PS - List ALL Installed Programs using HKLM & HKCU.

Yesterday, I was tidying up some of my files, and came across a .bat file that I use to output ALL the installed Programs which uses the REG Keys HKLM & HKCU. It works brilliantly, but the code is long and complicated. It involves compiling and exporting the data to a temp file, sorting it, and then importing it and creating the output file [ I can post if needed ].

Anyway, I thought that I would try and find a simpler PowerShell solution, which I have, sort of.

This outputs ALL the required data [ exactly the same as my .bat file ], but, in three sections. Each section has a heading followed by the data. What I would like for it to do is to just output ONE heading, sorted uniquely alphabetically. As I said, I have been working on this yesterday and today and I am stumped.

Code:

$Destination_File = 'C:\Users\System-Admin\Desktop\123.txt'
if (Test-Path $Destination_File) {Remove-Item $Destination_File}

Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall | Get-ItemProperty | Sort-Object -Property DisplayName | Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation | Out-file -FilePath $Destination_File
Get-ChildItem -Path HKCU:Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall | Get-ItemProperty | Sort-Object -Property DisplayName | Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation | Out-file -FilePath $Destination_File -Append
Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall | Get-ItemProperty | Sort-Object -Property DisplayName | Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation | Out-file -FilePath $Destination_File -Append

(Get-Content -Path $Destination_File).Length -2 | Out-file -FilePath $Destination_File -Append

The .Length -2 is obviously to ignore the TWO lines Title.

Thanks.

I have made some progress, I have just found | Format-Table -Hide. Now to try and Sort and ADD the Title back.

Paul,

You might prefer the well-structured csv outputs of
NirSoft UninstallView

My routine use of it is

Code:

…\UninstallView.exe /scomma ...\%ComputerName%-InstalledAppsList.csv

using suitable paths

Additional comments in
my ditty about NirSoft UninstallView - TenForums
List installed Windows applications offline (from external drive) - NirSoft


All the best,
Denis

Thanks for the reply Denis, it is appreciated.

I did look at that Thread yesterday to try and find the solution. I want to particularly do the way I have specified above as this is part of a bigger project.

Might using PS's ability to output to csv be manipulated to achieve a single list for you?
Export-Csv - SS64
Export-Csv - MSDocs - this includes mention of the Append switch
Use PowerShell to Append CSV Files Easily - Scripting Blog

Best of luck,
Denis

Hello Denis,

Yes, I did look at .csv, but it did NOT output in the format I am after, I would ideally like the data aligned in columns.

Paul Black said:

I would ideally like the data aligned in columns.

This is a fairly typical csv file [column widths dragged to display text better].

created by commands such as
powershell.exe Get-WindowsDriver -Online ^| Export-CSV '%BackupFolder%\DismDriversList-3rdParty.csv' -NoTypeInformation
powershell.exe Get-WindowsDriver -Online -all ^| Export-CSV '%BackupFolder%\DismDriversList-All.csv' -NoTypeInformation
[these particular PS commands are controlled by a batch file because that is also doing a number of other jobs]

Isn't that the sort of structure you are after, then?

Denis

Thanks again Denis,

Try3 said:

Isn't that the sort of structure you are after, then?

I will need to look at that again obviously, as long as I can get the output columns lined up in Notepad.

I have put this together, but I will probably change it as I am probably making this far more complicated that it needs to be. The only thing missing is a couple of the entries are NOT aligned to the rest in columns . . .

Code:

@echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "Params=%*"
cd /d "%~dp0" && ( if exist "%Temp%\getadmin.vbs" del "%Temp%\getadmin.vbs") && fsutil dirty query %SystemDrive% 1>nul 2>nul || ( echo Set UAC = CreateObject^("Shell.Application"^) : UAC.ShellExecute "cmd.exe", "/k cd ""%~sdp0"" && %~s0 %Params%", "", "runas", 1 >> "%Temp%\getadmin.vbs" && "%Temp%\getadmin.vbs" && Exit /b)
%WinDir%\system32\reg.exe query "HKU\S-1-5-19" 1>nul 2>nul || ( echo. & echo  ERROR: This Batch file MUST be run in an ELEVATED cmd prompt [ Administrator ] & echo. & echo         Right-click the Batch file and click ^<Run as Administrator^>. & echo. & echo ^>Press ANY key to EXIT . . . & pause >nul & Exit )

set "DT=HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
for /f "usebackq tokens=3" %%X in (`Reg Query "%DT%" /V Desktop`) do (set Desktop=%%X)
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%X in (`echo "%Desktop%"`) do (set "Desktop=%%X")
set "Desktop=%Desktop:~1,-1%"

set "OUT=%UserProfile%\Desktop\OUT.txt"
set "OFN=%UserProfile%\Desktop\123.txt"
if exist %OUT% (del /f /q %OUT% >nul 2>&1)
if exist %OFN% (del /f /q %OFN% >nul 2>&1)

echo. & echo  Processing . . .
              PowerShell $Host.UI.RawUI.BufferSize = New-Object Management.Automation.Host.Size(250,250)
>> %OUT%      PowerShell Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall ^| Get-ItemProperty ^| Sort-Object -Property DisplayName ^| Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation
>> %OUT%      PowerShell Get-ChildItem -Path HKCU:Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall ^| Get-ItemProperty ^| Sort-Object -Property DisplayName ^| Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation ^| Format-Table -Hide
>> %OUT%      PowerShell Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall  ^| Get-ItemProperty ^| Sort-Object -Property DisplayName ^| Select-Object -Property DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation ^| Format-Table -Hide
              findstr /rc:"[^ <tab>]" %OUT% >> %OFN%
              del %OUT%
        echo  Processing Complete.
echo. & echo ^>Press ANY key to Exit . . . & pause >nul & Exit

Paul Black said:

as long as I can get the output columns lined up in Notepad

csv files cannot do that. This is what the same csv file looks like in Notepad.


Denis

Try3 said:

csv files cannot do that. This is what the same csv file looks like in Notepad.

Yes, I want the output in Notepad, that is why I ignored .csv yesterday when I looked. In the above code I have managed to get the Titles, so the ONLY problem now is that a couple of the output entries are NOT aligned with the others. I might have to live with that.

Pauul,

I thought I'd give your script a whirl.

It correctly finds the Desktop path up to the line set "Desktop=%Desktop:~1,-1%"
but the line set "OUT=%UserProfile%\Desktop\OUT.txt" ignores that and sets the Desktop path to its default path [and the same for the following OFN line]
so I think two lines need to be replaced with

Code:

set "OUT=%Desktop%\OUT.txt"
set "OFN=%Desktop%\123.txt"

[I'm never comfortable with variable names that are the same as names used elsewhere within Windows]

It then runs to completion and gives me a text output -

- It is not lined up in Notepad into columns but is clearly a 3 column list
- There are some repetitions in the list, such as


Denis