Powershell execution policy

I only run Poweshell scripts a few times a year when they're needed for some particular task, such as clearing all Event Logs at once (which is handy). I always run the scripts inside the UI (PowerShell_ISE.exe) because whenever I run a script from a command prompt I get

Name cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system

I finally got so sick of this irritation that I had to find a way around it. The reason and answer finally appeared on TechNet About Execution Policies. More explanation can be found on Scott Sutherland's Page and Carlos Perez's Blog. It turns out that the default script execution policy is "Undefined" which equates to "Restricted", meaning you simply can't run scripts.

Imagine that ... it's so secure you can't run it. It's like making your car theft-proof by welding the doors and windows shut. Surely it would be a better default to use "RemoteSigned" as the default policy and to let standard operating system security oversee what a script can do. Anyway, do this from an elevated command prompt:

powershell Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

This sets the policy for the local machine. Thereafter you can run scripts, subject to a more sensible policy.

Orthogonal Programming