The Windows GUI is the traditional way to perform administrative tasks, but scripting offers faster and more versatile methods that can help further your technical skills. This download includes 21 publicly available PowerShell scripts, along with a document explaining each one, to help you up your scripting game and administer your AD environment more efficiently.

From the download:

To assist Windows administrators with repetitive or mundane tasks, Microsoft developed a scripting language called PowerShell many years ago. Built upon the .NET framework, PowerShell lets you run the same tasks as the GUI, but with better controls and the capability of scheduling tasks or performing automation-related functions. It can also provide customized information and find things more rapidly than hunting through the GUI.

The power of scripting can work for both good and bad, of course. An improperly written or executed script can wreak havoc, perhaps by deleting ALL users from a domain instead of just one. It’s also a bad idea to code passwords into a script or any other confidential data, which if leaked, might harm your company’s reputation or environment.

To introduce you to PowerShell — or to further your existing knowledge base — TechRepublic Premium have collected 21 PowerShell scripts for common Active Directory tasks, like creating accounts, checking for account lockouts and finding domain administrators. These scripts are intended to be run on domain controllers, meaning Windows servers.