#Delete Opera Splash Screen and Other Opera Annoyware
#Let’s just start with why they are forcing a Splash Screen in the first place… who knows but I am thinking they are stuck in a different decade. I just delete all the automatic crap. The Opera Browser remains working for me without the files removed by my code. I even setup a MagicWord in Brayden SlickRun to do this for me by simply typing dop.
#Just the code:
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# Define the installation path
$InstallPath="C:\Program Files\Opera"
# Define the names of the files you want to delete
#I use Chocolatey to update my system, when I decide, so all these browsers forcing updates every other day is just extra annoying for me. Opera doesn’t provide an option to do manual updates. Removing the opera_autoupdate.exe file seems to work well.
#Patch testing and phased implementations are a thing of the past. The cloud and any applications that deal with the cloud are basically beta software that can hardly be trusted for anything important or secure. Anyone that has to update several times a week hasn’t done a good job in the first place. Trying to keep up with the cloud is a daunting task for programmers but I do not need forced updates and “features” like a splash screen also forced upon me after almost daily updates. I would understand if there were just an option, that worked, to disable all that. I use a 3rd party updater. It has issues when Opera updates itself and I just don’t need forced screen delays when I load software. It is just dumb. Firefox just updated on me while I was using it in Linux with a Canonical install using apt. They had a hidden background update option enabled and it installed then killed all my private windows.
#Also I don’t want my browser running in the background every time I login or Edge, which I never use. Why would I want that? It doesn’t do anything for me when they do that. I can only imagine it benefits them somehow to take up some of my resources when I am using Firefox or Chrome instead.
#I use Opera for real work. It is not a toy for me. It does some things better than other more popular browsers but they have always focused more on monetizing it more than just being the best which is why I never recommend it to anyone.
#When attempting to convert filenames to lowercase from a CD-ROM using PowerRename, I encountered challenges primarily due to file system limitations, specifically with ExFAT partitions. The led me to develop a PowerShell script that effectively renames files and discovered that the script only works when files were first copied to an NTFS partition.
#ExFAT Limitation
#ExFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a file system designed for flash drives and external hard drives. While it offers advantages like large file size support and cross-platform compatibility, it has some limitations when it comes to file operations:
Case Sensitivity: ExFAT is case-preserving but case-insensitive. This means it maintains the case of filenames as they were created, but doesn’t distinguish between uppercase and lowercase when accessing files.
Rename Operations: Some tools and scripts may have difficulty renaming files on exFAT partitions due to how the file system handles these operations
Permissions: ExFAT doesn’t support the same level of file permissions as NTFS, which can affect certain operations
#PowerRename and ExFAT
#PowerRename, a PowerToy utility, may show that it’s working on ExFAT but fails to actually rename the files.
#Use PowerShell to create an SSH tunnel for a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) to another computer with OpenSSH-Server installed
#Just the code:
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Start-Process ssh-ArgumentList"-N -L 127.0.0.3:13389:10.4.0.12:3389 10.4.0.12 -l sshuser"-Verb open
(Read-Host'Press Enter to continue...')|Out-Null
&mstsc/V:127.0.0.3:13389/prompt
#The Long Story…
#Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is great but it is not very secure. This is one way to make your RDP connections more secure using a Secure Shell (SSH) tunnel. This may work in Powershell 7 but isn’t the best way to do it.
#Use PowerShell to open SSH in a cmd.exe window that will control the SSH tunnel.
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Start-Process ssh-ArgumentList"-N -L 127.0.0.3:13389:10.4.0.12:3389 10.4.0.12 -l sshuser"-Verb open
#The commands will pause while you login to the SSH tunnel session. In this example 127.0.0.3:13889 is the tunnel entrance. 10.4.0.12:3389 is the tunnel destination and will most likely be different for you. In my case it is a Microsoft Windows Server 2019 server that I connect to from a Windows 10 Professional client.
