Query Installed Apps a Different Way

For whatever reason, in some environments, a WMI query of Win32_Product is God-awful slow.  I've seen this on Windows 7 and Windows 7 SP1 clients, as well as on Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2.  The symptom can be seen from WIM script, WBEM, and using WMIC from a command console with very similar results:  The query hangs for 20-25 seconds and then begins executing in spurts.  Other Win32 classes work fine, from what I've seen, it's just Win32_Product for some reason.  One workaround is to dump a registry output file, and scrub it to make a "clean" output file.  You can port this to PowerShell or KiXtart if you want (or whatever you prefer, I really don't care as long as you're happy and that makes me happy so we're all happy. yay!)

'****************************************************************
' Filename..: installedApps.vbs
' Author....: David M. Stein aka Scriptzilla aka dipshit
' Date......: 10/20/2011
' Purpose...: save query of installed applications to local file
'****************************************************************

Const strInputFile  = "c:\regoutput.txt"
Const strOutputFile = "c:\installedApps.txt"

Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const adVarChar = 200

cmd = "reg query hklm\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall /s >" & strInputFile

On Error Resume Next

Set objShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

wscript.echo "info: executing shell command to create temp file..."

objShell.Run "cmd /c " & cmd, 7, True

wscript.echo "info: getting temp file for input..."

If objFSO.FileExists(strInputFile) Then
 wscript.echo "info: reading temp file..."
 Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(strInputFile, ForReading)
 Set objFile2 = objFSO.CreateTextFile(strOutputFile, True)

 Set rs = CreateObject("ADODB.RecordSet")

 rs.CursorLocation = adUseClient
 rs.Fields.Append "productname", adVarChar, 255
 rs.Open

 Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
     strLine = objFile.Readline
     If Left(strLine, 25) = "    DisplayName    REG_SZ" Then
      strOutput = Trim(Mid(strLine, 30))
   rs.AddNew
   rs.Fields("productname").value = strOutput
   rs.Update
     End If
 Loop
 
 rs.Sort = "productname"
 
 Do Until rs.EOF
     objFile2.WriteLine(rs.Fields("productname").value)
  rs.MoveNext
 Loop
 rs.CLose
 Set rs = Nothing
 
 objFile.Close
 objFile2.Close
 wscript.echo "info: finished scrubbing input to new output file"
Else
 wscript.echo "fail: temp file not found"
End If

Set objFSO = Nothing
Set objShell = Nothing
'----------------------------------------------------------------

wscript.echo "info: processing complete!"

VBScript ADO with XML and CSV Data Files

I was poking around to find a way to read CSV, TXT (various delimiters) through VBScript for use in scripted data migrations, as well as to render the data in ASP, and found some interesting things.  I have to give credit to [http://www.mombu.com/microsoft/scripting-wsh/t-query-xml-file-with-ado-in-wsh-131431.html] for the XML example.  I only modified it slightly to fit in with how I tend to code ADO processes.  I also would like to applaud the efforts of Connection Strings.com for their fantastic reference site for connection information for almost anything that can possibly store information.

Reading XML Data

Const dsn = "Provider=MSDAOSP;Data Source=MSXML2.DSOControl;"
Const adChapter = 136

Dim conn, rs
Dim iLevel : iLevel = 0

Set conn = CreateObject( "ADODB.Connection" )
Set rs = CreateObject( "ADODB.Recordset" )

conn.Open dsn

rs.Open CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" ).CurrentDirectory + _
    "\test.xml", conn

WalkHier iLevel, rs

rs.Close
conn.Close

Sub WalkHier(ByVal iLevel, ByVal rs)
    iLevel = iLevel + 1
    Dim PriorLevel : PriorLevel = iLevel
    Dim i, adoChildRS
    While Not rs.EOF
        For i = 0 To rs.Fields.Count - 1
            If rs.Fields(i).Name <> "$Text" Then
                If rs.Fields(i).Type = adChapter Then
                    Set adoChildRS = rs.Fields(i).Value
                    WalkHier iLevel, adoChildRS
                Else
                    wscript.echo iLevel & ": rs.Fields(" & i & ") = " & _
                        rs.Fields(i).Name & " = " & rs.Fields(i).Value
                End If
            End If
        Next
        rs.MoveNext
    Wend
    iLevel = PriorLevel
End Sub

Reading CSV Data

dsn = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source='s:\scripts\';Extended Properties=""text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Delimited(,);"""

query = "SELECT * FROM test.csv"

Set conn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set cmd  = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
Set rs   = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")

conn.Open dsn

rs.CursorLocation = adUseClient
rs.CursorType = adOpenStatic
rs.LockType = adLockReadOnly

Set cmd.ActiveConnection = conn

cmd.CommandType = adCmdText
cmd.CommandText = query
rs.Open cmd

If Not(rs.BOF And rs.EOF) Then
    Do Until rs.EOF
        For i = 0 to rs.Fields.Count - 1
            wscript.echo rs(i).name & " = " & rs(i).value
        Next
        rs.MoveNext
    Loop
Else
    wscript.echo "error: no records found"
End If
rs.Close
conn.Close
Set rs = Nothing
Set cmd = Nothing
Set conn = Nothing