Today I share a script to automate all of the manual steps involved with setting up the Active Directory PowerShell module on your Windows 10 workstation.
Clickety, Click. Scripty, script.
I recently reloaded my everyday work laptop. After three years it had in-place upgrades from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. You can imagine that we dogfood a lot of software as Microsoft employees, so it was well past time for a reload.
As part of this I had to set up the Active Directory module. Since the process was more than one quick step, I decide this deserves a script to help everyone else in the world as well. How many steps does it take?
- Find and download the CPU-architecture-appropriate Windows 10 RSAT package (Remote Server Administration Tools)
- Install the RSAT
- Enable the Active Directory PowerShell feature
- Update-Help for the AD module
This is mostly a one-time task, except for updating the module help. Generally I only script things that are more repeatable. However, I know many of you like to reload your laptop on a regular basis. I also know that lots of people are deploying Windows 10 right now. So this seemed like a good community service project.
Information Technology, How To Guides. Jorge here again. In this post, I want to show how to install the Active Directory Module for PowerShell. The AD module is already installed on domain controllers on Windows Server but on member servers, you can add the module as a feature in Server Manager or using PowerShell. Server Manager Workaround. Start Server Manager. Click Manage Add Roles and Features.
The Script
This script needs to run from an elevated ISE or console session, since it is configuring your system. Obviously it will only run on Windows 10, because that is the goal.
Like any good PowerShell scripter I borrowed code from various sources on the internet. I included comments with the links where I found handy code for downloading a file, installing a hotfix, etc.
Rather than explain the entire script line-by-line, I’ll provide the interesting parts here with comments. DO NOT copy/paste/run the code below. It is not complete. Use the download link at the bottom of this post to get a copy of the full script.
I turned this into a function with full help and verbose output. I always like watching the blue verbose scroll as PowerShell runs. You get that sense of satisfaction that everything in the world is good when you watch your own code perform. #nerdthrills
![Install active directory module for powershell windows 2008 Install active directory module for powershell windows 2008](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126490898/782038713.png)
Download
You can find the code here on the TechNet Script Gallery. Enjoy!