As a system administrator, having a reliable toolkit of PowerShell scripts can significantly improve your efficiency and consistency in managing Windows environments. Here’s a collection of essential PowerShell scripts that every admin should have in their arsenal.

1. System Health Check Script #

function Get-SystemHealthStatus {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param()
    
    $report = @{
        DiskSpace = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | 
            Select-Object DeviceID, @{Name='FreeSpace(GB)';Expression={[math]::Round($_.FreeSpace/1GB, 2)}}
        Memory = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | 
            Select-Object @{Name='FreeMemory(GB)';Expression={[math]::Round($_.FreePhysicalMemory/1MB, 2)}}
        CPU = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Processor | 
            Select-Object LoadPercentage
        Services = Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Stopped' -and $_.StartType -eq 'Automatic'}
        LastBoot = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | 
            Select-Object @{Name='LastBootTime';Expression={$_.ConvertToDateTime($_.LastBootUpTime)}}
    }
    
    return $report
}

This script provides a comprehensive overview of system health, including disk space, memory usage, CPU load, stopped services, and system uptime.

2. Automated Backup Script #

function Backup-ImportantData {
    param(
        [string]$SourcePath,
        [string]$BackupPath,
        [string[]]$ExcludePatterns
    )
    
    $date = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm"
    $backupFolder = Join-Path $BackupPath "Backup_$date"
    
    if (!(Test-Path $backupFolder)) {
        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $backupFolder
    }
    
    $robocopyArgs = @(
        $SourcePath,
        $backupFolder,
        '/MIR',
        '/Z',
        '/W:1',
        '/R:3',
        '/LOG:backup_log.txt'
    )
    
    foreach ($pattern in $ExcludePatterns) {
        $robocopyArgs += "/XF $pattern"
    }
    
    & robocopy @robocopyArgs
}

This backup script uses Robocopy for reliable data transfer with error handling and logging capabilities.

3. User Account Management #

function New-SecureUser {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
        [string]$Username,
        
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
        [SecureString]$Password,
        
        [string[]]$Groups = @('Users'),
        
        [bool]$MustChangePassword = $true
    )
    
    try {
        $userParams = @{
            Name = $Username
            Password = $Password
            PasswordNeverExpires = $false
            UserMayNotChangePassword = $false
            PasswordMustChange = $MustChangePassword
            Enabled = $true
        }
        
        New-LocalUser @userParams
        
        foreach ($group in $Groups) {
            Add-LocalGroupMember -Group $group -Member $Username
        }
        
        Write-Host "User $Username created successfully and added to specified groups"
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error "Failed to create user: $_"
    }
}

This script provides a secure way to create new user accounts with proper password policies and group assignments.

Best Practices #

When working with these administrative scripts, always follow these key principles:

1. Error Handling: Always implement try-catch blocks for critical operations
2. Logging: Maintain detailed logs of script actions and results
3. Documentation: Include comment-based help and examples
4. Security: Use secure string for passwords and implement proper access controls
5. Testing: Always test scripts in a non-production environment first

Automation Tips #

Consider these automation opportunities:

• Schedule health checks to run daily using Task Scheduler
• Set up automated backups during off-peak hours
• Create user onboarding workflows combining multiple scripts
• Implement email notifications for critical events

Remember to always run these scripts with appropriate administrative privileges and maintain a changelog for any modifications made to production scripts.

Conclusion #

These PowerShell scripts form a solid foundation for system administration tasks. By customizing and expanding upon these examples, you can build a comprehensive toolkit tailored to your organization’s specific needs.