#10.4.0.12 is the address of the SSH server and sshuser is an account on the destination machine. The account used doesn’t need additional rights beyond User rights on Windows 10 to create the tunnel but you will need additional rights to connect via RDP.
#Login to SSH tunnel
#Type in the password for sshuser
#The first time you connect to a new SSH host computer you must accept the SSH key that is presented. Type yes if prompted with a message similar to the text below.
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The authenticity of host'servername (10.04.00.02)'can'tbe established.
Are you sure you want tocontinueconnecting(yes/no)?
#Leave this window open. Minimize if you need to but it needs to stay running for the tunnel traffic to use.
#This will end with a window that looks like it hangs after you login. It is not hung. That window is where the tunnel runs through. Do not close it. Minimize the window and go back to your script. Press Enter to continue…
#Go back to the PowerShell window and press Enter to launch mstsc.exe and make a Remote Desktop Connection using the new SSH tunnel.
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(Read-Host'Press Enter to continue...')|Out-Null
#Launch mstsc.exe with the new loopback IP and made up port number
#Use the & call operator to force PowerShell to treat the string as a command to be executed and run mstsc.exe which is the Windows command to launch the Remote Desktop Services client also know as Microsoft Terminal Services client (mstsc).
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&mstsc/V:127.0.0.3:13389/prompt]
#I used code and knowledge from the page linked below to create this but the code I use is modified to combine techniques and concepts shown there when using PowerShell.
#This site has information on using Putty and Linux to create SSH tunnel connections as well.
#Setup a New Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Core Installation to Accept Incoming PowerShell Remoting connections in a Workgroup
#You will not need to do this if you perform your PowerShell tasks directly from a domain connected computer. You need this if you have virtual machines or headless devices… or just plain lazy. Also not everyone has a domain controller and sometimes even a Hyper-V host computer will remain in a workgroup since it might host the domain controller and it is off topic… I work in PowerShell ISE for the most part and connect to where ever I need to.
#Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to begin configuring Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Core
#Press Enter to select OK to change password
#Set password for .\administrator
#This initial password is for the local administrator account .\administrator is also a way to access this account. It is not part of active directory and therefore doesn’t fall under the Active Directory password policy. Do not make it something easy to guess. The standard policy require 8 characters minimum with upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. I suggest you follow that as this password will be passed to your initial domain administrator account, where it will fail to work, so it is just best to avoid issues.
#This is cmd.exe start screen for Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Core. Type sconfig to bring up the cheater menu.
#Type powershell and press enter to start a PowerShell session directly in Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Core cmd.exe prompt.
#Type Enable-PSRemoting -Force to enable PowerShell Remoting. You can use -SkipNetworkProfileCheck to allow management requests on a network Microsoft Windows has categorized as Public such as Hotspots and new unrecognized networks.
#This will show you what computers you “trust” to connect remotely via PowerShell Remote, no remote hosts are allowed by default.
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Get-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts
#This creates a list of computers you “trust” so that you wish to make outgoing PowerShell Remote connections. It doesn’t need a value if you don’t plan to connect to other computers from this new server and/or just use a management PC.
#This is not a list of computers that are allowed to use Enter-PSSession to connect to the new server and most likely you need to run this command on a Windows 10 management PC instead. You would include either the IP address of the new server, the computer name of the new server or ‘*’ if you want to be able to connect to anywhere.
#You can use either the server IP address or computer name if you need to perform this step. I choose to use both so I avoid any issues when connecting. You need to type y and press Enter to confirm. A value of ‘*’ allows the server to connect to any remote host.
#Now you can use Enter-PSSession to connect to your Microsoft Windows Sever 2019 Core install to configure it using PowerShell or RSAT tools.
