19
votes

Are there online resources or books that you would recommend as an introduction to PowerShell scripting? The resources I've found primarily focus on interactive use.

1
  • Questions relating to professional education are off topic per the revised FAQ.
    – sysadmin1138
    Oct 10, 2012 at 21:56

14 Answers 14

7
votes

Book-wise, I recommend both Windows PowerShell in Action by Bruce Payette and Windows PowerShell Cookbook by Lee Holmes. Payette's book is more of a deep dive into how PowerShell works, and the "Cookbook" is all about solving specific problems.

6
votes

I found this site:

http://www.powershellpro.com/powershell-tutorial-introduction/

which seems to have some good information (via the links on the right sidebar).

1
  • I found this site horrible to navigate. May 17, 2009 at 9:26
4
votes

I was going to say the PowerShell Guy. Cannot go wrong with a MVP.

3
votes

You might look at a couple of the free e-books available as well, such as the two listed below. Effective Windows Powershell and The eBooklet Series: An Introduction to Microsoft PowerShell

3
votes

I liked these two books:

Also, check out these sites:

3
votes

I would recommend the following eBooks and eBooklets:

1
  • I have especially enjoyed Mastering Powershell. May 29, 2009 at 14:00
2
votes

PowerShellCommunity.org is a portal to all kinds of PowerShell resources.

0
1
vote

Try the Scripting Guy http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/resources/qanda/sept06/hey0926.mspx

1
vote

Ars technica has an introductory article from when Powershell was still in beta and called Monad. It covers most of the basics and was a good starting point for beginners.

I also found dzone's Powershell cheat sheet handy.

1
vote

Take a look at www.powershell.com. They have a very good and a comprehensive free e-book called Master-Powershell

1
vote

You can get started now with a free eBook titled 'Mastering PowerShell'. The eBook was written by long time Windows PowerShell MVP Dr. Tobias Weltner and can be found on www.powershell.com in HTML or as a downloadable .pdf.

Look for an updated version of Mastering PowerShell on www.PowerShell.com very soon. The updated eBook will include Windows PowerShell v2 information and will be free to all members of www.powershell.com (membership to the community site is also free).

0
votes

It might be worth concentrating on Powershell 2.0 as it will be released soon.

The CTP is currently available, more information here.

0
votes

I strongly recommend #powershell on the FreeNode IRC Network. Several of the MVPs are in regular attendance and questions tend to get quick and excellent answers that include not only how by why.

0
votes

The PowerScripting Podcast is pretty good; polished and listenable. I second PowerShell In Action, too. Great book.

We are starting a Script Club here, too - getting together and scripting with a bunch of other geeks is a great way to bounce ideas around and learn.

The BEST way to learn is to get your hands dirty. Pick a task and work through it, Googling as necessary. As new as PowerShell is, there are TONS of great blogs and resources out there.

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