PowerShell Pro: Retrieving a List of Installed Software
⚠️ Important Safety Warning
Using PowerShell commands to manage systems requires deep understanding. Running commands without professional guidance can cause irreversible changes, data loss, or service outages. Ornet Communications and Hayim Caspy are not responsible for any damage resulting from the use of this information. Use is at the user's own risk.
One of the biggest challenges in network management is knowing exactly what's installed on your workstations. The following command gives you an accurate snapshot of software, versions, and installation dates:
# Retrieve installed software list including version and date
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object -Property Name, Version, InstallDate
What does this command give us?
Version mapping: Lets you identify workstations running old, vulnerable versions of software like Java or Adobe.
Compatibility checks: Before upgrading an operating system, verify all critical software is running a supported version.
License auditing: Helps understand whether unauthorized software has been installed in the organization (Shadow IT).
Installation tracking: The InstallDate field helps identify when software that may have caused stability issues was installed.
Advanced tip: If you want to export the list to an Excel file for analysis, add this string to the end of the command: | Export-Csv -Path C:\SoftwareList.csv