#At this point you probably do not have Active Directory installed so you would use the command below to connect to the server. I use PowerShell ISE to open my list of common commands and just run them remotely from my desktop computer. After the -Cn is whatever IP address or computer name you added to WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts
#If you are running Microsoft Windows 2019 Core on Hyper-V then you can connect the way shown above from anywhere. You could connect the way below, from the Hyper-V host, if that isn’t also a core installation. Be aware that connecting -VMName Vs. -ComputerName can cause some commands to behave differently or not at all.
#Installing and configuring PowerShell 7.2.1 on 64-bit Server 2019 and Windows 10
#The installation commands shown here are for the latest stable release of PowerShell 7.
#To be honest I don’t recommend upgrading if you plan to keep using all your existing scripts and commands without issue. That most likely will not happen. PowerShell 7 doesn’t work well with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure. The login command fails, for example. There might be a work around using the Microsoft Graph API but I haven’t managed to get that working. The differences between PowerShell 5 and PowerShell 7 are discussed here.
#I need to use the older Microsoft only releases of PowerShell for most of what I do. PowerShell 7 does work on many non-Windows platforms but do not expect to use PowerShell 7 to manage your hard drives in Linux. PowerShell 5.x and PowerShell 6.x only work on Microsoft Windows-based computers.
#It should also be mentioned that PowerShell 5 and PowerShell 7 run along side each other and is determined by which shell you choose to work in. Another problem is that PowerShell ISE is not designed to work with PowerShell 7 and not included.
From Microsoft:
#Is PowerShell ISE going away?
The PowerShell ISE is no longer in active feature development. As a shipping component of Windows, it continues to be officially supported for security and high-priority servicing fixes. … Users looking for replacement for the ISE should use Visual Studio Code with the PowerShell Extension.
PowerShell 7.2.1 can be downloaded for 64-bit Windows-based operating systems from the link below:
#Manage Active Directory Users And Computers Using Windows 10 in PowerShell Direct Without CredSSP Or “Second-Hop” Issues
#When connecting to a virtual machine using PowerShell Remoting, enabling CredSSP (Credential Security Support Provider) is essential to avoid “Second-Hop” or “Multi-Hop” issues when managing Active Directory objects. CredSSP is particularly necessary when connecting to physical machines, as PowerShell Direct only functions when connecting directly from the host computer to a virtual machine.
#PowerShell Direct does not encounter the “Second-Hop” problem when managing Windows Server 2016 from a Windows 10 virtual machine running Hyper-V. Since I have enabled the Hyper-V role on my Windows 10 Professional system and my physical machine is not part of a domain, the Windows 10 virtual machine must be joined to the Active Directory domain that I intend to manage. This setup avoids additional configuration changes related to workgroup settings.
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Enter-PSSession-VMName Win10-Credential DOMAIN\administrator#Connect to a Windows 10 Creators Edition virtual machine using PowerShell Direct
New-ADOrganizationalUnit-Server KERMIT-Name Test-Description'Administrator Rights'-DisplayName Test-PassThru-Verbose#Create a new OU called Test
Get-ADOrganizationalUnit-Server KERMIT-Identity'OU=Test,DC=domain,DC=muppetlabs,DC=com'|Set-ADOrganizationalUnit–ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion$false#Unprotect OU=Test for intentional deletion
#Create a new Organizational Unit in PowerShell Remote using just the computer name
#Without CredSSP enabled this command fails in PowerShell Remote which is initiated by using-ComputerName with Enter-PSSession
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Enter-PSSession-ComputerName KERMIT-Credential DOMAIN\administrator#Connect to a Windows 10 Creators Edition virtual machine using PowerShell Remote
New-ADOrganizationalUnit-Server KERMIT-Name Test-Description'Administrator Rights'-DisplayName Test-PassThru-Verbose#Create a new OU called Test
#Create a new Organizational Unit in PowerShell Direct using just the virtual machine name
#Just using OU=Test as an example to show how this command doesn’t fail in PowerShell Direct using -VMName like it did in the previous example using -ComputerName.
