Find devices needing attention

Before you begin

• PowerShell 7 or later on Windows.
• Requires PnpDevice; no drivers are installed or updated.

Set up your example

1. Save the download as windows-device-problem-report.ps1.
2. Open PowerShell 7 in the download folder.
3. Run pwsh -NoProfile -File ./windows-device-problem-report.ps1 -Help, then inspect its parameter block.

This recipe uses your own local input or creates its own example output. Follow the setup steps below.

Download the ZIP, extract it, and open a terminal inside the extracted folder. The source file is windows-device-problem-report.ps1.

Run the script

pwsh -NoProfile -File ./windows-device-problem-report.ps1

If your system uses python3 instead of python, use that command for Python examples. Keep paths containing spaces in quotes. Required inputs and optional settings are described in the code and setup steps.

What to expect

The complete script

#Requires -Version 7.0
[CmdletBinding()]
param([switch]$Help,[switch]$AsJson,[switch]$AllDevices)
$ErrorActionPreference='Stop'
if ($Help) { Write-Output 'Report present Plug and Play devices whose status is not OK. Use -AsJson for structured output.'; exit 0 }
function Show-Report { param([object]$Data) if ($AsJson) { ConvertTo-Json -InputObject @($Data) -Depth 8 } else { $Data | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String -Width 240 | Write-Output } }
try {
$devices=Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly
if(-not $AllDevices){$devices=$devices | Where-Object Status -ne 'OK'}
Show-Report ($devices | Select-Object Status,Class,FriendlyName,InstanceId)

} catch { Write-Error $_.Exception.Message; exit 1 }

Open source as plain text · Download source and sample files

How it works

1. Report present Plug and Play devices whose status is not OK.
2. The script queries local Windows data and formats a snapshot without changing settings.
3. -AsJson changes presentation to JSON for comparison between runs.

Make it your own

Adjust the report

Add -AllDevices to include healthy present devices.

Capture JSON

Add -AsJson and redirect to a new unused filename. Shell redirection can overwrite an existing file, so choose a fresh name.

Change one setting at a time, run it again on sample data, and compare the output. The customization guide walks through this process.

If something goes wrong

Reference & next steps

• Microsoft PowerShell documentation ↗

These official references explain the underlying tools. The Scriptage example and guide are original instructional content. See verification notes for what has been checked and the limits of those checks.

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