We know you’re ready to jump feetfirst into the deep end of the scripting pool. But first, we need to take some time to make sure you have an adequate environment set up to use throughout this book. This chapter may be a lunch and a half, but you must follow along with each step to ensure you have an environment where you can safely complete the hands-on labs that will appear at the end of most chapters.
While PowerShell is cross-platform for this book’s duration, we’ll primarily focus on the Windows operating system because PowerShell is still prominently used on Windows devices. You’ll first need a computer running Windows 10 or 11. You could use a Windows 7 computer, but that’s out of support by now, so you should probably upgrade if you can. While PowerShell is cross-platform, some of the examples we use are Windows specific, which is why we recommend following along on a Windows machine. If you don’t own a Windows computer (maybe you’re a Mac or Linux person), you can spin up a Windows 11 virtual machine (VM) in your favorite cloud provider. Power it on when you need it, and turn it off when you’re done with lunch for the day. You can also follow along with a Windows Server (2019 or higher) if that’s what you have available.