Just The FAQs To VB Scripting Basics

Just the FAQs to Understanding
VBScripting Basics
Part I: Getting Started with Visual Basic (VB) Scripting
SUPER-GEEK, STEP I—OR, GETTING TO THE MOUNTAIN
Rod Trent
GETTING STARTED W I T H VISUAL BASIC SCRIPTING
M uch of your life, you’ve felt just a little bit off-center. Your friends
and co-workers have noticed it, too. Whether it was their issuances
of “Geek-boy” in hushed tones, or their smattering of verbal
applause when you solved something no one had been able to
before, you’ve felt that there was something more for you in life – something
only the gods could have ordained.
Not only that, just when you thought you were getting much closer to being
accepted in social circles (hmmm…or maybe it’s just that you are being
tolerated because they now NEED you), Windows Script Host entered your life.
You can’t quite put your finger on the feeling, but it’s as if destiny has arrived.
Windows Script Host is the key you’ve been looking for. Like a burning ember
on a mountain in view, fulfillment and redemption are just a hardened climb
away.
In this book, you’ll take the first steps toward that burning ember, by
understanding what Windows Script Host really is and how to get help with the
language, by learning what a powerful scripting language is before you and
how you can get to the base of that mountain.
This book centers on the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that
individuals pose when they are just embarking on their scripting journey. To
date, the Internet has resources littered about that contain the best answers
when starting out for the scripting prize. This book serves to centralize those
great answers, so you can just “dig in” instead of searching the vast World
Wide Web to try to pacify your curiosity.
Q: What is Windows Script Host?

Have you ever been to a party or gathering where one of your spouse’s friends
wants to talk “shop?” Maybe “shop” to them is delivering mail for the US
Postal Service, but you really have no idea how to interact with the
conversation. Instead, you just nod your head and smile, and respond with
phrases you’ve seen on television or in the movies. Either one, you have
latched onto a universal topic that has no wrong answer, two, you’re doing a
heck of a job hiding your blank expressions and should be nominated for an
Emmy, or three, the host of your conversation is silently laughing at you. I’d
speculate the latter to be the case. In social circles, though, that is the
honorable thing to do. No matter how stupid you look or sound, it is just good
etiquette to “play along.”
JUST THE FAQS TO UNDERSTANDING VBSCRIPTING BASICS: PART I
Myself, I’m a social outcast. To me, following rules like that is too much effort.
I’d rather have the knowledge beforehand that would enable me to interact
intelligently.
If you’re like me (and I suspect you are, since you’re reading this book), you
like to have all the information up-front. A tidbit of knowledge at a Geek
conference can be debilitating, and Geeks don’t laugh silently. They laugh right
to your face and laugh so loud that the entire room shifts their attention to
your location. If you’re lucky, the jolly accuser has set down his can of
Mountain Dew just before going off on you.
This is why, understanding what Windows Script Host is can be both self-
rewarding and completely necessary before heading out to the local technology
fest.
Windows Script Host (WSH) is an installable component that hosts Windows
scripting functions. It allows Windows computers to run scripts written in the
Visual Basic (VB) Scripting and JavaScript languages. Said in plainer terms,
WSH is the brains behind the brawn. It’s the horse to the cart; the footman to
the rickshaw; the feet to the Flintstone-mobile—you get the picture.
NOTE: The minimum requirement for WSH to function is Internet Explorer

version 3.0 or later. WSH relies on the Visual Basic Script and Java Script
engines provided in Internet Explorer.
When you throw a VB script at a Windows computer and WSH is not installed,
the computer can’t react. You may have the most glorious VB script, worthy of
a year’s salary at least, but unless WSH is installed on the computer, the script
falls flat.
This leads us to the next frequently asked question in the journey toward
Geekdom.
Q: What can I do with WSH?

Imagine yourself on a deserted island, much like Tom Hanks in the movie
“Cast-away.” If you could pick one person to be stranded with you, who would
it be? What if one of your choices was MacGyver? If Tom Hanks could have
been shipwrecked with the 80’s TV character, how long do you think they
would have been stranded? I remember seeing a couple episodes of MacGyver
where he made a nuclear reactor from a bunch of nothing: a box of fried clams
and a spool of thread. If he can do that, surely, he could have fashioned a
satellite phone from a hollow log and that crazy volleyball Tom Hanks named
“Wilson.”
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EXTRA NOTE: For those too young or too cool to remember MacGyver, look at
this link: http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/macgyver.htm.
As amazing as that show was (groan), WSH is very much the MacGyver of the
Windows computing environment. A better question might be, “What can’t I do
with WSH?” WSH is ideal for logon scripting, administrative scripting, and
machine automation. You’ll understand further just how powerful WSH is as
you read through the rest of the book, but here’s a small sample.
With WSH you can:
à Print messages to the à Retrieve and modify environment

screen variables
à Map network drives à Modify registry keys
à Connect to printers à Write and read files
à Retrieve computer inventory information
Q: Which version of WSH do I need?

Windows Script Host is an ingenious tool, comparable to other technologies.
Take for example, your old DVD player. It plays the latest DVDs, but it’s too
outdated to play MP3 CDs. Having that kind of functionality is a home theater
pundit’s dream. So, after a short trip to the local electronics store and a quick
cable changeover, the latest remix of the Elvis song, “Little Less Conversation,”
is slicing the living room with its funk beat. However, does the new DVD player
still play your old DVD movies? You bet. If the DVD manufacturer stopped
supporting the playing of older DVD disks, just to add MP3 capability, there
would be serious backlash – and quite a few product returns.
WSH may not be as cool as the big “E” (or it may be to some of you – God
forbid), but it works much the same way as that new DVD player. Installing the
latest and greatest version of WSH yields big benefits. Not only will your
computers be able to utilize the latest functions of the updated engine, but the
old functions will continue to work too. Plus, version 5.6 adds some extra neat,
new features, as well as bolsters security. I cover this in the next section.
NOTE: At the time of this writing, the latest version of WSH is version 5.6,
which you can download from http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting. Microsoft
can, without warning, change the location of the content on their website, but
this specific link has been safe for a couple years.
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Okay, to better answer which version of WSH you need, let’s just say it’s best
to have the latest and greatest version. Why? Well, not only do subsequent
versions address bug fixes, they also offer new features of which you can take
advantage. In addition, you can still utilize the features you are already used
to, because the current version is backward compatible – meaning you are not
going to lose functionality at all. You are just adding new and exciting features
to your ever-growing Geek Toolkit.
Q: How do I deploy the latest version of

WSH?
This is the age-old question, isn’t it? When a new patch or security update is
released, it suddenly becomes critical that it is deployed throughout your
company. If your company consists of 12 employees who share 5 computers,
then you’re probably feeling pretty comfortable and getting the sleep
requirements recommended by the Surgeon General. However, if you happen
to work for a company with 70,000 employees in 80 countries, each with their
own computer, your post-work life is most likely non-existent. You feel more
like a 1st year Med student than someone who spent their early years
worshipping bits and bytes, thinking what a cool job working with computers
could be. Your alarm clock is your pager and each person in your company has
beeped you awake more than once.
There are numerous ways to deploy updates, particularly a new WSH version.
Several come to mind, like Microsoft Systems Management Server
(http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.asp), Altiris Deployment Solution
(http://www.altiris.com/products/deploymentsol/), login scripts, batch files
attached to emails, etc. Nevertheless, the scope of this book is not to delve too
deeply into software deployment technologies. Instead, I only want to give you
the information that allows you to use your favorite method of deploying the
latest WSH version, successfully.
The installation executable name for WSH is Scripten.exe, downloadable from
Microsoft’s scripting website at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/
default.asp?url=/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/728/
msdncompositedoc.xml&frame=true.
TIP: There are specific downloads for the different versions of Windows. For
example, there is one download for Windows 2000 and others just for Windows
NT, 98, and ME. Make sure you use the correct download for the target
platform. Windows XP already has the most current version of WSH installed as
part of the operating system load.
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The installation has a few options for controlling how it performs, as shown in
Figure 1 below.
Figure 1 – Windows Script Host 5.6 Installation Options
EXTRA NOTE: Per Figure 1, running the installation with the /Q switch will
cause WSH 5.6 to install quietly.
Installing the WSH upgrade, even with the /Q switch, will require the computer
to reboot to finish the installation on the next boot. Remember when I said
vendors now include all hidden switch functions in the /? command? Well,
there are still some exceptions to the rule. If it is your task to deploy the WSH
upgrade to a multitude of computers during the workday, the end-user will
probably get upset if they have to close all of their applications and reboot the
computer. Even though the installation Help screen in Figure 1 doesn’t show a
command-line option to tell the installation not to prompt to reboot when
finished, there is a command option to accomplish this. Running the following
command-line will cause WSH to install silently and to suppress any reboot
message: scr56en.exe /q:a /r:n
Note that this command does not mean that the computer doesn’t still need to
be rebooted at some point. In fact, for the installation to finish completely, the
computer will need to be restarted, and you can notify the end-users to do this
at their leisure. The WSH upgrade attempts to overwrite files during the
installation process. If some of these files are in-use during the install (and
they will be), they are flagged to be replaced during the computer boot
process. In effect, the new version of WSH will not work until the computer’s
memory is flushed through a reboot.
Then, why aren’t these additional switches readily available in the installation
Help screen? That’s a very good question—one that I myself will ask when I
can pinpoint the correct person. Until then, the following table (Table 1)
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represents the known switches for Microsoft patch installations. Your mileage
may vary.
Switch Definition
/q Quiet mode—skips all user prompts
/q:u User quite mode—shows some dialog boxes
/q:a Admin quite mode—does not show any dialog boxes
/r:n Never restart—do not restart the computer even if it is necessary to complete
the installation
/r:i Restart if necessary—automatically restart the computer if it is necessary to

