At customer events a few years ago, we started handing out one-page "Survival Guides" (printed both sides and laminated) with links to important resources. The wiki versions of the Survival Guides are meant to do the same things without killing trees or using laminating machines.

This Survival Guide has been adopted! Members of the community are systematically enhancing the content in this guide by identifying missing areas (scenarios, features, lifecycle...), providing links and descriptions to existing content, and providing new content where there are gaps. Our current theme is "Establish a Baseline". Review the article and suggest new sections, missing content, and other ideas. Our next theme will be "PowerShell for the Beginner"; see others and add your own to this article (here). Plug in to updates, like us on Facebook (TechNet Wiki).

Table of Contents

• Essential Windows PowerShell Resources  

• Essential Windows PowerShell Resources

  • Download Windows PowerShell 2.0 - Windows PowerShell V2 comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 (although with the server core instalaltions, it's not installed by default). For all other Operating systems you need to download the appropriate package and install it. The download includes Windows PowerShell V2 and WinRM 2.0.
  • PowerShell 2.0 SDK - The Windows PowerShell 2.0 SDK provides the reference assemblies needed to write cmdlets, providers, and hosting applications, and it provides C# sample code that can be used as the starting point when you begin writing code.
  • Learn Windows PowerShell: This is the Microsoft home page for Windows PowerShell. Easy to remember: http://www.microsoft.com/powershell.
  • Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog: The Scripting Guys publish every day of the week. 24/7. See especially all blog posts tagged with Windows PowerShell.
  • The Official Scripting Guys Forum!: Join a worldwide community of scripters. Get your questions answered and if you can, give help back. Just  jump in!
  • TechNet Script Center Script Repository: Need to fix something, like, now? Search for that one Windows PowerShell script or VBScript script that will get you out of a jam. You can also contribute your own scripts.
  • Script Center content in the TechNet Library - described as "A one-stop shop for all your Windows system administration scripting needs." Not all the content on this page is Windows PowerShell related.
  • Windows PowerShell Quick Reference: A two-page "cheat sheet." Woot!
  • VB Scripter's Guide to Learning PowerShell - shows how to convert VBScript to Windows PowerShell.
  •  Writing a Windows PowerShell Cmdlet on MSDN. This covers writing custom cmdlets. Includes concepts that will help you learn to write cmdlets, guidelines for writing cmdlets, and has numerous examples.
  • Windows PowerShell Master Class Resource Links - this page is developed initially for attendees atWindows PowerShell Master Class, but these are a useful set of reference information on Windows PowerShell.
  • Using the Core Cmdlets - a series of pages describing how to use individual cmdlets - brings each cmdlet to life.
  • Bing visual search for PoweShell Cmdlets (2 minute video from Jeffrey Snover on cmdlet visual search)
  • PowerShell Resource Page (Windows IT Pro magazine)
  • All content tagged 'PowerShell' on TechNet Edge
  • How to Use VBScript to Run a PowerShell Script
  • Common Exchange 2010 cmdlets
    

  Windows PowerShell Scripts

  • PoshCode Script Repository - PoshCode is a repository of Windows PowerShell scripts that are free for public use. As you find things useful, please give back to the community.
  • Windows PowerShell.Com Script Library - a large script library from this Windows PowerShell community site.
  • PshScripts Blog - Thomas Lee's Windows PowerShell script blog (plus a full set of downloadable scripts).
  • TechNet Script Center Script Repository
  • Powershell Framework - The Powershell Framework makes running Powershell scripts simple. It provides a means of interactively or non-interactively running scripts in a simple manner. It provides a form based interface to browse and run scripts, and a clean framework for writing scripts.

  Windows PowerShell Modules

  • Hyper-V Windows PowerShell Module
  • Windows PowerShell Community Extensions
  • Windows PowerShell PowerBoots
  • PowerShellPack (Windows 7 Resource Kit scripts)
  • Remote Registry
  • Terminal Services
  • DNS
  • ClientManager (Add/Remove Windows 7 features)
  • PowerShell Admin Modules
  • Share Management
  • PowerEvents for Windows PowerShell
  • Active Directory Replication Monitor

  Fun Modules

  • Windows PowerShell PowerBook - Facebook Module for Windows PowerShell

  Forums

  • Windows PowerShell Community Forum
  • TechNet Windows PowerShell Forum
  • The Scripting Guys Forum!
  • PowerGUI
  • PowerShell.com
  • Stack Overflow

  Newsgroups

  • Windows PowerShell User Groups

  User Groups

  • Windows PowerShell Group - Community site for Windows PowerShell user groups (most US groups are hosted here).
  • Central Ohio Windows PowerShell Users Group | Windows PowerShell Group
  • The Australian Powershell Usergroups
    • Brisbane
    • Perth

  Windows PowerShell Cmdlet Reference Material

  • Windows PowerShell Graphical Help File (Version 2.0)
  • Windows PowerShell 2.0 Software Development Kit (SDK)
  • Getting Started: Windows Server 2008 R2 Administration with Windows PowerShell
  • Best Practice Analyzer (BPA)
  • Failover Clustering
  • Group Policy
  • Active Directory
  • Active Directory Rights Management Services
  • AppLocker
  • Windows PowerShell Administration Guide for Active Directory

  Windows PowerShell Third party Cmdlets

  • Active Directory (Quest)
  • Adaxes PowerShell Module
  • VMware

  Video:

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Quick Look - Windows PowerShell V2
  • Windows Powershell v2 Zero to Hero with Don Jones
  • Windows PowerShell : Variables, Types, and Operators
  • PSv2 Modules : An Introduction with Bruce Payette
  • PSv2 Modules : How to use Them
  • PSv2 Modules : Write Script and Binary Modules

