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PowerShell Launching application using different user account failed ?

Hi All,

Due to PCI compliance all WIndows RSAT application and other IT Management tools must be launched by using my own AD admin account.

Since I login using DOMAIN\username how can I create the Powershell script to start the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 ?

Note, I'm trying to use the below script but it is not working for MMC application.

Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Windows\System32\dsa.msc" -Credential (Get-Credential) -WorkingDirectory "C:\Windows\System32\"

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Error Code:

Start-Process : This command cannot be run because the input "C:\Windows\System32\dsa.msc" is not a valid Application.  Give a valid application and run your command again.
At C:\Users\admini\AppData\Local\Temp\dd5b272b-a9e0-448d-8879-71e5f670e144.ps1:4 char:1
+ Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Windows\System32\dsa.msc" -Credential (Ge ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [Start-Process], InvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidOperationException,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.StartProcessCommand

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but it works for Internet Explorer for example:

Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" "www.microsoft.com" -Credential (Get-Credential) -WorkingDirectory "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\"

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Adam Brown

If you log into your workstation with your admin credentials, that will let you run RSAT with them. Is there something that keeps you from doing so?

That said, dsa.msc isn't a valid application. It's a snap-in for the MMC. You can try running mmc.exe with the command, or you can use %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerManager.exe to open the server manager UI

Albert Widjaja

ASKER

Hi AC,

I'm logging in using DOMAIN\username but all of those applicaton must be executed using DOMAIN\Admin-Username hence I must perform Right Click and then select Run As..

Dustin Saunders

Hmm, that's a tricky one but I think I have a solution. Firstly, you need

-Verb runas

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But that will fail with different credentials. So I think the solution is to first launch powershell as the admin user, then run MMC with elevation. This is working for me on my 2012R2 server.

$call = 'Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Windows\System32\mmc.exe" -ArgumentList "C:\Windows\System32\dsa.msc" -Verb runAs'
Start-Process powershell.exe -NoNewWindow -ArgumentList $call -Credential (Get-Credential)

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Albert Widjaja

ASKER

Dustin,

When I execute from my work laptop, I got this error:

Start-Process : This command cannot be run due to the error: The directory name is invalid.
At C:\Users\Admini\AppData\Local\Temp\dd5b272b-a9e0-448d-8879-71e5f670e144.ps1:3 char:1
+ Start-Process powershell.exe -NoNewWindow -ArgumentList $call -Creden ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [Start-Process], InvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidOperationException,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.StartProcessCommand

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ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Dustin Saunders

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