complete the installation
/r:a Always restart—always restart the computer after the installation
/r:s Silent restart—automatically restart the computer without prompting the user
/s Silent mode—some programs use this switch instead of the /q switch to install
in quiet mode
/n:v No version checking—installs the program over any previous version

Table 1: Alternate Installation Switches
Q: Which features does WSH 5.6 offer

me?
Now you are thoroughly interested in WSH version 5.6. Your interest has been
piqued and you know that storing extra information in that brain of yours will
make you a star at the next Geek Games.
WSH 5.6 is quite a leap from earlier versions. Of course, Microsoft included bug
fixes. A service level can’t be upgraded without addressing current problems.
There are quite a few people in the IT industry who would whine for weeks if a
specific bug wasn’t addressed. For a list of the bug fixes, read through the
Windows Script Host 5.6 documentation at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/
downloads/default.asp?url=/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-
files/027/001/728/msdncompositedoc.xml&frame=true.
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Also, included in the documentation at the noted link is a full list of the
enhancements Microsoft included in version 5.6. Then again, why should you
immediately jump out to a webpage to read a document when you’re totally
engrossed in this book? There’s no need. Here’s a brief overview of the new
features:
Security
If you read the trade-rags very often, you can’t turn too many pages without a
security article jumping out at you. Security is THE hottest topic in the IT
industry at the present—and rightly so. .VBS and .VBE files have had their day
in the sun as potentially dangerous email parasites. Without special caution,
they could rear their ugly heads once again. When you think about it, anyone
who can become even remotely adept at writing VB scripts could be considered
a dangerous person. The VB scripting language is so powerful that there’s very
little you can’t do with it. What a person does with the power is up to them.
Some turn to “the dark side” and write scripts that can damage data. Whether
it starts as a practical joke or just a dreadfully devious person bent on the
destruction of mankind, using VB scripting knowledge for anything but good is,
well . . . just bad.
With the release of WSH 5.6, Microsoft included some critical configuration
parameters in the form of registry key values. By modifying these registry
values, you can beef up security for the scripting engines installed on your
company computers. Browse through Table 2 below for full understanding of
your configuration options. Each of these registry values can be found in both
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows Script Host\Settings and
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows Script Host\Settings.
NOTE: In the same registry key, if IgnoreUserSettings is 0 or not present,

then the HKCU settings will take priority over the HKLM settings. If
IgnoreUserSettings is 1, then the security settings will always be taken from
HKLM, though the individual preference settings will still apply the user’s
settings.
Registry Value Description
Enabled If 1, then WSH is enabled. If 0, WSH is disabled. Default is 1 if

not present.
Remote If 1, then this machine may run scripts remotely. If 0, it may not.
Default is 0 if not present.
TrustPolicy If 0, then all scripts are run. If 1, then unsigned or untrusted
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scripts will display a prompt, warning the user that they are about
to do something dangerous and giving them a chance to back
out. If 2, then only trusted, signed scripts will be allowed to run.
On WinXP, you also have the option of using the SRPs—see
UseWINSAFER below. Default is 0 if not present.
UseWINSAFER On Win2K, WinNT, Win98, WinME: no effect. On WinXP:

controls whether to consider the Software Restriction Policies
(SRP, formerly known as WinSafer) when running scripts. The
SRP settings are more thorough and robust than the simple
signature checking that the TrustPolicy setting was designed for.
LogSecurityFailures On Win2K, WinNT, Win98, WinME: no effect. On WinXP:

controls whether to consider the Software Restriction Policies
(SRP, formerly known as WinSafer) when running scripts. The
SRP settings are more thorough and robust than the simple
signature checking that the TrustPolicy setting was designed for.
LogSecuritySuccesses If 1, then all security failures are entered in the event log. Security
failures include trying to run when Enabled = 0, trying to run
remotely when Remote = 0, attempting to run an untrusted script
when TrustPolicy = 2, etc. Default is 1 if not present.
Table 2 – WSH Security Registry Settings
In addition to these security configuration options, script users can now verify
the authenticity of a script before running it; script developers can sign their
scripts to prevent unauthorized modifications; and administrators can enforce
strict policies that determine which users have privileges to run scripts locally
or remotely.
Argument Handling
Handling and documenting command line arguments is simpler. The process of
integrating your scripts with other command line scripts has been simplified,
and it is easier to create scripts that can supply the user with help information.
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Running Scripts Remotely

You can load scripts onto several remote computer systems and start them all
running simultaneously. While a remote script is running, you can check its
progress. After it has finished, you can ensure that it ran correctly or determine
the cause of its premature termination.
Processes as Objects
You determine the status of spawned processes and access their standard I/O
streams.
Set the Current Active Directory

You can determine/modify the active process’s current working directory.
Q: What’s the difference between WScript.exe

and CScript.exe?
Friday night is the big shindig where you may receive an award for your
excellent service this year. You worked through three colds and one bout of
laryngitis and made it through the entire year without missing one in-service
day of work. It’s a black-tie affair, and your wife is expected to attend with you
as your Plus One. Frankly, due to your unflinching dedication, you’ve
summarily forgotten this year to take your wife to a movie or even a simple
dinner. So, this night out seems to her the best chance to live-it-up, be seen,
and set the mode in style. She’s so excited that she’s been out every day to
several different shopping centers, looking for just the right thing to wear. With
so much on the line, which car do you take to the company ceremony? Do you
take the beat-up Chrysler that you drive to and from work every day—the
same one that has McDonald’s coffee stains in the passenger seat—or do you
take the “good” car, the one you let your wife drive?
If you have to think about that too long, you may need to take a few days of
“sick” time the following year.
Just like there’s a car for every occasion or an outfit that goes best with an
event, WSH has two specific scripting engines that are used for appropriate
instances. You can run WSH either from the protected-mode Windows-based
host (Wscript.exe) or from the real-mode command-shell-based host
(Cscript.exe).
The difference between the command-line and the Windows-based engines is
only in the output — WScript.exe generates windowed output, while
CScript.exe sends its output to the command window in which you started it.
The only real way to understand this difference is to see a script in action.
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Let’s take a look at a simple script. This script, written for CScript.exe, prompts
you for a specific computer name in a nice Windows box, as shown in Figure 2.
It then connects to the computer you specified, retrieves service information,
and then displays the output in a DOS window, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2 – Window Prompt for a Computer Name to Query
Figure 3 – Cscript.exe Output for the Service Information Script
Below is the script (notice the WScript.Echo statements).
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Service Information for CScript.vbs
ComComputerName = InputBox(“Enter the name of the computer you

wish to query”)
winmgmt1 = “winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!//”&
ComputerName &””
Set SPSet = GetObject( winmgmt1 ).InstancesOf (“Win32_Service”)
WScript.Echo “==========================================”
WScript.Echo “Service Information for “ & “”& ComputerName &””
WScript.Echo “==========================================”
For each SP in SPSet
WScript.Echo “Service Name: “ & SP.Name
WScript.Echo “Location: “ & SP.PathName
WScript.Echo “PID: “ & SP.ProcessID
WScript.Echo “Type of Service: “ & SP.ServiceType
WScript.Echo “Service State: “ & SP.State
WScript.Echo “==========================================”
WScript.Echo “==========================================”
next
When you look again at the information shown in Figure 2, you can see a long
list of information. This output is actually a multitude of pages long, which
causes the display in the DOS window to scroll for almost 30 seconds. If you
happened to run this script with WScript.exe, a window would display for EACH
line you see in the figure. In addition, since the output is an enormous amount
of information, you would see a new window pop up for EVERY new line, such
as the window shown in Figure 4. If you calculate the number of services that
can be installed on any given computer, multiplied by the number of output
lines for each service as defined in the script, that’s almost 800 windows
popping up in your face every one to two seconds. The worst part . . . you
have to hit the OK button on each Window before the script will advance.
Figure 4 – Crazy WSH Window Meant for CScript.exe
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Unless you’re a psychotic person or someone with a lot of time to spare, you
will agree that this is time consuming and needless. If you somehow get duped
into running a script with WScript.exe that was meant to be run with
CScript.exe, there’s an easy way to break out of the seemingly endless loop.
Both engines run as Windows processes. Shown in Figure 5, executing
Windows Task Manager and choosing the Processes tab, you only need to
search the list for the running engine, highlight it, and click the End Process
button to exit your worst scripting nightmare.
Figure 5 – Wscript.exe Running as a Windows Process
If you wanted to actually run the script with WScript.exe to see the pretty
windows, instead of the output in the drab DOS window, you would only need
to rewrite the WScript.Echo section. You would want to use the MsgBox
method instead of using the Echo method. It would look something like the
following script:
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Service Information for WScript.vbs:
For each SP in SPSet