  Windows PowerShell Blogs:

  In English:

  • Windows PowerShell Blog
  • Scripting Guys
  • BSonPoSH (Brandon Shell, MVP)
  • Huddled Masses (Joel 'Jaykul' Bennett, MVP)
  • Nivot Ink (Oisin Grehan, MVP)
  • The Windows PowerShell Guy (Marc van Orsouw, MVP)
  • Dmitry's PowerBlog: PowerShell and beyond (Dmitry Sotnikov, MVP)
  • Keith Hill's Blog (Keith Hill, MVP)
  • Precision Computing (Lee Holmes, MSFT)
  • Windows Powershell and More (Gaurhoth)
  • TechProsaic » Windows Powershell (Hal Rottenberg, MVP)
  • PowerShell Pro! (Jesse Hamrick)
  • Bennie's Weblog
  • Poshoholic (Kirk Munro, MVP)
  • $cript Fanatic (Shay Levy, MVP)
  • jonoble.com (Jonathan Noble)
  • SAPIEN Technologies
  • Lead, Follow, or Move (Adam Bell)
  • Live Windows PowerShell With Karl Prosser (Karl Prosser, MVP)
  • SharePoint, Windows PowerShell and .NET Development SharePoint, Windows PowerShell and .NET Development
  • Lunatic Experiments
  • B# .NET Blog
  • Kevin Colby at myITforum.com
  • String Theory (Mark Schill)
  • Ken's Powershell
  • PowerScripting Podcast
  • Richard Siddaway's Blog (Richard Siddaway, MVP)
  • http://powershellcommunity.org/Blogs/CommunityBlogs/tabid/55/BlogId/19/Default.aspx
  • Ying Li(MVP) at myITforum.com
  • Media And Microcode (James Brundage)
  • en Passant (Eric Woodford)
  • Information Transmogrification
  • Development in a Blink (Doug Finke, MVP)
  • Jeong's Blog
  • Winterdom
  • David Mohundro
  • Under The Stairs (Thomas Lee, MVP)
  • Virtu-Al (Alan Renouf)
  • Joe Pruitt
  • The Lonely Administrator (Jeffery Hicks, MVP)
  • Chad Miller's Blog (Chad Miller)
  • out-web.net
  • Code Assassin
  • Group Policy Blog from the "GPOGUY" (Darren Mar-Elia)
  • Get-PowerShell (Andy Schneider)
  • SharePoint, Windows PowerShell & Automation (Ravikanth C, MVP)
  • PSH Scripts blog - just scripts, scripts and more scripts!
  • x(perts)64 (Charlie Russel, MVP)
  • Indented! (Chris Dent)
  • PowerShell beyond the orthodox realm (Robert Robelo)
  • Mike Pfeiffer's Blog
  • PowerShell Daily (Mihail Stacanov)
  • On Windows PowerShell and other admin-related topics (Jan Egil Ring)
  • http://unlockpowershell.wordpress.com/ (Karl Mitschke)
  • SMTP Port 25 - (Krishna Kumar, MVP)
  • PowerShell.nu - (Niklas Goude, MVP)
  • Powertoe - (Tome Tanasovski)
  • Lync PowerShell Blog
  • Collecting IP address, MAC address and host names from all devices on a subnet using PowerShell (Klaus Graefensteiner)

  Note: you can get all of the Windows PowerShell posts from these English Language blogs in one place (and as a single rss feed).

  In Arabic:

  • Arabian Windows PowerShell (Sherif Talaat, MVP)

  In Turkish:

  • Yusuf Ozturk's Blog (Yusuf Ozturk, MSP)

  Whitepapers and Guides:

  • Designing Cmdlets That Have Lots of Parameters
  • Administrator's Guide to Windows PowerShell Remoting
  • A layman's guide to Windows PowerShell 2.0 remoting
  • Windows PowerShell in the Enterprise: Best Practices and Recommendations
  • A Task-Based Guide to Windows PowerShell Cmdlets
  • Examples of PowerShell Host Application Code
  • Writing a Windows PowerShell Host Application

  Additional PowerShell Resources:

  • PowerShell Community Toolbar - Your one stop shop to various PowerShell resources: Downloads, Webcasts, Videos, Podcasts and more.
  • Windows PowerShell In Action - 2nd Edition - Early Access Edition (Book)
  • Windows PowerShell Cookbook (book) beta online
  • Windows PowerShell TFM 2.0 (Book)
  • Windows PowerShell 2.0 Best Practices (Book)
  • Powershell.com Power Tip of the Day
  • Free eBook from Powershell.com (also downloadable as pdf)

  Social Networking Accounts to follow:

  Twitter:

  • Scripting Guys
  • Shay Levy
  • Keith Hill

  Facebook:

  • Scripting Guys

  Windows PowerShell Training

  • Windows PowerShell Master Class
  • ScriptingAnswers Windows PowerShell Training
  • Online Windows PowerShell Training
  • Winstructor - Training Videos
  • SANS PowerShell Training
  • CBT Nuggets - Windows PowerShell: On the Job Training Series
  • Microsoft: Automating Windows Server 2008 Administration with Windows PowerShell (Instructor-Led)
  • K Alliance: Windows PowerShell Training Courses
  • TrainSignal - Exchange Server 2007 Windows PowerShell Course Outline
  • Koenig - Windows PowerShell for Windows Server 2008 (CBT)
  • Course 50025A: Windows PowerShell for Administrators (Instructor-Led)

  See Also

  • Wiki: List of Products and Related Topics

  Survival Guide Adoption Feedback

  Here is a list of suggested themes in priority order. Please add your own/adjust priority.

  1. Getting Started (Beginner Information).
  2. Security
  3. Troubleshooting
  4. ...

  Other comments are welcome!