PowerShell, a powerful task automation and configuration management tool, offers a versatile approach to managing and monitoring Windows systems. Among its many capabilities, PowerShell enables users to effortlessly retrieve a detailed history of installed updates, providing valuable insights into the system’s update status.
Accessing Windows Update History through PowerShell
To access the Windows Update history using PowerShell, follow these steps:
Open PowerShell with Administrative Privileges
Press Windows Key + S to open the search bar.
Type “PowerShell” and right-click on the result.
Select “Run as administrator” to launch PowerShell with elevated permissions.
Retrieve Installed Hotfixes
Execute the following command to list all installed hotfixes along with their respective IDs, installation dates, descriptions, and other relevant information:
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wmic qfe list
Obtain Hotfix Descriptions
To retrieve a comprehensive list of hotfixes and their associated descriptions, use the following command:
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get-wmiobject -classwin32_quickfixengineering
Query Windows Update History
PowerShell allows you to query the system for a detailed update history. To do this, define a set of functions to convert Windows Update Agent (WUA) history event result codes into meaningful names and extract crucial information such as the last and latest 50 WUA history entries.
Utilize the following function to convert WUA result codes into corresponding names:
Employ the following function to retrieve WUA history:
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functionGet-WuaHistory{
# Get a WUA Session$session = (New-Object -ComObject 'Microsoft.Update.Session')
# Query the latest 1000 History starting with the first recordp$history = $session.QueryHistory("",0,50) | ForEach-Object {
$Result = Convert-WuaResultCodeToName -ResultCode $_.ResultCode
# Make the properties hidden in com properties visible.$_ | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Value $Result -Name Result
$Product = $_.Categories | Where-Object {$_.Type -eq 'Product'} | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Name
$_ | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Value $_.UpdateIdentity.UpdateId -Name UpdateId
$_ | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Value $_.UpdateIdentity.RevisionNumber -Name RevisionNumber
$_ | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Value $Product -Name Product -PassThru
Write-Output $_ }
#Remove null records and only return the fields we want$history |
Where-Object {!String::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.title)} |
Select-Object Result, Date, Title, SupportUrl, Product, UpdateId, RevisionNumber
}
Display Update History
To display the retrieved update history, execute the following command:
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Get-WuaHistory|Format-Table
This comprehensive guide empowers users to harness the capabilities of PowerShell to retrieve detailed information about installed updates, enabling proactive system management and maintenance.
FAQ
What is PowerShell?
PowerShell is a powerful task automation and configuration management tool built into Windows systems. It enables users to control and automate various aspects of the operating system, including managing updates, configuring settings, and executing scripts.
How can I retrieve a list of installed hotfixes using PowerShell?
To retrieve a list of installed hotfixes along with their IDs, installation dates, and descriptions, execute the following command in PowerShell:
Copy
wmic qfe list
How do I obtain descriptions for installed hotfixes?
To obtain comprehensive descriptions for installed hotfixes, use the following command in PowerShell:
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get-wmiobject -classwin32_quickfixengineering
Can I query the Windows Update history using PowerShell?
Yes, you can query the Windows Update history using PowerShell. To do this, define a set of functions to convert WUA history event result codes into meaningful names and extract crucial information. Then, utilize the `Get-WuaHistory` function to retrieve the update history.
How do I display the retrieved update history?
To display the retrieved update history in a tabular format, execute the following command in PowerShell:
Copy