MsgBox “Service Name: “ & SP.Name & vbcrlf &_
“Location: “ & SP.Pathname & vbcrlf &_
“PID: “ & SP.ProcessID & vbcrlf &_
“Type of Service: “ & SP.ServiceType & vbcrlf &_
“Service State: “ & SP.State
Next
The output would be much kinder (as shown in Figure 6).
Figure 6: Service Information Output Designed for WScript.exe
You’d probably even want to go a bit further, because you would still expect to
see one window for every installed service. While this minimizes your headache
somewhat, it doesn’t cure it. The best method is to pipe the output to a text
file, so you can review the contents at your leisure, either on-screen or printed
on a piece of paper.
NOTE: When WSH is installed, WScript.exe is designated as the default

scripting engine. Then, anytime a VB script or Java script is executed,
WScript.exe jumps to attention and hosts the script for you. If you code the
majority of your scripts CScript.exe to host, you may want to change the
default. You can do this by running the following command-line:
cscript//h:cscript
Don’t worry, this doesn’t have to be a permanent change! Once you change it,
you’re not stuck with it for your entire scripting life. Like Superman in the
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Bizzarro world, the default engine-changing command has an alter ego. You
can always change it back, using the following reversal command-line:
cscript//h:wscript
Ah . . . so then, there are command-line options for the scripting engines? No,
I’m not holding out on you. There are more command-line options for both
CScript.exe and WScript.exe. I cover those in the next section.
Q: What command-line options do the

scripting engines offer?
In the early days of computing, a horde of commands hid spectacular options.
These options came in the form of command-line options and arguments,
much like the option in the previous section to change the default scripting
engine. Somewhere along the line, someone got smart and started
incorporating these options and arguments into a neat, new argument all its
own. This argument came to be called the /? (slash-question mark), and
sometimes the /help (slash-help). Very cool—what was once fodder for a
secret society of programmers is now at your disposal to do with what you will.
WSH is no exception. Both WScript.exe and CScript.exe have command-line
options and arguments available. You can access them the normal way, by
typing in the engine with the /? (WScript.exe /? or CScript.exe /?). Instead of
writing out the switches for each engine, it’s best to go right to the source.
Figure 6 shows the command-line options for WScript.exe, and Figure 7
displays CScript.exe’s options.
Figure 7 – Wscript.exe Command-Line Options
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Figure 8 – Cscript.exe Command-Line Options
You’ll notice, by looking between Figures 5 and 6, that there is only one
difference in the command-line options: the //U switch used with CScript.exe.
Q: What are the differences between VBScript

and JavaScript?
When you’re just starting out, heading down that scripting path, you come
across your first conundrum: two scripting languages. Which one you use
really depends on what your needs are but also what your tastes are like.
Some people choose Coke; some choose Pepsi. Unfortunately, the scripting
languages don’t have someone like Britney Spears to lead you in one direction
or the other. There is no song and dance routine to help you decide which
language is best for you. If there was, I suspect more people would be
interested in scripting.
JavaScript is a scripting language targeted toward web development. If you’re
working directly with web technologies, JavaScript should be your tool of
choice. Sun Microsystems (http://www.sun.com/) derived the name JavaScript
from the original Java language they developed.
VBScript is used, primarily, in companies that want to manage their
computing and networking environment. From inventorying computer
hardware, to changing network passwords, to deploying software, VBScript is a
powerhouse for the enterprise. The name VBScript is taken from Microsoft’s
(http://www.microsoft.com) own Visual Basic programming language.
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NOTE: We have written this book for those individuals who want to add
scripting to their IT tool belt, to be used as a way to increase their skill-set and
to provide more value for their company and employment. Since, we won’t be
discussing web development, the scripts and script discussions in this book
will be targeted at the VBScript language.
Both scripting languages are very similar to the counter-parts after which they
are named. There’s very little difference between the full-blown programming
language and the light-weight scripting language. “VB Jr.” and “Java Jr.” have
many of the same functions that their Big Brothers have available. The major
difference is that scripting languages cannot be compiled and run as stand-
alone applications – meaning you still need WSH installed to host the script. An
application written using a full programming language doesn’t need a host; it
can run on its own on the computer and operating system it was written for.
However, you can “encode” a script. See the next FAQ for details.
Q: How can I protect my scripts?

As outlined in the previous FAQ, you can compile code written with
development languages, but you can’t compile script language code. Compiling
code for a programming language also keeps unwanted eyes from viewing and
modifying the code that a programmer worked hard to create. You can do
something similar with scripts too. We call this “encoding.” A “script
encoder” is a simple command-line tool that enables script developers to
encode the final script so that it cannot be viewed nor the source modified.
Microsoft has a script encoder available for download at the following location:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?URL=/downloads/sample.a
sp?url=/MSDN-FILES/027/001/789/msdncompositedoc.xml.
After JavaScript has been encoded, the file extension (.js) is changed to .jse.
VBScript file extensions are changed from .vbs to .vbe. This new file extension
designation allows you to see quickly whether a script has been encoded or
not.
I did say the VBScript is a powerhouse, didn’t I? Well, if it’s so powerful, why
can’t it encode itself? It can. I hate to throw a lot of code at you in a book on
VBScript basics without spending time explaining it, but you can always come
back and play with the code later on, once you’ve become more comfortable
with the scripting languages. The following will encode any script written with
VBScript or JavaScript. All you have to do is have this script sitting somewhere
in the file system, and then drag and drop the script you’ve created onto it.
Your script is encoded automatically!
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Encode.vbs
Option Explicit
Dim fso
Set fso = WScript.CreateObject(“Scripting.FilesystemObject”)
Dim argv
Set argv = WScript.Arguments
Dim SourcePath
SourcePath = argv(0)
If SourcePath = “” Then WScript.Quit
Dim szExt, bstrScript, destExt
Select Case fso.GetExtensionName(SourcePath)
Case “vbs”
szExt = “.vbs”
bstrScript = “VBScript”
destExt = “.vbe”
Case “js”
szExt = “.js”
bstrScript = “JScript”
destExt = “.jse”
Case Else
MsgBox fso.GetExtensionName(SourcePath) & “ files not supported
in this script.”
WScript.Quit
End Select
Dim bstrStreamIn
bstrStreamIn = fso.OpenTextFile(SourcePath, 1).ReadAll
Dim enc, EncodedText
Set enc = WScript.CreateObject(“Scripting.Encoder”)
EncodedText = enc.EncodeScriptFile(szExt, bstrStreamIn, 0,
bstrScript)
Set enc = Nothing
Dim DestPath
DestPath = Replace(SourcePath, szExt, destExt)
If Not fso.FileExists(DestPath) Then
Dim DestFile
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Set DestFile = fso.OpenTextFile(DestPath, 2, true)

DestFile.Write Left(EncodedText, Len(EncodedText) - 1)
DestFile.Close
Set DestFile = Nothing
End If
Set fso = Nothing
Alternatively, whatever can be encoded can be decoded with the right utility or
script. There is a freeware decoder utility available for download at the
following link: http://www.virtualconspiracy.com/scrdec.html, and some code
to learn how to create your own decoder here: http://www.planet-source-
code.com/xq/ASP/txtCodeId.6532/lngWId.4/qx/vb/scripts/ShowCode.htm.
Q: What’s the best way to learn to script?

