In the early days of computers, PC system administrators performed their tasks by typing DOS commands. They also wrote scripts, called "batch files", to perform system administration tasks. In 1995 Microsoft, embarrassed that DOS was a 16-bit single-tasking operating system, moved away from the command shell as a means to administer Windows.
While Unix and Linux system administrators have had a powerful command line environment that gave them powerful administrative capabilities well beyond that of a Windows system administrator, Windows system administrators had to use a convoluted combination of "Microsoft Management Consoles", Control Panel utilities, and "wizards" to perform tasks.
With Windows 2000 and higher, Microsoft included a program called "Windows Scripting Host" (WSH) that allows scripts to be run on Windows outside of a webpage. In effect, DOS batch files have returned, except scripts are multi-tasking and have a lot more power.
An administrator no longer has to waste time searching for the proper dialog box to perform a simple administrative task. Instead they can do the job with a handy little script from their script library.
This ebook is designed to give you an introduction to scripts and the Windows Scripting Host. It will get you started writing your own scripts. It contains many hands-on examples and provides you with a library of scripts to get you started.
