Websites, Resource Kits, Books and Utilities


Windows 7/2008 Command Reference - Microsoft.com
Windows XP Command Reference - Microsoft.com
Old New Thing - Raymond Chen
Rob van der Woude.com - Batch files, VBS
CommandLine - Batch File examples and Utilities.
Timo Salmi - Useful script tricks and tips.
AppDeploy - Deploy/Install Applications.
Unattended - performing unattended / silent installations of Windows.

Resource Kits + updates

Many resource kit tools and utilities will run successfully on multiple versions of Windows. However Active Directory and NTFS have changed significantly over the years so I recommend you only use the tools supported for your platform.


win7 reskit Windows 7 Resource Kit
By Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup & Jerry Honeycutt
1,700 pages, Deploy, Manage, Maintain and Troubleshoot. Example VBS and PowerShell scripts, sample chapter (PDF.)

Windows 7 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) KBase
Windows 8 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) KBase
Windows 2008/2012 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) Built-in feature
WIndows 8.1 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) KBase
RSAT includes Active Directory Domain Services Tools, elements of the RSAT package can be enabled under Control Panel | Programs and Features | Windows features.

Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 Resource Kit - April 2008
By Microsoft Corp
4,000 pages + DVD with more than 200 essential tools and scripts.

Sysinternals Suite - Download the Sysinternals utilities.

Remote Desktop Connection Manager - RDP to multiple machines.

Windows 8 Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK)

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit - Evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues for Vista and Windows 7. Includes the Compatibility Administrator which can be used to set UAC exceptions (Application fix.)

Account Lockout Status (LockoutStatus.exe) - display lockout information for a particular user account.

WMI Diagnosis Utility - Diagnose and repair problems with the WMI service.

File Checksum Integrity Verifier (FCIV) - Compute and verify cryptographic hash values for files.

Windows Help - Install Windows Help, fixes 'Help not supported' errors.

Windows XP Mode for Windows 7
Windows 7 Home > Professional upgrade - Allows Win XP applications to run.

Windows XP/2003 and older


Windows 2003 Administration Tools (adminpack.msi)- Remotely manage computers, for XP Professional and Server 2003. SP1 version (List), SP2 version (List) + supplemental 2003 R2 files
For Windows 7 and later: install the relevant Remote Server Administrative Tools (RSAT) package, see links above.

Windows 2003 Resource Kit (July 2005) + free download (List) includes an updated RoboCopy.

Windows XP Resource Kit (March 2005)
Technical Documentation Book plus the Administration Tools for Windows XP/2003 Server.

Windows XP SP2 Support Tools (List) - This installer will not run on later OS's.

Windows 2000 Resource Kit Tools + Update. NT 4 ResKit + Update + Q234968.

Other Toolkits:


ADModify - Modify / import / export objects in Active Directory in bulk.

Elevation PowerToys for Windows Vista + Elevation blog

Group Policy Management Console SP1 & Group Policy Object Settings spreadsheet 2003/2008/2008R2/Win7

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.3 - Windows XP—Windows8/2012

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) - Automate desktop and server deployments.

Account Lockout and Management Tools - Troubleshoot account lockouts, add functionality to Active Directory.

Windows Services for UNIX Version 3.5 (XP/2003)
UNIX Utilities - SDK - Windows Enterprise and Ultimate editions only (7/2008)

Recommended Books.


sysinternals Sysinternals Administrator's Reference
by Mark E. Russinovich
Guidance and inside insights for the Windows Sysinternals tools. Guided by Sysinternals creator Mark Russinovich and Windows expert Aaron Margosis

Windows 7 scripting Windows 7 and Vista Guide to Scripting, Automation, and Command Line Tools
By Brian Knittel
A complete guide covering VBScript, traditional batch files, and PowerShell.

scripting Windows NT Shell Scripting
by Tim Hill.
First published in 1998 so no mention of VBS or Powershell, despite this it's still a solid introduction to writing batch files under Windows. Sample chapter.

Windows Internals Windows Internals, Part 1: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 + Part2
by Mark E. Russinovich, David A. Solomon and Alex Ionescu
Insider perspectives and hands-on experiments to demonstrate how Windows operates.

win7 tools Windows 7: The Definitive Guide
by William R Stanek
990 pages. The how and why of Windows 7 - Setup & boot environment, management & security, customization, advanced tips & techniques.