This question comes up quite a bit on web forums and email discussion lists.
When an individual finally decides that “today is the day” to start on the path
to scripting, he turns to those he feels would know best where to begin. If you
notice, every one to whom he asks this question will give a slightly different
answer. Some will give a long list of scripting books; others will copy and paste
links to their favorite scripting websites. Despite the laundry list, one point
rings through every time: you learn by doing.
Stop and remember . . . way back . . . ok, even further than that . . . when
you started learning how to drive a car. You probably gave your parents quite
a few heart attacks, but they knew the only way you were going to get the
driving thing down was to sit behind the wheel and work out your own rhythm.
Your dad gave you the basics: “You sit behind the steering wheel. The brake
pedal is on your left, and the gas pedal is on your right. That’s the turn signal.
No, no, on the other side—those are the wiper blades.”
Better than learning to drive, you won’t have to worry about needing a licensed
scripter sitting in the passenger seat. You’re on your own, doing your own
thing, learning at your own pace, and getting your own rhythm. What’s more,
unless you write a script that reboots the file servers and test it in a production
environment, you won’t cause too many heart attacks.
There is no licensing fee for a script. As you are surfing the web, finding
scripting websites and reviewing script code, grab it all and save it somewhere
on your hard drive. Be as script-hungry as you like, and no one will care.
There are quite a large number of resources available to help you learn
scripting. Grabbing scripts from these resources and rolling up your sleeves
and just digging in is the main key to understanding the languages. One of the
most exciting aspects of the scripting community is each individual’s
18
willingness to share what they’ve done. A couple quick changes here, an

addition of a line or two, and a script you found or received from someone is
ready to work in your environment. Remember, though, someday other people
will be just like you – chomping at the bit to learn how to script. Don’t be
stingy and keep your scripts locked up in a box somewhere. By sharing the
solutions you have scripted, you not only help the “newbies” get up to speed,
but you help keep a community growing and going strong.
Whether you believe it or not, your best and most loyal companion on your
scripting journey is the actual scripting documentation provided by Microsoft.
“What?” you say, “You mean the same company that spearheaded the effort to
rid the world of product manuals?” Yep, the exact same. I use the
documentation regularly. It not only contains comprehensive information, but
also includes script examples in both VBScript and JavaScript that you can
copy and work with yourself. A quick jaunt over to Microsoft’s scripting website
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting) gives you the download links for all of
the documentation. Here’s a list of what’s available:
à Script Debugger Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/ library/en-

us/sdbug/Html/sdbug_1.asp
à Remote Scripting Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/ library/en-
us/rmscpt/Html/rmscpt.asp
à JScript Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/
en-us/script56/html/js56jsoriJScript.asp
à VBScript Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ en-
us/script56/html/vtoriVBScript.asp
à Windows Script Host Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/
library/en-us/script56/html/wsoriWindowsScriptHost.asp
à Windows Script Components Documentation—
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/script56/html/lettitle.asp
à Microsoft Windows Script 5.6 Documentation—
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?url=/downloads/sample.a
sp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/728/ msdncompositedoc.xml&frame=true
à Microsoft Windows Script 5.6 Download—
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?URL=/downloads/sample
.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/733/msdncompositedoc.xml
When you’ve had your fill of Microsoft’s documentation, then what? The
Internet is such an enormous place. Surely there are some websites I can give
you to go on your scripting shopping spree. Well, here they are:
à MyITforum.com—http://www.myITforum.com
19
MyITforum.com is the premier website for systems administrators. Pure

and simple, if you have a problem, you can find an answer here.
MyITforum.com has an entire article section dedicated to VB scripting
with new articles posted daily. There’s also a dedicated VB scripting
web forum where people post problems and others post answers,
complete with script examples. Before you click away from the site,
make sure to check out the VB scripting downloads area. Not only can
you seize some free script downloads, but as a site member you can
post your own solutions. The majority of the online scripting community
runs through this site.
à Microsoft’s TechNet Script Center—http://www.microsoft.com/
technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/default.asp
Recently inaugurated, this site is quickly becoming the epicenter for
script downloads. This repository of scripts continues to grow. There
has been no formal communication as to a schedule when new scripts
are released, so you’ll need to check back periodically.
à WSHScripting.com—http://www.wshscripting.com/
Another hit-and-run site for grabbing scripts, WSHScripting.com offers
a nice library of downloadable script solutions.
à Win32Scripting—http://cwashington.netreach.net/main/
I know, I know, the URL for this website is deceiving. Just typing the
link into your browser address line gives you the feeling that you are
being whisked away to someone’s personal homepage, fraught with
strange web cursors and a zillion pop-up advertisements. However,
that’s not the case. The Win32Scripting website is a well-organized
library of script submissions. The search engine is very useable,
allowing you to pinpoint downloadable scripts according their topic
matter. This site is probably one of the first ones I found when I started
out on my quest for the scripting grail. The only downfall of the website
is that the navigation is a bit much and takes a while to master. It’s
like reengineering a car door handle to make it more complicated, just
because you can. You’ll see what I mean when you visit the site.
Q: Aren’t Windows scripts unsafe?

There has been much hubbub in the pipes over the last couple years about
Windows scripts being a security risk. There has been so much activity along
these lines that Microsoft has released several security patches for programs
like Microsoft Outlook that stop scripts from running automatically on a
computer. Anti-virus program vendors like Symantec and McAfee have kept
the fires burning late into the night, concocting updates to help minimize the
potential damage that can be caused from unsafe scripts.
At one point in time, Windows scripts were your worst enemy, but so much
effort has gone into fixing the problem that Windows scripts are now as safe as
20
anything is. It is now more likely that a wasp will sting you, than a Windows
script will “infect” your computer. With all of the tools available to minimize
your vulnerabilities, you are as safe as you want to be. These days, if a virus
infects your machine, it’s probably your own fault. Inserting old diskettes into
your disk drive, reading your email archives that date back to the dawn of the
Internet, or not applying the latest Anti-virus patches—you can only blame
yourself.
You can even further minimize your vulnerability to running unsafe or
untrustworthy Windows scripts by making a simple change to the Windows
registry. Associate all Windows scripts with Notepad, so that when a script is
double-clicked or executed, it opens in the text editor, instead of running as a
script. You can still run the script as a script by initiating the execution of the
script, using the appropriate WSH engine.
For example, instead of just running encode.vbs from a command-line, run
CScript.exe encode.vbs. This is a manual way of telling WSH that it needs to
do something. Windows scripts are no longer “allowed” to run unassisted. You
have to tell WSH which script engine to use. This will save you some sleepless
nights worrying that an end-user may be poking around in his computer files
and double-clicking on a script to remove access to the entire computer.
The registry modification:
Hive: HKEY_Classes_Root
1. Key = JSEFile\Shell o New Value = Edit
o New Value = Edit 5. Key = WSFFile\Shell
2. Key = JSFile\Shell o New Value = Edit
o New Value = Edit 6. Key = WSHFile\Shell
3. Key = VBSFile\Shell o New Value = Edit
o New Value = Edit 7. Key = WSHFile\Shell\Edit\command
4. Key = VBEFile\Shell o New Value =
C:\WINNT\System32\Notepad.exe %1
NOTE: You’ll notice that the location to Notepad.exe is listed as
C:\WINNT\System32, which is the directory fro Windows NT, Windows
2000, and Windows XP. You’ll need to modify that value if you want to
protect Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME computers. Notepad.exe is
normally stored in the C:\Windows directory on these computers, but you had
better check to make sure.
21
Q: What tools do I need to start scripting?

Chomping at the bit, are you—trying to get your tools in place and your
desktop squared away? Well, before you head out to the local software store or
start pounding Google.com with search requests, you may be surprised to
know that you already have everything you need to get scripting. The majority
of the scripting community uses the simple tool included with all Windows
computers—drum roll please—Notepad. You can open any VB script (except for
encoded scripts) in the simple text editor. Sure, there are other tools that can
maximize your scripting time by colorizing VBScript methods and routines for
readability and automating specific functions, but you can’t beat the price of
Notepad.
Notepad
To open or edit a script in Notepad, you only need to right-click on the script,
and choose Edit. By performing this action, I opened the Encode.vbs script
pasted earlier in the chapter, shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9: Encode.vbs Opened in Notepad
Notepad is the best tool to start with, and it helps reorganize your mind to be
more in tune with the styles and formatting associated with VB scripting. After
a few weeks of coding, you’ll start dreaming in all black-and-white text.
Notepad has some of the same features you’ll find in other script editing tools.
You can Edit | Find specific text, and replace it with your own text. You can
22
also skip to a specific line number. This extremely important feature needs to
be present in any script editor to which you eventually switch. Why? When you
start coding you’ll understand better, but when your code is not quite right,
and you attempt to run your script, an error message will display, giving you
the line number where the error occurred (similar to the error message shown
in Figure 10).
Figure 10: Script Error at Line 2 Character 1
The error message indicates a problem on Line 2 and in Character 1. Showing

