Trying Out PowerShell for Process Logging — Finally Something That Feels Like Real Scripting 😅

The author of the post started with basic process logging in Windows using a Batch file and then moved on to using PowerShell. Initially, PowerShell seemed like Windows trying to be Linux, but after writing the first script, it started making sense. The author wanted to build a simple script that lists running processes, adds a timestamp, and saves the information into a log file. The script uses the Get-Date and Get-Process commands to achieve this, sorting the processes by CPU usage and appending the information to a log file. The author found PowerShell to be elegant once they got past the syntax and learned that Out-File -Append is a useful command for logging. They also discovered that sorting and filtering are easier in PowerShell than in Batch, but debugging errors can be challenging. The author experimented with running the script every 10 minutes using Task Scheduler and manually compared the logs, noticing some unusual spikes in certain processes. They plan to add filters to the script, log changes only, and possibly send logs via email for remote monitoring. The author advises newcomers to PowerShell to start by building small projects and not to stress about the theory, and they invite readers to share any cool tricks for process logging or filtering in PowerShell. Overall, the author found the experience of learning PowerShell to be rewarding and is looking forward to continuing to learn and improve their skills.