Acknowledgments

Writing PowerShell, VBScript, and JScript Bible took a lot of work and research. Much of the time was spent searching for undocumented features, resolving problems with poorly documented interfaces, and exploring uncharted areas of Windows. Then, I had to write about the hidden features and the many interfaces I had discovered. I hope you'll agree that the result was worth all of the effort. The book contains over 300 code examples and dozens of working scripts, all designed to provide a top-notch tutorial and reference.

PowerShell, VBScript, and JScript Bible wouldn't have been possible without a lot of help from others and, especially, the team at Wiley: Katie Mohr, the Acquisitions Editor, and Ed Connor, the Development Editor.

A big thank you goes out to my close contacts and friends at Microsoft. Thanks also to Studio B literary agency and my agents, David Rogelberg and Neil Salkind. Neil has a terrific knack for helping me find projects that are both fun and challenging.

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, but if I have, it was an oversight. Honest. ;-)

William R. Stanek

There are a few people without whom I wouldn't have been able to contribute to this book. Neil Salkind at Studio B who asked is perhaps first in the queue to be thanked. Richard Siddaway, who started the first PowerShell user group, is probably the person most responsible for the depth of my interest in the subject. At Microsoft, I should mention Jeffrey Snover for his encouragement and Eileen Brown, my manager but also my friend, mentor, and when I least deserve it, my advocate. She deserves far greater thanks than a mention here. And finally, my family: my wife, Jackie, and my children, Lisa and Paul. Kids: the book in your hands is one of the reasons why Daddy kept asking you to be quiet.

James O'Neill

To my wife, Christine, and our daughters, Madison and Isabel, I love you, and thanks for always being there for me. Also, thanks to the authors, editors, and other invaluable staff that I've had the pleasure of working with.

Jeffrey Rosen

If you've purchased PowerShell, VBScript, and JScript Bible or are thumbing through the book in a bookstore somewhere, you probably want to know how this book can help you. Our goal in writing PowerShell, VBScript, and JScript Bible is to create the best resource available on scripting the Windows operating system.

As you'll learn in this book, Windows scripting involves many different technologies. These technologies include:

• Windows operating systems

• Windows Script Host (WSH)

• Scripting languages, such as VBScript and JScript

• Windows PowerShell

• ActiveX and COM (Component Object Model) components

• Microsoft Active Directory

• ADSI (Active Directory Services Interfaces)

• WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation)

We've tried to pack in as much information about these topics as possible, and to present the information in a way that is both clear and concise. We've also tried to present Windows scripting in a unique way, offering both VBScript and JScript solutions throughout the text and then discussing how to accomplish similar tasks using PowerShell. In this way, you can learn exactly how VBScript, JScript, and PowerShell can be used with Windows. With this approach, you gain insight into unique scripting techniques necessary to implement solutions in VBScript, JScript, and PowerShell, and, if you prefer one technique over the other, there's no more guesswork.