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Enter-PSSession-VMName Win10-Credential DOMAIN\administrator#Connect to a Windows 10 Creators Edition virtual machine using PowerShell Direct
New-ADOrganizationalUnit-Server KERMIT-Name Test-Description'Administrator Rights'-DisplayName Test-PassThru-Verbose#Create a new OU called Test
#Set –ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion to $false on OU=Test so it can be deleted
#This needs to be done to allow the OU to be deleted.
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Get-ADOrganizationalUnit-Server KERMIT-Identity'OU=Test,DC=domain,DC=muppetlabs,DC=com'|Set-ADOrganizationalUnit–ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion$false#Unprotect OU=Test for intentional deletion
#Delete OU=Test from -Server KERMIT.
#KERMIT is the NetBIOS computer name of my domain controller and not the domain NetBIOS name. They are different things.
#Join Windows 10 Professional To An Active Directory Domain Using PowerShell Direct
#These are the commands to rename a Windows 10 client computer to GONZO and add that computer to a domain called domain.winrollup.int
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Rename-Computer-NewName GONZO-Verbose-PassThru#Rename computer before joining domain. Requires restart
Restart-Computer
Add-Computer-DomainName domain.winrollup.int-Credential domain\administrator-Passthru-Verbose#Join Active Directory Domain and add to Computer container. Requires restart
Restart-Computer
#The Longer Story…
#Your computer may not need to be renamed so skip that if needed. Also the Add-Computer command sends your newly added computers to the Computers container by default unless you specify an -OUPath when running Add-Computer.
#Rename computer before joining your domain if your computer name doesn’t comply with server standards. Restart required.
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Rename-Computer-NewName GONZO-Verbose-PassThru#Rename computer before joining domain. Requires restart
Restart-Computer
#Join a domain called domain.winrollup.int. Restart required.
#You need to change the -DomainName from domain.win1rollup.int to what you call your domain. Use -Restart at the end of the Add-Computer command to automatically restart.
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Add-Computer-DomainName domain.winrollup.int-Credential domain\administrator-Passthru-Verbose#Join Active Directory Domain and add to Computer container. Requires restart
Restart-Computer
#A Bit More
#Specify a preconfigured Organizational Unit path when joining domain
#My domain is simple and this is not needed for me at this time. I don’t have multiple Organizational Units yet and I don’t need any Group Policies affecting this PC since I’m working with my Windows 10 management PC. I’m able to specify the -OUPath shown below, once I complete the step below to create an OU called ServerAdmins. This command adds the computer to OU=ServerAdmins.
#You are not able to specify another container besides the default Computers container, but there is a way to change the default container if you don’t specify an OU. I definitely don’t want my computers added to the default OU which is OU=Domain Controllers, so I don’t use this command switch unless I have created a new OU first. It has been suggested to create the OU and computer object prior to joining the domain, but I don’t need to do that at this point.
#The command below is used to specify an Organizational Unit when joining a domain, if needed.
#Create a new Organizational Unit on the server (Needs to be run on Windows Server 2019 with the Active Directory role installed and configured)
#If you preconfigure an alternative Organizational Unit on Windows Server 2019 then you can add your computers directly to that OU by specifying a -OUPath when running Add-Computer.
Functionfunk_cnkermit{Enter-PSSession-ComputerName KERMIT-Credential DOMAIN\administrator}#Set fucntion to enter a PowerShell Remote session
Set-Aliaskermitfunk_cnkermit#Create Alias using computer name
Functionfunk_vmserver2019{Enter-PSSession-VMName Server2019-Credential DOMAIN\administrator}#Set function to enter a PowerShell Direct session
Set-Alias server2019 funk_vmserver#Create Alias using virtual machine name
#The Longer Story…
#These are two basic functions, but the functions you control with Set-Alias can be much more complicated. An Alias is just a shortcut to a command with a long name, but without any parameters. Parameters still need to be added to most commands when running an Alias. A function can contain commonly used parameters or even more complex command structures. You will also need to add permanent functions to your $Profile for PowerShell and PowerShell ISE separately since they are controlled by two different startup files.
