Filtering PowerShell Get-ADComputer Module results using Properties

Question

I've been utilising PowerShell to query a domain and filter results on domain clients and servers within the domain for reporting purposes.

I've got a working PowerShell command that utilises the "Get-ADComputer" module to list all members of the domain and display there OS and OS properties in a table which can be exported to csv.

PS C:\Users\Account.Domain> Get-ADComputer -Filter * -Property * | Format-Table Name,OperatingSystem,OperatingSystemService
Pack,OperatingSystemVersion -Wrap –Auto

Name            OperatingSystem                   OperatingSystemServicePack OperatingSystemVersion
----            ---------------                   -------------------------- ----------------------
SRV-DC02        Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter                            6.3 (9600)
SRV-DC01        Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter                            6.3 (9600)
SRV-FTP01       Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter                            6.3 (9600)
SRV241          Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard   Service Pack 1             6.1 (7601)
Computer01      Windows 7 Professional            Service Pack 1             6.1 (7601)
Computer02      Windows 8.1 Pro                                              6.3 (9600)

I'm trying to utilise 2 additional versions of this command which filter out the above results further and only display entries which include the Get-ADComputer Properties field of 'OperatingSystem' that include the words "Windows Server". This PowerShell command is throwing a syntax error which I'm not sure of the cause?

PS C:\Users\Account.Domain> Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -Like “Windows *Server*”} -Property * | Format-Table Na
me,OperatingSystem,OperatingSystemServicePack -Wrap –Auto
Get-ADComputer : Error parsing query: 'OperatingSystem -Like “Windows *Server*”' Error Message: 'syntax error' at
position: '23'.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -Like “Windows *Server*”} -Property * |  ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ParserError: (:) [Get-ADComputer], ADFilterParsingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ActiveDirectoryCmdlet:Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADFilterParsingException,Micr
   osoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADComputer

The second iteration of the command is the reverse of the first; it should exclude all entries which contain the word "server" however this command is also not working and throws the below syntax error?

PS C:\Users\Account.Domain> Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -NotLike “*server*”} -Property * | Format-Table Name,Op
eratingSystem,OperatingSystemServicePack -Wrap -Auto
Get-ADComputer : Error parsing query: 'OperatingSystem -NotLike “*server*”' Error Message: 'syntax error' at position:
'26'.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -NotLike “*server*”} -Property * | Forma ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ParserError: (:) [Get-ADComputer], ADFilterParsingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ActiveDirectoryCmdlet:Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADFilterParsingException,Micr
   osoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADComputer

Thanks.

mklement0 · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-30 03:04:55Z

The likely cause of your problem is that you're using non-ASCII-range ("Unicode") quotation marks in your filters, which I'm guessing is not supported (I can't verify this myself).

While PowerShell itself treats ASCII-range and equivalent non-ASCII-range quotation marks interchangeably, the outside world usually does not.

While it may not be obvious, arguments you pass to -Filter are the outside world, because it is the Active Directory provider that interprets it, whose syntax rules differ from PowerShell's, despite superficial similarities.

Therefore, you should formulate your -Filter arguments with ASCII-range quotation marks only:

-Filter 'OperatingSystem -like "Windows *Server*"'
-Filter 'OperatingSystem -notlike "Windows *Server*"'

Note that I've used '...' - single-quoting - to enclose the argument, rather than script-block syntax ({ ... }), which - although (regrettably) widespread - is best avoided.
Always use a string - never a script block ({ ... }) - to pass a -Filter argument.

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