Printing from Scripts

Chapter 6. Messaging Objects
Sending E-mail from Scripts with CDO
The CDO Object Model
Sending a Message with CDO

Chapter 7. Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
Introduction to Windows Management Instrumentation
Enabling WMI on Your Network's Computers
Making WMI Connections
WMI Collections and Queries
WMI Applications
For More Information

Chapter 8. Active Directory Scripting Interface (ADSI)
Managing the User Directory
ADSI Concepts
ADSI Objects for the WinNT: Provider
IIS and Exchange
Managing Active Directory
Active Directory Objects
Developing ADSI Scripts
For More Information

Chapter 9. Creating Your Own Scriptable Objects
Why Create Your Own Objects?
Programming Language Options
Creating Objects with WSC Files
WSC File Format Reference
Creating a WSC Component
Creating a Practical Object

Chapter 10. Deploying Scripts for Computer and Network Management
Using Scripts in the Real World
Using WSF Files
Deploying Scripts on a Network
Creating Simple Installation Programs with IExpress
Writing Scripts to Manage Other Computers
Scripting Security Issues
Setting Up Logon Scripts
Scheduling Scripts to Run Automatically

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Part II: The Command-Line Environment
Chapter 11. The CMD Command-Line Environment
The Command Prompt
Command-Line Processing
Configuring the CMD Program
Built-In Commands
Running CMD
Getting More Information

Chapter 12. Batch Files for Fun and Profit
Why Batch Files?
Creating and Using Batch Files
Batch File Programming
Displaying Information in Batch Files
Argument Substitution
Argument Editing
Conditional Processing with If
Processing Multiple Arguments
Working with Environment Variables
Processing Multiple Items with the For Command
Using Batch File Subroutines
Prompting for Input
Useful Batch File Techniques

Chapter 13. The MS-DOS Environment Under Windows XP
MS-DOS Programs on Windows XP
Configuring the MS-DOS Environment
MS-DOS and Networking
Printing from MS-DOS
Configuring Serial Communications with MS-DOS
Using Special-Purpose Devices for MS-DOS
Managing MS-DOS Programs

Chapter 14. Command-Line Programs
Windows Command-Line Programs
The Essential Command Line
GUI Shortcuts
General-Purpose Shell Programs
File-Management Tools
Management Power Tools
Networking Utilities

Part III: Appendixes
Appendix A. VBScript Reference
VBScript 5.6 Language Features
Syntax
General Structure of a VBScript Program
Data Types and Variables
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