Windows OS Scripts Repository

A collection of Windows Scripts, Tips & Tricks useful for automating common & specialized repetitive tasks.

Table of Contents

I.      Script for creating a Virtual Drive from an ISO Image - using PowerShell
II.     Script for converting video files to GIFs for GitHub REPOs DEMOs - using PowerShell
III.    AutoClicker - using AutoHotkey

I. Script for creating a Virtual Drive from an ISO Image - using PowerShell

(Mounting and Dismounting an ISO Image)

Purpose: Creating a Virtual Drive from an ISO Image

Utility/solved issue:

• You receive physical copies (CDs/DVDs), from the hospital, containing X-Ray (Radiography) software and imagery
• One of the devices (PC/laptop) that you/your doctor need(s) to use does not have an ODD (optical disc drive)
• You or the doctor need to check the imagery
• The imagery software only works while in a non-rewrittable environment

Instructions:

1. Request from the hospital a copy of the files / gain access to a device that has an optical disc drive, insert the CD/DVD and copy the entire content to a new folder, on a USB stick (for example)
2. Use a free software like PowerISO (https://www.poweriso.com/download.htm) in order to create an ISO image from the new folder utilized in the previous step (ISO filename: "rad")
3. Download the script from here Mount_ISO.ps1 (right-click and choose "Save link as...")
4. Copy/move the script to the same directory that contains the created ISO image
5. Execute the script by right-clicking on it and choosing "Run with PowerShell"
6. Open Windows Explorer and go to This PC - alongside the Local Disk(s), a virtual drive will be shown
7. Double-click on it and review the imagery

Workarounds:

Important

Workaround for step 5 - if the script is not executing - follow these steps:

• right-click on it and choose Properties
• at the bottom, check the Unblock box
• click Apply and then OK
• attempt to execute the script again, by right-clicking on it and choosing "Run with PowerShell"

Note

If the aforementioned workaround did not solve the issue, you might need to change the Execution Policy for PowerShell, using this command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

• Sets the Execution Policy to Remotely Signed (allows to run any scripts created locally, without a digital signature) for Current Windows User (currently logged-in user)
  
• Error, e.g. "npm : File C:\Program Files\nodejs\npm.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system. For more information, see..."

Important

Workaround for step 7 - if a folder is shown - follow these steps:

• double-click on the folder
• locate an executable file (.exe file extension), like "DicomViewer.exe"
• double-click on it and review the imagery

Instructions - only for dismounting:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to This PC - alongside the Local Disk(s), a virtual drive will be shown
2. Right-click on it and choose Eject

II. PowerShell script for converting video files (e.g. MKV = Matroska Video format) to a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

Links

• https://obsproject.com/
• https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg

Steps to follow:

1. Record the video - I recommend:
   • Software = OBS
   • Recording format (output) = Matroska Video (.mkv)
   • Muting / not recording audio (not needed)
2. Download the script: ffmpegScriptConversionVideoToGif_v1.4.ps1
   • Right-click and choose "Save link as..."
   • OR
   • Click on link and press key combination CTRL + SHIFT + S
3. Move/copy the script to OBS output folder (default = "C:\Users<username>\Videos\OBS")
4. Create a new folder and copy/move the recorded video file to it
5. Run the script
   • From Windows/File Explorer - right-click and choose "Run with PowerShell"
   • From PowerShell CLI
     • cd to script's location

     • powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\ffmpegScriptConversionVideoToGif_v1.4.ps1

6. Follow the instructions shown in the PowerShell window

Important

If you're having issues running the script, please try this workaround.

Note

• This workflow is useful for creating DEMOs for GitHub REPOs.
  • GitHub can display several common image formats, including PNG, JPG, GIF, PSD, and SVG
  • The MKV (.mkv) file format is not officially supported as an interactive or playable format on GitHub.
• MKV = Matroska Video = a free, open-source multimedia container format that bundles video, audio, subtitle, and image tracks into a single file
• GIF = Graphics Interchange Format = a digital image file format supporting both static pictures and short, looping, silent animations, widely used on the internet for reactions and short clips
• The resulting GIF file might be bigger than the video file used as input.
• Other video file formats that are supported as input by ffmpeg: MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG/MPG, M4V, 3GP, TS/M2TS, OGV, VOB.

Script updates/features list:

• v1.0 - Initial release, features only MKV to GIF conversion
  
• v1.1 - Switched from BATCH to PowerShell because of limitations; features: ffmpeg presence or auto-installation, as well as more descriptive messages for the end-user
  
• v1.2 - Features conversion from any video file format supported by ffmpeg to GIF format, removed necessity of script re-run after ffmpeg installation
  
• v1.3 - Removed requirement that input file be named "input", removed annoying final user input after successful file conversion
  
• v1.4 - Features user input for selecting between different scaling options (output file resolution)
  

Note

• scale=1920 - only sets the output width to 1920 pixels.
• The height will be computed automatically to whatever keeps the original aspect ratio (because of parameter -1).
• Output file resolution will be 1920×1080 only if the source file resolution is 16:9.
• If the source file resolution is less than 1920 pixels in width, the output file will be upscaled, which might lead to a decrease in quality. In this case, you can choose a smaller width or use the option to set a custom width that is smaller than the source file width.

III. AutoClicker - using AutoHotkey

Source files

• AHK/AutoClicker.ahk
• AHK/AutoClicker-Compatibility.ahk

Executables

• AHK/AutoClicker.exe
• AHK/AutoClicker-Compatibility.exe

Hotkeys

• F1 = Start clicking
• F2 = Pause/Reload script
• F4 = Exit script

Note

• AutoClicker.ahk uses a fast, single-click loop.
• AutoClicker-Compatibility.ahk uses explicit mouse up/down with a small delay for compatibility.

Demo video

• Game: The Great Hatch
• DEMOs/AutoClicker.gif