As you all know, I’m a huge fan of shortcuts. I wanted to share four very simple batch files that will help you fix problems faster and get the information you need quicker. You can create the batch files manually or download a .zip from here.
Save the files in the root of your user profile for quick access. To launch any of the scripts, open the Run dialog – type the name of the script followed by a remote computer name.
These tools assume you have administrative permissions to the remote machine and the appropriate firewall exceptions are created already. Below are the batch file and a summary of how they will help you:
Name: CM.bat
Contents: compmgmt.msc /computer=\\%1
Purpose: Super fast access to a remote computer management MMC. From here, you can see event log errors, look at device manager, modify local group membership, etc.
Name: PI.bat
Contents: ping %1 -t
Purpose: Launches continuous ping on a device. Allows you to quickly check a machine for a network connection. For me, it doubles as a reminder because I will restart a machine and forget about it. The constant ping reminds me to follow back up on the problem. It is a simple version of this restart monitor.
Name: RA.bat
Contents: msra.exe /offerra %1
Purpose: Starts a remote assistance connection to a machine. When you have remote assistance configured for unsolicited connections, no user interaction is required. The command can be changed for whatever remote connection tool you use. For example, to use the SCCM remote control viewer, set the script contents to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin\i386\CmRcViewer.exe %1
Name: SI.bat
Contents: %windir%\system32\msinfo32.exe /computer %1
Purpose: Creates a remote System Information window. From here, you can see the machine OS, hardware information, printer connections, etc.
The four tools above aren’t what I would consider as exciting technology but I hope they help you out. Taken together, they are the tools that I use most everyday. What crucial tools or scripts do you have to share?