#Using Set-Alias In PowerShell To Create Shortcuts To Functions
#As an example, I am going to create a function to run Enter-PSSession to connect using PowerShell Remote. I also create a similar function to connect using PowerShell Direct so I just type the value of either the -VMName or the -ComputerName to enter my password and connect.
#KERMIT is the computer name of my server. The name of the virtual machine is Server2019. These commands would need to be modified to fit your environment.
#List available Functions using Out-GridView in PowerShell ISE or not
#Note: Out-GridView does not work in a remote session or in PowerShell command prompt.
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Get-ChildItem Function:#Take a look a the functions currently defined
Get-ChildItem Function:|Out-GridView#Use PowerShell ISE to provide a grid view of the output
#Check the pre-defined list of aliases using Out-GridView in PowerShell ISE or not
#See pre-defined Alias list
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Get-ChildItem Alias:#Take a look at the currently defined alias list
Get-ChildItem Alias:|Out-GridView#Use PowerShell ISE to provide a grid view of the output
#Create Two New Functions To Connect To Server Using PowerShell Remote and PowerShell Direct
#One function called funk_cnkermit initiates a connection to the computer name (-ComputerName) of the server and the other, funk_vmserver2019,connects to a virtual machine name (-VMName). The function name can be anything that is guaranteed to stay unique. The command inside the {} could be any commands that you find useful and use frequently. Multiple lines of code are also supported.
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Functionfunk_cnkermit{Enter-PSSession-ComputerName KERMIT-Credential DOMAIN\administrator}#Set fucntion to enter a PowerShell Remote session
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Functionfunk_vmserver2019{Enter-PSSession-VMName Server2019-Credential DOMAIN\administrator}#Set function to enter a PowerShell Direct session
#Use The Set-Alias PowerShell Command To Create Shorter Commands And To Trigger Custom Functions Into Action Without Repetitive Keystrokes
#Set an alias to each new function using the computer name kermit and the virtual machine name server2019 using the commands below:
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Set-Alias kermit funk_cnkermit#Create Alias using computer name
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Set-Alias server2019 funk_vmserver2019#Create Alias using virtual machine name
Functionfunk_DockerCleanExitedContainers{docker.exe rm$(docker ps-q-fstatus=exited)}#Function to automatically clean exited containers in Docker
Set-Alias Docker-CleanExitedContainers funk_DockerCleanExitedContainers#Set Alias name
#I’m sure there are much more complicated functions that I’ll add along the way, but just having an alias to Enter-PSSession is such a time saver. Don’t forget to use AutoComplete or Tab to save time when typing all of Docker-CleanExitedContainers. Once the Alias is set, it will be as if it was a command in the environment path.
Start-Process-FilePath dism.exe-ArgumentList$DismOpt-PassThru-Wait#Run dism with argument options. Takes a few minutes to install.
#Use the next command with care if you changed the temporary folder from c:\RSAT to something else
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Remove-Item-Path$MSUPath-Recurse-Verbose
#The Longer Story…
#This was a real pain in the ass. .MSU files are not ideal to deal with in PowerShell and far different from .MSI installs. It is possible that Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 can’t be installed remotely using wusa.exe. There are security issues with wusa.exe and Windows 10 for sure. The wusa.exe /extract option doesn’t work in Windows 10 either, due to the same security concerns.
#Set temporary path for installation
#Set this to whatever path you want. I prefer to use a empty new folder but any temporary folder will do. Watch out for the Remove-Item command later on though if you use an existing folder for your download location.
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$MSUPath='c:\RSAT'#Set temp path
$MSUPath = ‘c:\RSAT’
#Create temporary folder
#Create the folder c:\RSAT or as set in the previous command. Skip this step if you plan to use an existing folder.
