PowerShell Weekly for October 4, 2024

Blogs, Articles, and Posts

• Restore classic context menu in Windows 11 Explorer using Group Policy or PowerShell
  Alongside the revamped Start Menu, one of the most noticeable changes in Windows 11 is the redesigned context menu in File Explorer. However, these modifications are not merely aesthetic – they also restrict its functionality. You can deploy a registry key using Group Policy Preferences to restore the classic context.
• How to Create Azure Service Principals in PowerShell
  Learn how to create Azure service principals using PowerShell, enabling secure automation for managing Azure resources like virtual machines.
• Microsoft Retires the Revoke-SPOUserSession Cmdlet
  Unsurprisingly, Microsoft announced the deprecation of the Revoke-SPOUserSession cmdlet for November 2024. The cmdlet is replaced by the Revoke-MgUserSignInSession cmdlet, which works across Microsoft 365 rather than just SharePoint Online. All of this happened while the 2nd annual PowerShell Script-Off happened at TEC 2024 and competitors struggled with what to do to secure a user account for an ex-employee.
• GitHub Copilot Password Warning
  Did you know that GitHub Copilot is now sensing hard coded credentials and giving you a warning? It’s not perfect, but even if something looks like hard coded creds it will flag it, as on another script I had, it contained numbers that looked like they could be private, and it gave me a warning
• Using Get-Content in PowerShell
  I use Get-Content a lot (or cat, gc, and type as its alias) to display or track the contents of a file. There are different parameters for it, and in this blog post, I will show you what you can do with those :)
• Customize your Windows 11 (23H2 and onwards) taskbar during OSD with ConfigMgr using just PowerShell
  Approximately two years ago, I authored a blog post detailing how to customize the taskbar in Windows 11.
• Running PSScriptAnalyzer in GitHub Actions
  I was working on a project recently that has some PowerShell scripts and I wanted to add some kind of linting for PRs, as you do. The go-to for PowerShell seems to be PSScriptAnalyzer and it's something I've already setup in VS Code. Great! The next step was to setup
• PowerShell Potluck - September 2024
  Welcome back to another PowerShell Potluck, and you didn't have to bring a thing, other than a little curiosity and a willingness to try new things.

Projects, Scripts, and Modules

• EntraFIDOFinder – New PowerShell Module
  After so much interest from my post on Friday, I figured I’d do one better and make a PowerShell module that does it for you. So now you will be able to find which FIDO2 keys are attestation compatible with Entra right from your terminal. In the very near future I will have individual functions

Books, Media, and Learning Resources

• Common PowerShell Commands You Will Use As A System Administrator
  Are you ready to level up your PowerShell skills? In this video, we’ll cover 10 essential PowerShell commands every IT pro, sysadmin, and developer should know. These commands will streamline your scripting, automation, and everyday tasks on Windows.
• What are the different Help commands available out of the box using PowerShell?
  This video provides a basic introduction on all the help commands available in Windows PowerShell.

Community

• PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2025: Call for Papers Now Open!
  PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2025: Call for Papers Now Open! Calling all innovators, problem-solvers, and thought leaders in the PowerShell and DevOps realm!
• Spectre Console and TUI Magic with Shaun Lawrie
  On this episode of The PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Shaun Lawrie to discuss terminal user interfaces (TUIs) and his work on the PWSHSpectreConsole project. Shaun shares insights into the world of TUIs, offers valuable career advice, and talks about his journey in tech. Tune in for practical tips and an in-depth look at what it takes to thrive in the PowerShell ecosystem.

Fun

• PowerShell ASCII Art
  I posted my Windows Terminal this week on social media channels, including LinkedIn, and received some responses about the login banner screen. In this blog post, I will show you an easy way to pimp your PowerShell Console ;)

Check out psweekly.dowst.dev for all past editions as well as a searchable archive.