an error in Character 1 generally means something in the entire line is messed
up. At least you have a clear direction to start debugging though. If you have
an enormous script, getting to line number 567 can be a problem. Instead of
counting lines, do this:
1. With Word Wrap turned off (the Go to Line command will not work
when Word Wrap is enabled. You disable it by un-checking Word
Wrap under Notepad’s Format menu.), hit Ctrl-G on your keyboard.
You’ll be presented with the pop-up screen shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11: Go to Line Command in Notepad
2. Just type in the offending line number, and Notepad whisks you to the
appropriate line straightaway.
23
I really couldn’t live without this great feature, and you’ll quickly find you feel
the same. I can’t think of a single script I’ve written where I didn’t have to
“tweak” it a bit before it would work properly, and having the Go to Line
command available is a time-saver.
ConTEXT
I couldn’t finish off this FAQ without giving you at least a couple alternatives to
Notepad. I search periodically to see if anyone has developed a new tool for
creating and editing VB scripts. On one of my searches, I found ConTEXT
(http://www.fixedsys.com/context/). ConTEXT is a general-purpose
programmer’s editor, allowing you to work with more than just VB scripts.
Shown in Figure 12, ConTEXT is a nice editing tool with a great interface.
Figure 12: The ConTEXT Programmer’s Editor
ConTEXT not only colorizes the functions of your code for easy recognition and
includes the adored Go to Line function, but it also has a very handy Macro
feature, giving you the ability to record repetitive tasks. Instead of hand typing
a section of code you use often, you can record it once and only need to
choose to use it later on. Neat!
24
ConTEXT is a freeware application. All it will cost you is a little bandwidth for
downloading the 1.03 MB file. I guess you could say it costs just a tad bit more
than Notepad. When you’re ready to move on to another scripting or
programming language, ConTEXT fits the bill, as there are “highlighter” add-
ons for a wide number of additional languages. These highlighter add-ons tell
ConTEXT how to handle the colorization of other programming languages. You
can download them all or download the specific highlighter for the job. The
current list includes:
à 80196 Assembler à DCL Language à PowerPC GNU

Assembler
à AnSys Macros à DOS Batch
à SciLab
à AutoIt à Euphoria
à SkdTXT
à AutoLisp à HP48
à SNMP MIB
à AWK à JCL (Job Control
Language) à SWI Prolog
à Clipper
à KiXtart à VHDL
à Cobol
à Latex à Visual IRC v2.0
à ConTEXT
Highlighter Files à Liberty BASIC à Windows resource
scripts
à CSharp à MIPS Assembler
à x51 Assembler
à CSS à PCBus
WMI Scriptomatic
One last recent entry to the school of automated utilities is the WMI
Scriptomatic utility. I couldn’t finish this FAQ without making mention of this
great script. Yes, you heard me correctly. This utility is in fact, another great
script, which you can modify to meet your needs. In fact, someone recently
modified the WMI Scriptomatic script to connect to a Microsoft Systems
Management Server and retrieve information from there. You can find and
download this modified script, by going to the myITforum.com search engine
(http://www.myitforum.com/search.asp) and searching for the keyword
scriptomatic.
The WMI Scriptomatic is an example of a hypertext application, essentially a
Web page that uses a .hta file extension. When executed, this script connects
to the local computer’s WMI repository (a database full of information about
the computer) and then presents you with all of the values it finds. Choosing a
value, the WMI Scriptomatic utility will automatically generate the VB script
you need to use to pull the information from the WMI repository yourself.
How’s that for writing your first scripts?
Figure 13 shows the WMI Scriptomatic utility being used to build a script to pull
information about the computer’s serial port hardware. From the interface, you
25
can Save the script or Run the script, all without leaving the comfort of the
GUI.
Figure 13: WMI Scriptomatic Utility Creating Script for Serial Port Information
NOTE: For the best information on WMI and WMI scripting, pick up the book,
WMI Essentials for Automating Windows Management, by Marcin Policht.
Q: How can I make others run my scripts?

VBScript would be a monotonous technology if you had to keep your scripts to
yourself and run them only on your computer. Granted, that could prove to be
a lot of fun, but people will, eventually, start looking at you strangely (maybe
more strangely than they do now). You can only play scripting Solitaire for so
long. Besides, what good is a management tool without the ability to use it
across all computers in the company?
26
VBScripts can run on remote computers in a few different ways.
à In a login script à From a web page

à From a network share à With a remote execution utility
à Copied to the remote computer à By utilizing Remote WSH
and executed there
Login Scripts
Any company that has a network managed through a domain potentially
utilizes login scripts. Login scripts allow network administrators to send
instructions to the remote computer each time it logs onto the network. VB
scripts work great when inserted into login scripts and make an excellent
solution for making sure the scripts run on every computer in the organization.
Some companies have even replaced their login scripts completely with VB
scripts! OK, that’s just crazy, you say. Granted, some extreme knowledge of
VB scripting is required, but it can be done and easily. If you remember how
powerful VB script is, it may make better sense, realizing that if you have
replaced your login scripts with VB scripts, you can utilize that power anytime
you want, instead of searching the Internet for a freeware tool that will work in
your environment.
Example of VBScript Inserted into Login Script

The following bit of VB script code provides an example of something you
might want to place into your login scripts. This “codelet” simply maps the
network drives O and Q for the computer logging into the network. With just a
few lines of code, you can provide these network drive mappings.
Dim net
Set net = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
net.MapNetworkDrive "O:", "\\server\share"

net.MapNetworkDrive "Q:", "\\server\share"
Network Share
VB script works like any other application or program that executes on a local
computer, so it’s not surprising that you can place a VB script on a network
share that users have access to and have them run the script in some way.
Just plop the script on the network, and offer a link to run the script. You can
offer the link through an email, a login script, or some other method you
27
personally utilize to get software to the end-user. VB scripts work just fine
using a hard-coded drive letter or a UNC path.
Run on Remote Computer

Since VB scripts can run flawlessly on a local computer, it makes sense to
understand that if you can get the script to the remote computer, it will run.
Using any method you currently employ, just have the script copied to the
remote computer into a directory you specify and formulate your plans to have
the computer execute the script.
Web Page
More and more companies utilize some kind of internal website for offering
company information. Some go even farther by providing software downloads
and installations. Websites are a great tool for company communications.
VB scripts run great from web pages—either through a link that executes the
script, or a component that runs the script when a specific web page is loaded
into the computer’s web browser.
Remote Execution Utility

Several utilities on the market allow you to execute programs on remote
computers. You just sit in the comfort of your cubicle, type out a few
instructions on your keyboard, and the remote computer executes your
commands. If you’ve watched many horror movies with a mad dictator or
scientist, this is where you would hear an evil laugh emanate—Bwahahahaha .
..
One of the more popular tools in this area is from SysInternals. SysInternals
offers a slew of freeware utilities geared toward aiding the systems
administrator.
PsExec is the utility that allows remote execution of commands/programs. It
doesn’t need to be installed on the remote computer, just run from yours, so
there’s no overhead on the remote computer. PsExec utilizes the following
command line options:
usage: psexec \\computer [-u username [-p password]] [-s] [-i] [-c
[-f]] [-d] program [arguments]
-u Specifies optional user name for login to remote computer
-p Specifies optional password for user name—if you omit this you will be prompted
28
to enter a hidden password.
-s Run remote process in the System account.
-i Run the program so that it interacts with the desktop on the remote system.
-c Copy the specified program to the remote system for execution. If you omit this
option, then the application must be in the system's path on the remote system.
-f Copy the specified program to the remote system, even if the file already exists
on the remote system.
-d Don't wait for application to terminate. Only use this option for non-interactive
applications.
program Name of the program to execute
arguments Arguments to pass—note that file paths must be absolute paths on the target
system.
You can download PsExec from the following location on SysInternals’ website:
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/psexec.shtml.
Remote WSH
With the remote execution utilities on the market, you didn’t think Microsoft
would sit idly back and not supply this functionality in WSH, did you? Not likely.
If it’s a good, sound technology you can expect Microsoft to incorporate it
eventually.
Remote WSH is a new technology included in WSH 5.6. It provides the ability
to run a script on a remote machine or machines. With Remote WSH, the script
is physically copied from the local machine to the remote machine before
executing. In order to enable Remote WSH functionality, you must first set up
the remote machine with the proper security settings.
NOTE: Both the remote and local machines must be running Windows NT 4
SP3 or greater in order to use Remote WSH.
29
Setting-Up Remote WSH

1. Install WSH V5.6 on the machine. If you are using Windows XP or have
installed Internet Explorer 6 or greater, WSH 5.6 has already been
installed.
NOTE: WSH 5.6 is available for download from the web at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting.
2. Add yourself to the remote machine’s Local Administrators group.