#Download 64-bit version of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10
#I am dealing with the 64-bit version only. I don’t know why you would even have a 32-bit version of Windows 10 Creators Edition but I’m guessing there are people doing it. You need to figure out the link yourself or download the RSAT package some other way. This command only works in PowerShell and PowerShell Remote but not in PowerShell Direct since it uses BITS.
#wusa.exe /extract does not work in Windows 10 so expand.exe must be used. These are the -ArgumentList options I had to set using a variable due to the really appalling quote and double quote bullshit that needs to happen to get some of these commands to work. I do not recommend trying to use the wusa.exe method of installing Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 if even just to be stubborn as wusa.exe is just not designed to work properly when installing .MSU files via PowerShell in Windows 10.
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$ExpandOpt='-f:* "'+$MSUPath+'\WindowsTH-RSAT_WS2016-x64.msu" '+$MSUPath#Create argument list for expand.exe
#Set -ArgumentListfor Start-Process to launch the dism.exe command. Using dism.exe is just another crutch to get Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 installed remotely using PowerShell Remote. There is not an equivalent native PowerShell command to replace dism.exe yet.
#Dism.exe is what actually works and is the method I recommend but it is slow. Takes about 5 minutes to install with my setup. You will have to wait. I have had varying degrees of success using pkgmgr.exe to install also but also I get a message in certain instances that pkgmgr.exe is depreciated so I have stayed away from using that method to install RSAT.
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Start-Process-FilePath dism.exe-ArgumentList$DismOpt-PassThru-Wait#Run dism with argument options. Takes a few minutes to install.
#Remove c:\RSAT once install of WindowsTH-RSAT_WS2016-x64.msu has completed
#If you changed $MSUPath then pay attention here. You don’t want to delete a folder with other data in it. The RSAT install files are no longer needed though and can be safely deleted.
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Remove-Item-Path$MSUPath-Recurse-Verbose
Remove-Item -Path $MSUPath -Recurse -Verbose
#You do not have to do anything else but here is the command to verify what features are currently installed.
#All Remote Server Administration Tool features are installed and enabled by default. Also you no longer need dism.exe to manage the RSAT package features. Instead Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature and Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature should be used at this point. The command below should get you started if you need to tweak available installed features. The list is too long to screen shot all at once so a snip is not included.
#Yeah so PowerShell Direct doesn’t do everything and neither does PowerShell Remote. Simply put, PowerShell Direct is a connection to a remote computer initiated with Enter-PSSession -VMName.PowerShell Remote uses WinRM to communicate and is initiated using Enter-PSSession -ComputerName. It is important to know the difference because each way of connecting doesn’t function exactly the same way. You will get errors in PowerShell Direct using commands that require the Background Intelligent Transfer Service, or BITS, for one. BITS only works in PowerShell Remote.
#Sometimes using Remote Desktop isn’t even enough to do everything but you can do so much more running commands directly. Simple things like using Out-GridView for formatting complex command output needs to be run directly from the machine you are running PowerShell ISE on via a Remote Desktop session and PowerShell ISE. PowerShell Direct and PowerShell Remote sessions are not allowed to call on Out-Gridview at all.
#Note: These commands work in Windows 10 and in PowerShell Remote and PowerShell Direct.
These are the default Remote Desktop settings (Disabled)
#Enable the Remote Desktop Services (also known as RDP and Terminal Services)
#For maximum security only run this and the firewall command like I have shown above under #Just the code:.
#The default administrator account is automatically added so this is only needed if you have additional accounts to add. You can also add Active Directory domain user accounts and groups using domain\remoteuser credentials after the –Member switch.
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Add-LocalGroupMember-Group'Remote Desktop Users' -Member remoteuser-Verbose#username or domain\username will work
#Disable NLM authentication
#Allow older versions of Windows to connect with weaker authentication by issuing the following command. I would not disable NLM authentication unless you absolutely need to.
