PSInfo - Part Two. Real World Windows Administration Tips and Tricks

In my first article on PSINFO I explained how you can use this handy Microsoft utility to show a computer's uptime. You simply run it without any command line switches (Incidentally, 'Command line switches' is the fancy name that us Systems Admins like to use to impress folks. All it really means is the addition of characters or numbers after an executable, usually with a "-" or "/" before them.) In my day to day job as a Systems Administrator learning the Uptime of a system is great, but what else can PSINFO do? Actually, once you look under the hood, you'll discover that it can do quite a bit. To see all of the possible combinations, run "Psinfo /?" at a Command or PowerShell prompt. Note: before trying the following examples, make sure you've downloaded PSInfo from Microsoft's site. See attached link, or my first article for more info.

Installed Software.
Command to run: psinfo -s

When PSINFO is run with a "-s" after it, the computer is polled for software that is installed. This also includes software updates. You can also perform this action on remote computers attached to a network (provided you have appropriate permissions to the remote system). Below is a partial list of what you can expect to see when running "Psinfo -s". After the standard information, take note of the the area called "Applications" :

PsInfo v1.75 - Local and remote system information viewer
Copyright (C) 2001-2007 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
System information for \\TESTPC2:
Uptime: 8 days 1 hour 27 minutes 51 seconds
Kernel version: Microsoft Windows XP, Multiprocessor Free
Product type: Professional
Product version: 5.1
Service pack: 3
Kernel build number: 2600
Registered organization:
Registered owner:
Install date: 6/28/2006, 7:16:21 PM

Activation status: Error reading status
IE version: 8.0000
System root: C:\WINDOWS
Processors: 2
Processor speed: 1.6 GHz
Processor type: Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2300 @
Physical memory: 1526 MB
Video driver: Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Applications:
Adobe Flash Player 10 ActiveX 10.0.32.18
Adobe Flash Player 10 Plugin 10.0.32.18
Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition 2.00.100
Adobe Reader 7.0.5 Language Support 7.0.5
Adobe Reader 7.0.9 7.0.9
Adobe Shockwave Player 10.1.4.20
Apple Mobile Device Support 2.1.2.7
Apple Software Update 2.1.1.116
ArcSoft Video Downloader 1.6.0.1
Audacity 1.2.6
AusLogics Disk Defrag version 1.5
AusLogics Registry Defrag version 4.1
AutoIt v3.3.0.0
Bonjour 1.0.105
Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller 8.03.09
BufferChm 60.0.155.000
CCleaner (remove only)
....and the list goes on.

Windows Security Updates and patches look like this:
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB938127-v2) 2
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB944533) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB950759) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB961260) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB963027) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB969897) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB972260) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 8 (KB971961) 1
Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 8 (KB972260) 1
Security Update for Windows Media Player (KB952069)
Security Update for Windows Media Player (KB968816)
Security Update for Windows Media Player (KB973540)
Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB936782)
Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB954154)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB913433)
Security Update for Windows XP (KB923561) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB938464) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB946648) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB950760) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB950762) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB950974) 1
Security Update for Windows XP (KB951066) 1
...and the list goes on.

This information can easily be output to a file, or just copied right out of the command window and pasted into a document or email. I routinely use the "-s" switch to check on remote computers as well. It allows me to quickly see whether a particular piece of software loaded via Group Policy or in a login script. (and if the uptime reads some crazy thing like 270 days, like I mention in my first article, well, then I know it's time for a reboot!)

Installed HotFixes.
Command to run: Psinfo -h

Like the name implies, Psinfo queries for installed hotfixes. A nice addition to the outputted list is the "Installed Date" found in the left column. Here's an example of the kinds of output you might see:

Installed HotFix
12/16/2006 Update for Windows Media Player 10 (KB926251)
8/16/2007 Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 (KB936782)
1/29/2009 Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB936782)
1/29/2009 Hotfix for Windows Media Player 11 (KB939683)
1/29/2009 Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB954154)
3/13/2009 Critical Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB959772)
12/16/2006 Security Update for Windows Media Player 6.4 (KB925398)
12/16/2006 Security Update for Windows XP (KB923689)
12/12/2007 Security Update for Windows XP (KB941569)
1/11/2007 Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB929969)
6/13/2007 Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB933566)
8/16/2007 Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB938127)
2/23/2009 Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB938127-v2)

Disk Information.
Command to run: Psinfo -d

This is perhaps my favorite bit of information produced by PSInfo -- An actual report on the hard drive disks installed, the format type, their size and free space. It can also be run against a remote computer. What's not to love about that? Not sure of a customer's CDRom drive letter? This will tell you. Wondering if a remote file server is running out of space? Here you go.

Here's an example of "Psinfo -d" run against a server I maintain:

Volume Type Format Label Size Free Free
A: Removable 0.0%
C: Fixed NTFS 33.91 GB 21.74 GB 64.1%
D: CD-ROM 0.0%
E: Fixed NTFS 87.89 GB 44.05 GB 50.1%
F: Fixed NTFS 16.91 GB 464.38 MB 2.7%
G: Fixed NTFS 2000.00 GB 1581.90 GB 79.1%

At a glance I can glean a lot of information about the disks installed on this remote server. Here's what I learned from the information above:

1.) There is no floppy in the A: drive. (If there had been, a size would have returned).
2.) There's a CD-ROM drive on D: but there's no CD in it (or I would have seen a label and size info)
3.) I have plenty of room on E: -- it's only 50% full
4.) Drive G: has a spiffy 1.5 Terabytes of free space. (I wonder how long until that seems like a small number?)
5.) The F: drive is fast approaching being full, with only 2.7% free space left. Looks like it's time to take a look at what's on this drive. Some data might just need some relocation help.

Conclusion.

PSInfo was already helpful, but with utilizing these three lesser known command switches, you can pull up some incredibly useful information on both local and remote systems. Learning these kinds of tips and tricks will help put you at the top of the Systems Administration game. So, add them to your tool belt of utilities.

See you in the trenches.
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Scripts:
Interested in a Powershell script that plots pings? Check out my free PowerShell Ping Utility

Links:
http://voices.yahoo.com/real-world-windows-administration-utilizing-4245665.html?cat=15

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897550.aspx