3. To enable Remote WSH, use the System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) on
the computer to incorporate the windowsscript.adm policy file.
NOTE: An administrator who wants to enable Remote WSH must

either acquire the Windows 2000 resource kit or use
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting to acquire the necessary
windowsscript.adm file that contains the WSH settings. The
windowsscript.adm file must be copied to the computer that sets the
applicable group’s policies. Although it is not necessary to copy the file
to the server’s \WINNT\INF directory, this is nonetheless where the
default adm files are located.
Hey, I n eed a little help here. I need to override Word’s blah, blah, blah
ADDITIONAL NOTE: For more information on Poledit.exe, see the

Poledit.exe’s online help system. Poledit.exe can be run from the Start|
Run command.
4. WSH should now be enabled on the machine.
Q: Can I retrieve remote information from my

computer?
If you have kids, then you know Bob the Builder. If not, you need to get “with
it” (http://www.hitentertainment.com/bobthebuilder/). There’s a little jingle
that goes with the kids’ program. My youngest has been singing it since he was
much younger than he is now. For a VB scripter, it would go something like
30
this: “Can we do it? YES WE CAN!” And, you don’t need to set up Remote WSH
to do it.
Much like an application can query a SQL database for data, you can utilize VB
scripts to connect to a remote computer and pull information about that
computer. Each computer stores a significant amount of data about itself. This
data is stored in the WMI repository. The WMI repository works similarly to an
SQL database, except the WMI repository is filled with data automatically.
There are lots of administrators who aren’t aware of the data contained on a
computer, so don’t feel bad if you’re just hearing about this. Don’t worry – you
won’t be kicked out of the Geek club and marked for life with the word “End-
User” stamped on your forehead.
WMI, which stands for Windows Management Instrumentation, is a computer
data storehouse accessed easily with VBScript. The WMI database structure is
broken down into Classes with Properties full of data. For example, there’s a
Computer class (Win32_ComputerSystem) which stores information
(Properties) about the local computer, such as the Current Time Zone, the
Manufacturer of the computer, and the Domain that the computer belongs to.
Believe it or not, you can also query this database for the computer’s actual
serial number! Can you even idealize how important that is?!! You only need to
know a special connection string—the Geek-to-Computer handshake.
The following “handshake” connects to the computer BIOS class on a remote
computer, allowing you to get information about the installed BIOS options
(which, incidentally, contains the serial number of the computer). To make it
simple, the script first prompts you for the name of the computer from which
you want to extract the serial number.
Figure 14: Dialog Box Requesting Remote Computer to Connect to
‘Dialog Box Setup:

ComputerName = InputBox("Enter the name of the computer you
wish to query")
‘Connection string (handshake)
31
winmgmt1 = "winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!//"&
ComputerName &""
Once you’ve made the connection, you only need to query the properties of the
BIOS class:
‘Connecting to the BIOS class

Set SNSet = GetObject( winmgmt1 ).InstancesOf ("Win32_BIOS")
Then, you dig even further by getting the data out of the Serial Number
property. Not only that, what good is data if you can’t . . .
‘Giving the script a constant (SN) to work with

for each SN in SNSet
‘Displaying the computer’s serial number in a dialog box
MsgBox "The serial number for the specified computer is: " &
SN.SerialNumber
Next
Figure 15: Dialog Box Displaying Computer Serial Number
Not only can you obtain the serial number from the WMI repository’s BIOS
class, there is a horde of other properties. Remember, this is just one class in
WMI. There is so much information stored in WMI that it will boggle your mind.
Look at the following table for a sampling of what you can find in the BIOS
class alone:
Property Description
BiosCharacteristics BIOS characteristics supported by the system as defined by

the System Management BIOS Reference Specification
32
CurrentLanguage Name of the current BIOS language
Description Description of the object
IdentificationCode Manufacturer's identifier for this software element—often this

will be a stock keeping unit (SKU) or a part number.
InstallDate When the object was installed—a lack of a value does not
indicate that the object is not installed.
ListOfLanguages List of names of available BIOS-installable languages
Manufacturer Manufacturer of this software element
Name Name used to identify this software element
PrimaryBIOS Indicates whether this is the primary BIOS of the computer

system
ReleaseDate Release date of the Win32 BIOS in the Coordinated Universal

Time (UTC) format of YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.MMMMMM(+-
)OOO.
SerialNumber Assigned serial number of the software element
SMBIOSBIOSVersion BIOS version as reported by SMBIOS
SMBIOSMajorVersion Major SMBIOS version number—this property is null if

SMBIOS is not found.
SMBIOSMinorVersion Minor SMBIOS version number—this property is null if

SMBIOS is not found.
SMBIOSPresent Indicates whether the SMBIOS is available on this computer

system
Status Current status of the object—various operational and non-

operational statuses can be defined. Operational statuses
include OK, Degraded, and Pred Fail. (An element, such as a
SMART-enabled hard drive, may be functioning properly but
33
predicting a failure in the near future). Non-operational

statuses include Error, Starting, Stopping, and Service. The
latter could apply during mirror-resilvering of a disk, reload of
a user permissions list, or other administrative work. Not all
such work is on-line, yet the managed element is neither OK
nor in one of the other states.
Values are OK, Error, Degraded, Unknown, Pred Fail,

Starting, Stopping, and Service.
TargetOperatingSystem Target operating system of the owning software element
Version Version of the BIOS—this string is created by the BIOS

manufacturer.
Table 3 – Sampling of WMI Repository BIOS Class Properties
The best resource of information about the WMI repository is included in the
Help files of the WMI Software Development Kit (SDK). I realize this sounds
like a programmer’s tool, but there’s a huge amount of information included in
the WMI SDK that is extremely useful to VB scripters. You’ll be able to locate
the WMI SDK download at the following Microsoft MSDN web page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-
us/wmisdk/wmi/ wmi_start_page.asp.
NOTE: For certain functions (like obtaining serial numbers), certain computer
requirements must be met. A specific version of WMI is required on each
computer from which you want to retrieve the serial number. WMI 1.5 or better
is the requirement. Your computer’s BIOS must support a special industry
standard called SMBIOS, and the version number must be compatible with 2.1
or better. For more information on SMBIOS, see the Desktop Management Task
Force (DMTF) website: http://www.dmtf.org. If you are curious if your
computers are SMBIOS compliant, check with the computer's manufacturer.
34
Q: Can I query information for other things—

like SQL Server?
“Yes, you can!” Sorry, that was another Bob the Builder reference. If you’ve
taken the time to visit the website, the song is probably stuck in your head,
too.
To make it easier to access specific Microsoft server offerings, and to give
better abilities to developers, Microsoft developed common “connectoids” called
providers for many of their servers. Then, each provider includes a namespace
or a number of namespaces. An example is the ADSI Service Provider, which
includes several namespaces (shown in the table in this section.)
As an example, the following utilizes the same type of handshake to connect to
an Internet Information Services (IIS) server (notice the item in bold):
Set IIsComputer = GetObject("IIS://" & TargetComputer)
The following will connect you to a Microsoft SQL Server:
Set objWbemSvc =
GetObject("Winmgmts://./root/MicrosoftSqlServer")
You can actually get a list of the providers available on a given system with—
what else—a VB script. Run the following on any computer to retrieve the list
of available providers:
Set objProvider = GetObject("ADs:")

For Each Provider In objProvider
WScript.Echo Provider.Name
Next
Some common providers and namespaces:
Provider NameSpace Description

ADSI LDAP This namespace implementation is compatible
with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
(LDAP).
35
ADSI WinNT This namespace implementation is compatible

with Windows NT®/Windows® 2000.
ADSI NDS This namespace implementation is compatible
with Novell NetWare Directory Service (NDS).
ADSI NWCOMPAT This namespace implementation is compatible
with Novell NetWare 3.x.
WMI Winmgmts This namespace implementation is compatible
with Windows Management Instrumentation.
Table 4 – Common Providers and NameSpaces
Your abilities for connecting to resources that you administer are endless. I
hope you’re realizing that VB script is a mighty powerful tool.
Q: In VB scripts I’ve seen, they are formatted a

specific way. Is this important?
No . . . and Yes. Is that a clear answer?
Programmers can be the messiest bunch of people on the planet, and that’s
not just talking about their workspaces littered with Mountain Dew bottles, a
dozen broken stress relief balls, and oodles of doodles of Bill Gates and Steve
Ballmer sitting on mounds of cash. A programmer’s code can be a mess of
strings, commented out to save to work on later. Organization is the last thing
on their minds.
Will VB scripts work without this special formatting? You bet. As long as you
follow the guidelines for creating your script, the script will function. It may be
the messiest looking bit of chicken scratch, but it will work.
The special formatting is strictly for your benefit, the scripter. Well, it’s also a
big benefit for anyone else wanting to understand and possibly modify your
script later on.
Think about it . . . say you stuff all of your laundry into one drawer, and you
want to find a single pair of socks. You have to dig through the entire drawer,
past your shirts, under you underwear, and in between your pant legs, just to
locate a pair of socks to wear. How much easier it would be if you put all socks
in a drawer by themselves.
Script formatting is similar to this scenario. If you define all of your variables in
one area of the script, you can always jump back quickly to troubleshoot or to
add new variables. Most scripters initialize their variables at the very beginning
of their scripts. Look at the following. It shows a series of variables, initialized
at the beginning of the script. You can use variables initialized here throughout
the entire script.
36
Dim colProcesses
Dim refProcess
Dim refWMI
Dim strMoniker
Dim strQuery
Dim numLow
Dim numHigh
Dim i
The formatting doesn’t even have to end there. You can use special characters
to document your script. I discuss that in the next Question.
Q: Can I add comments to my scripts?

