Batch files, not to
mention the Command Prompt itself, are handy for copying or renaming
files based on wildcard character specifications, for instance. But
they can??™t interact with Windows programs, and have no knowledge of
running processes, security policies, or any of your other favorite Vista
buzzwords. On the plus side, you can run a batch file on any PC made
after 1982, regardless of the version of Windows being used, and the
DOS commands used therein can also be used to recover your PC in the
event it won??™t start (see ???What to Do When Windows Won??™t Start,??? in
Chapter 6).
Windows Script Host scripts
WSH scripts are more flexible and powerful than batch files, and offer
better user interaction. WSH scripts are Windows-based, and can take
advantage of Windows services, such as printing, networking, and Registry
access. WSH scripts work on any PC running Windows 98 or later,
or Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 after installing an add-on. Unfortunately,
these days they??™re seen as a system vulnerability, to the point
of being blocked by some modern antivirus software, and despite having
been around for about a decade, they??™re still pretty feeble when
compared to the kind of scripting found on Unix/Linux systems.
Windows PowerShell scripts
Designed to address the shortcomings of WSH scripts, Microsoft??™s
PowerShell (also known as MSH, or the Monad Shell) is somewhat the
ideal scripting solution. PowerShell is more or less a replacement for the
Command Prompt, and its scripting feature is only part of the package.
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