Hi All, I was wondering if anyone can help.
I am trying to setup a script to delete specific local user accounts.. We need it so when the script is ran a command box is open giving us the option to enter the username to delete and their user profile.
Thanks
Waqkas,
I hope all is well. While doing this in theory is simple, it gets a bit complicated, as you will run into a permissions problem with certain folders that are symbolically linked as part of the user profile. You will not have rights to remove them, and you will get an error as a result.
Take a look at this post, as it explains how to deal with this, as well as suggesting a tool and script combination that will allow you to this successfully. The tool is free, and the script required is provided in the article.
Good Luck !!
Cheers,
Adam
@Adam-Gordon Thanks for this.
I have tested the script and works fine, however this is only looking for the user profile and does not delete their local account. Anyway we can tweak the below script so it looks for the local user account also?
Param
(
[parameter(mandatory=$true,HelpMessage="Please type the Hostname of the workstation(s) Use wildcards for a collection")][ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()][String]$Hostname,
[parameter(mandatory=$true,HelpMessage="Please enter the user account (profile folder name)")][ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()][String]$UserProfile
)
If ($UserProfile -ne $null){
$Computers = {Name -like $Hostname}
ForEach ($computer in $computers) {
$ComputerN = $computer.Name
$runpath = "C:\delprof\DelProf2.exe"
$arguments = "/u /c:\\$ComputerN /id:$UserProfile"
Start-Process -filepath $runpath -Verb runAs -ArgumentList $arguments
}}
Thanks
Waqkas,
Sure, the command to remove a local user would be:
Remove-LocalUser -Name <user name goes here> -Verbose
Take a look at the following for a more detailed script:
Function Remove-LocalUser
{
<#
.Synopsis
This function deletes a local user
.Description
This function deletes a local user
.Example
Remove-LocalUser -userName "adam"
Removes a new local user named adam.
.Parameter ComputerName
The name of the computer upon which to delete the user
.Parameter UserName
The name of the user to delete
#>
[CmdletBinding()]
Param(
[Parameter(Position=0,
Mandatory=$True,
ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
[string]$userName
)
$computerName = $env:ComputerName
$User = [ADSI]"WinNT://$computerName"
$user.Delete('user',$userName)
} #end function Remove-LocalUser
$localUsers = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserAccount -Filter "LocalAccount='True'" | Select-Object Name
foreach ($localUser in $localUsers.Name){
Write-Host $localUser
Remove-LocalUser -userName $localUser
}
See how that works.
Cheers,
Adam
@Adam-Gordon I have updated the script to;
Param
(
[parameter(mandatory=$true,HelpMessage="Please enter the user account")][validateNotNullOrEmpty()][String]$localUser
)
Remove-LocalUser $localUser -Verbose
This works fine in PowerShell ISE, however when I try run (double clicking the script) it fails. I have enabled 'Run as admin' privileges also.
Any ideas?
Waqkas,
You would need to ensure that you are invoking the script as an administrator on the local machine in question whenever it is being used, so you would want to use the following to prompt for the credential required:
$cred = Get-Credential
This will allow you to prompt on screen for the credential to be used, and then you can call the $cred variable when needed in the script.
You can take a look at the following for some different ways to prompt for and /or to use credentials without prompting by hardcoding them:
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Execute-PowerShell-Script-38881dce
If you are going to run the script against remote machines, you will need to use the PowerShell remoting functionality, and use the Invoke-Command to do so which will allow you to provide credentials and execute as part of the same solution.
You can read about it here:
https://4sysops.com/archives/use-powershell-invoke-command-to-run-scripts-on-remote-computers/
Good Luck !!
Cheers,
Adam