If you’ve ever scripted anything before, you know how useful it is to make
comments in your scripts. This goes a long way toward organizing the script
text, as well as helping you remember what a specific section of the script is
doing in the overall scheme of things.
In the old DOS batch file days, you could use the REM (remark) statement to
add comments. When the batch compiler saw the REM, it skipped it. VB script
has this type of function available, and that includes the old REM standby, as
well as the apostrophe (‘) character.
However, there’s a bit more to it than that. If you use the REM statement on a
line that contains other code, you must separate the REM statement and the
code with a colon (:). Used on a line by itself, the colon is not required. An
apostrophe (‘) can be used anywhere. Does it sound confusing? Try this:
MyStr1 = "Hello" : REM Comment after a statement separated by a

colon.
MyStr2 = "Goodbye" ‘ This is also a comment; no colon is

needed.
REM Comment on a line with no code; no colon is needed.
‘ Comment on a line with no code; no colon is needed.
As a simple suggestion, you should comment the heck out of your code. Using
the remark statements, input as much information about your script as
37
possible. You’ll thank yourself later. Sure, it takes a bit more time and feels like
a pain, especially when you’re working feverishly on a new code solution, but
the benefits definitely outweigh the time you lose initially.
Q: Does Microsoft have any official curriculum

for VB script?
While I’ve not attended these courses myself, I have heard excellent
comments on them. Microsoft currently offers two courses for those interested
in getting hands-on training for VB scripting.
Course Number Course Description

2433AC Visual Basic Script and Windows® Script Host Essentials
2439AC Scripting Microsoft® Windows® Management
Instrumentation
Table 5 – Microsoft’s Office Curriculum for VB Scripting
You can find more information about these courses on Microsoft’s training
and certification website: http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/default.asp.
Q: Can I use VBScript to send keystrokes to

Windows?
The SendKeys function of VBScript would have made for an interesting X-Files
episode. I can see it now…Moulder and Scully are called to a local company to
investigate strange writings on computers – all done without any user input.
Scully tries to convince Moulder that there has to be a scientific reason behind
it. Maybe it’s just the systems administrator using VBScript to harass the end-
user population. Moulder decides it’s the work of technology obtained through
the Roswell crash of 1947. He goes on to prove that the systems administrator
is actually the only survivor of the Roswell saucer crash.
The SendKeys function of VBScript probably one of the most popular
functions. You can actually send keystrokes to the Windows shell, allowing you
to automatically click through dialog boxes, or input text. You can also send
any letter or number available on the computer’s keyboard. You could write an
38
entire document with a VBScript and the SendKeys function—not that you
want to do that, but that ability exists.
Some keystrokes do not generate characters (such as ENTER and TAB). Some
keystrokes represent actions (such as BACKSPACE and BREAK). To send
these kinds of keystrokes, send the arguments shown in the following list:
à BACKSPACE {BACKSPACE},
{BS}, or {BKSP} TAB {TAB}
BREAK {BREAK} UP ARROW {UP}
CAPS LOCK {CAPSLOCK} F1 {F1}
DEL or DELETE {DELETE} or F2 {F2}

{DEL}
F3 {F3}
DOWN ARROW {DOWN}
F4 {F4}
END {END}
F5 {F5}
ENTER {ENTER} or ~
F6 {F6}
ESC {ESC}
F7 {F7}
HELP {HELP}
F8 {F8}
HOME {HOME}
INS or INSERT {INSERT} or F9 {F9}
{INS}
F10 {F10}
LEFT ARROW {LEFT}
F11 {F11}
NUM LOCK {NUMLOCK}
F12 {F12}
PAGE DOWN {PGDN}
F13 {F13}
PAGE UP {PGUP}
F14 {F14}
PRINT SCREEN {PRTSC}
F15 {F15}
RIGHT ARROW {RIGHT}
F16 {F16}
SCROLL LOCK {SCROLLLOCK}
To send keyboard characters that are comprised of a regular keystroke in

combination with a SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT, create a compound string argument
that represents the keystroke combination. You do this by preceding the
regular keystroke with one or more of the following special characters:
39
SHIFT + CTRL ^ ALT %
Example 1: MS Calculator Automation

The following SendKeys example, runs MS Calculator and sends keystrokes to
make a calculation.
set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.Run "calc"
WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.AppActivate "Calculator"
WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.SendKeys "1{+}"
WScript.Sleep 500
WshShell.SendKeys "2"
WScript.Sleep 500
WshShell.SendKeys "~"
WScript.Sleep 500
WshShell.SendKeys "*3"
WScript.Sleep 500
WshShell.SendKeys "~"
WScript.Sleep 2500
Figure 16 – Output of the Calculator script
Example 2: Turning CAPs Lock On and Off

The following example turns the Caps Lock key on and off:
set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.SendKeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
Example 3: Turning Num Lock On and Off

This example turns the Num Lock key on and off:
set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"
“Pretty neat,” you might say, and you’d be right.
NOTE: A couple other available technologies send keystrokes with which you
might already be familiar. You can use these scripting tools either alone or
with VBScript.
1. AutoIT is one of these technologies, and if you’re not too keen on

delving too deeply into VBScript, this may be an option for you. AutoIT
is a simple scripting language that can be found at
http://www.hiddensoft.com/AutoIT.
2. One of the precursors to VBScript was the ScriptIT language (also
from Microsoft). ScriptIT is a tool for automating interactive software
installations and system configuration tasks. This tool can be used to
start a process, monitor the window titles of active processes, and
when appropriate, send a set of keystrokes to the correct window. You
can find more information on ScriptIT on this Microsoft website:
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/techresources/deployment/NTserv
er/scriptit3.asp
Q: Can I deliver software with VBScript?

Software delivery requires a mechanism. That’s not to say that VBScript can’t
initiate the installation of software, just that it provides no “mechanism” for
getting the software to the computers in your company. There are many
software delivery mechanisms available, such as Microsoft Systems
Management Server (http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.asp),
offerings from Altiris (www.altiris.com), and Windows 2000 and 2003 Server
Intellimirror
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/i
41
ntellimirror.asp). You can even utilize web pages and login scripts as a
mechanism.
Think of it in terms kitchen appliances. You have a toaster on one hand and a
toaster oven on the other. Both can toast bread, but the toaster oven can do
so much more. You can settle for a VBScript-only solution for delivering
software, or you can utilize a full systems management application to deliver
software, support users remotely, inventory the hardware and software of the
company’s equipment, control software licensing, etc. Particularly, from the
software delivery aspect, a systems management application can offer some
comprehensive features that “manual” solutions can’t offer. For example, how
would you like to be able to target all Windows XP computers, with enough
hard disk space, and that meet the application’s RAM and video requirements?
Or, be able to distribute software based on a schedule like: only deliver the
software to a specific group of computers, next Tuesday at 3:00am?
VBScript works with each of these systems management mechanisms. You just
need to know how to code a script to kick-off the installation of an application.
The following script uses the WSHShell.Run command, to run Explorer.exe
and to open with the C:\WINNT directory as the initially displayed folder. You
can modify the path statement following the Explorer.exe command to tweak
the command to open in any folder you like.
Dim oWSHShell
Set oWSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oWSHShell.Run "Explorer.exe C:\WINNT"
Q: Can I use VBScript to work with Printers?