Missing manual Windows 7: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
An enjoyable but still very detailed read with lot's of good tips and keyboard shortcuts.

minasi Mark Minasi's Mastering Windows Server 2008
by Mark Minasi.
Comprehensive and understandable guide. Improve the performance and manageability of your network.
minasi.com

Also see - Recommended VBScript Books

Utilities - Command line


SysInternals - Microsoft System utilities.
Joeware.net - Admin, AD and Exchange tools.
Nirsoft Utilities
Console 2 - Windows console emulator for CMD and/or PowerShell (review)
ConEmu-Maximus5 - Windows console emulator for CMD and/or PowerShell (review)
CommandLine.co.uk - Useful tools (free Win32 utilities - mostly console)
Frank P. Westlake (mirror) - Free NT, XP and Vista console utilities.
Gow - Lightweight UNIX utilities compiled as native win32 binaries.
Petter Nordahl-Hagen - Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor
OptimumX - Utilities by Marty List
Bill Stewart - Batch script and Windows admin tools (TrueLast LogonTime)
FastCopy - An alternative to RoboCopy
HoboCopy - open-source backup tool (can copy open files)
Repl.bat - FInd and Replace text, JScript/Batch script
FindRepl.bat - FInd and Replace text, JScript/Batch script
System Tools - Dump Event Log, Registry or Security info
SetRes - Set screen resolution (Ian Sharpe)
Cygwin - Linux-like environment for Windows, tutorial: 1, 2, 3
unxutils - Port of unix utilities to run under the CMD shell
xCMD - Execute applications on remote systems (like PsExec)

Utilities - GUI


Agent Ransack - File Search (search all file types)
AnalogX - Screen capture, Terminal Server copy, etc
Autohotkey - Automate keystrokes, mouse clicks.
AutoIT - GUI scripting
Clover - Add tabs to Windows Explorer
CPU-Z - gather information on system devices
CreativeDocs - Vector Graphic Design
Dban - Darik's Boot and Nuke, a boot CD that securely wipes hard disks.
Event Sentry - Event log monitoring
OCS Inventory - Open Source System Management
Filezilla - FTP
Find And Replace Text - Grep-like utility by Lionello Lunesu
Flash uninstall - To allow a full 'clean' reinstall
FlashBlock - Content-filtering extension for Firefox
Inkscape - Vector Graphics (Illustrator)
imgburn.com - Free CD/DVD/Blu-ray burner
isoRecorder - Burn iso image to bootable CD
Lost NT password
MakeMSI - Build Windows Installer files.
MalwareBytes - Anti Malware, run in safe mode with system restore turned off.
Malware ComboFix - Scan and clean malware infections.
Ninite - Automate software installations and updates.
Notepad++ - Notepad replacement
nLite - pre-installation Windows configuration
NTFS undelete - undelete files
nu2/Barts Bootable CDs - Admin/Recovery
Trinity Rescue Kit - Recovery and repair of Windows machines
Netikus - Password, Ping, FTP, event log alerts.
Poor Mans SMS - scan a pre defined IP range and list installed software
PuTTY - Free Telnet/SSH Client
Rapid Environment Editor - Edit environment variables
Servers Alive - Network monitoring
SoftPerfect - Search, Scan for open file shares and other utils.
Start Menu add-ons for Windows 8: RetroUI - Classic Shell - StartMenu7 - Win8Startbutton - Power8
Sumatra - PDF viewer
SyncBack - GUI Backup and synchronize files
SyncToy - Synchronize files and folders
TeamViewer - Screen sharing/Remote control (Mac/PC/Linux)
TribbleSoft - Easy Robocopy (GUI)
UnDelete - Condusiv/Diskeeper
USB install for Windows 7 - Copy iso images to a bootable USB stick
Windows XP mode - Virtual Windows XP for Windows 7
WinMerge - open source WinDiff
VirtualBox - Open Source virtualisation for Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Solaris.
VirtualDub - Process/Edit .AVI files
Virtual PC - Virtualisation for Windows
VLC Media Player - Free versatile media player
VMWare - Free
VueScan - Scanner Software
WiNToBootic - Make bootable USB Flash or Hard Disk
WSUS Offline Update - Microsoft Windows/Office updates from a USB stick.
Wink - Capture screenshots/video, add help text
WsusOffline - Apply Windows Update patches without an internet connection.
Zero Assumption Recovery - data recovery

Find more utilities, or add you own over in the forum

Related


Usenet - alt.msdos.batch.nt
DosTips forum
SS64 - Windows CMD discussion Forum