Just as VBScript can interoperate with many Windows components, you can
also use it to manage printers in the Windows environment. You can interact
with printers by adding or removing printer connections or by getting a specific
printer’s properties.
Removing a Printer Connection

The following script initializes the Windows Script Host's network component
and then removes the printer connection that is assigned to the specified port.
In this example, LPT1 is the specified port. You can modify this to LPT2, LPT3,
COM1, COM2, etc. (essentially any supported printer port).
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")

WshNetwork.RemovePrinterConnection "LPT1:"
42
Adding a Printer Connection

By utilizing the WSH network component, you can add a network-defined
printer to any available port on the computer. In the example below, change
the port (LPT1) to the port you require, as well as the server and print queue
information (\\Server\Print1).
Set WshNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")

WshNetwork.AddPrinterConnection "LPT1", \\Server\Print1
Getting Printer Properties

We talked about WMI earlier and the amount of data this repository provides.
Well, data for printers are no exception. There is a horde of printer data you
can retrieve just be accessing the Win32_Printer section of the WMI
repository. It just depends on what you want information about, and how
much data you want to retrieve.
Look at the following information, which represents a VBScript querying all of
the printer properties available in WMI.
Attributes: Availability: AvailableJobSheets:
AveragePagesPerMin Caption: CharSetsSupported:

ute:
Comment: ConfigManagerErrorCode: ConfigManagerUserConfi

g:
CreationClassName: CurrentCapabilities: CurrentCharSet:
CurrentLanguage: CurrentMimeType: CurrentNaturalLanguage:
CurrentPaperType: Default: False DefaultCapabilities:
DefaultCopies: DefaultLanguage: DefaultMimeType:
DefaultNumberUp: DefaultPaperType: DefaultPriority:
Description: DetectedErrorState: DeviceID:
43
Direct: DoCompleteFirst: DriverName:
EnableBIDI: EnableDevQueryPrint: ErrorCleared:
ErrorDescription: ErrorInformation: ExtendedDetectedErrorSt

ate:
ExtendedPrinterStatus: Hidden: HorizontalResolution:
InstallDate: JobCountSinceLastReset: KeepPrintedJobs:
LanguagesSupported: LastErrorCode: Local: True
Location: MarkingTechnology: MaxCopies:
MaxNumberUp: MaxSizeSupported: MimeTypesSupported:
Name: NaturalLanguagesSupported: Network:
PaperTypesAvailable: Parameters: PNPDeviceID:
PortName: PowerManagementCapabilitie PowerManagementSuppo

s: rted:
PrinterState: PrinterStatus: PrintJobDataType:
PrintProcessor: Priority: Published:
Queued: RawOnly: SeparatorFile:
ServerName: Shared: False ShareName:
SpoolEnabled: StartTime: Status:
StatusInfo: SystemCreationClassName: SystemName:
TimeOfLastReset: UntilTime: VerticalResolution:
WorkOffline:
Table 6 – Printer Properties Available in the WMI Repository
Installing Printers
Printer installations are a pesky prospect, and they always have been. Because
of the way a printer installation interacts with the computer at the hardware
level, it’s usually best to just use the vendor’s printer installation files. That’s
not to say that VBScript can’t be utilized to kick-off printer software
installation, or another interesting feature of which you may not be aware.
44
Windows 2000 and later have a DLL that can be used to install printers with
configuration options. PrintUI.dll contains the functions that post Windows
2000 computers use when installing printers, and you can access the functions
with a single set of command line options.
You can view all of the options available to you through the PrintUI.dll file by
typing the following in the Start | Run dialog box:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?
When this command runs, the following dialog box is displayed, allowing you to
review the options:
Figure 17 – PrintUI.dll Options
Utilizing the new functionality of PrintUI.DLL, the following VB script creates a

printer connection, installs the printer to the printers folder, and makes it the
default printer.
When the script runs, it prompts for the UNC to the server and printer share.
45
Figure 18 – Prompting for Network Path and Printer
Then, it runs the proper PrintUI.dll switches to install the printer.
Dim p
p = InputBox("Enter the network path to the printer you want to
install:", "Add Printer", "\\Server\PrinterName")
If p <> "" Then

Dim cmd
cmd = "rundll32 printui,PrintUIEntry /in /n" & p
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run cmd
End If
Summary
Someone once said that your journey begins with your first step. What a
profound statement. By picking up this book and perusing through it, your
journey has already started. You can’t turn back now. If you do, you will be
stuck at the base of the mountain forever. True enlightenment can be obtained
by treading onward, picking up pieces here-and-there, downloading code and
figuring out what it’s doing and how it’s doing it, reusing the code, and finally,
using the basics as a foundation. As more and more people wear down their
soles on the Geek highway, your plight in life will become nothing more than
their roadside scenery. As their speed picks up, you will meld into the blur of
the rushing landscape.
VB scripting is more than just a momentary fascination. It is a stepping-stone
in the evolution of a new career, a new talent, or of advancement to a higher
level. In the coming years, or even months, enterprise scripting will ultimately
become a requirement for employment. Reading and remembering the basics
outlined in this book gives you a solid foundation to construct a good working
knowledge of scripting.
46
R E S O U R C E S
WMI Essentials for Automating Windows Management

Author: Marcin Policht;.Publisher: SAMS; ISBN: 0-672-32144-0
Marcin also writes articles on WMI for myITforum.com. His columnist homepage can be located at:
http://www.myitforum.com/contrib/default.asp?cid=894
Microsoft Windows 2000 Scripting Guide

Author: The Microsoft “Scripting Guys”;.Publisher: Microsoft Press; ISBN: 0-7356-1867-4
Windows Admin Scripting Little Black Book 2nd Edition
Author: Jesse M. Torres;.Publisher: Paraglyph Publishing; ISBN: 1932111875
47

Just The FAQs To VB Scripting Basics

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Q: What is Windows Script Host?

NOTE: The minimum requirement for WSH to function is Internet Explorer

Q: What can I do with WSH?

à Print messages to the à Retrieve and modify environment

Q: Which version of WSH do I need?

Q: How do I deploy the latest version of

Figure 1 – Windows Script Host 5.6 Installation Options

/q Quiet mode—skips all user prompts

/q:u User quite mode—shows some dialog boxes

/q:a Admin quite mode—does not show any dialog boxes

/r:i Restart if necessary—automatically restart the computer if it is necessary to

/r:a Always restart—always restart the computer after the installation

/n:v No version checking—installs the program over any previous version

Q: Which features does WSH 5.6 offer

NOTE: In the same registry key, if IgnoreUserSettings is 0 or not present,

Registry Value Description

Enabled If 1, then WSH is enabled. If 0, WSH is disabled. Default is 1 if

TrustPolicy If 0, then all scripts are run. If 1, then unsigned or untrusted

UseWINSAFER On Win2K, WinNT, Win98, WinME: no effect. On WinXP:

LogSecurityFailures On Win2K, WinNT, Win98, WinME: no effect. On WinXP:

Running Scripts Remotely

Set the Current Active Directory

Q: What’s the difference between WScript.exe

Figure 2 – Window Prompt for a Computer Name to Query

Figure 3 – Cscript.exe Output for the Service Information Script

Below is the script (notice the WScript.Echo statements).

Service Information for CScript.vbs

ComComputerName = InputBox(“Enter the name of the computer you

Figure 4 – Crazy WSH Window Meant for CScript.exe

Figure 5 – Wscript.exe Running as a Windows Process

Service Information for WScript.vbs:

For each SP in SPSet

The output would be much kinder (as shown in Figure 6).

Figure 6: Service Information Output Designed for WScript.exe

NOTE: When WSH is installed, WScript.exe is designated as the default

Q: What command-line options do the

Figure 7 – Wscript.exe Command-Line Options

Figure 8 – Cscript.exe Command-Line Options

Q: What are the differences between VBScript

Q: How can I protect my scripts?

Set DestFile = fso.OpenTextFile(DestPath, 2, true)

Q: What’s the best way to learn to script?

willingness to share what they’ve done. A couple quick changes here, an

à Script Debugger Documentation—http://msdn.microsoft.com/ library/en-

MyITforum.com is the premier website for systems administrators. Pure

Q: Aren’t Windows scripts unsafe?

Q: What tools do I need to start scripting?

Figure 9: Encode.vbs Opened in Notepad

Figure 10: Script Error at Line 2 Character 1

The error message indicates a problem on Line 2 and in Character 1. Showing

Figure 11: Go to Line Command in Notepad

Figure 12: The ConTEXT Programmer’s Editor

à 80196 Assembler à DCL Language à PowerPC GNU

Q: How can I make others run my scripts?

VBScripts can run on remote computers in a few different ways.

à In a login script à From a web page

Example of VBScript Inserted into Login Script

net.MapNetworkDrive "O:", "\\server\share"

Run on Remote Computer

Remote Execution Utility

-u Specifies optional user name for login to remote computer