Basic Commands to Configure Windows Server Core

In this article, I tried to describe the basic cmd and PowerShell commands that are useful for configuring and managing Windows Server Core hosts. I think this guide will be a useful reference for basic Server Core administration commands for both beginners and experienced system administrators.

To install Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016 in the Core mode, you must select the typical installation option. If you select Windows Server (Desktop Experience), the GUI version of the operating system will be installed (in previous Windows Server versions, it was Server with a GUI).

After installing Windows Server Core, a command prompt will appear. There, you will need to set a local administrator password.

Configure Windows Server Core Using SCONFIG

When you log in to a Windows Server Core host console, the built-in sconfig (Server Configuration Tool) script automatically launches. Otherwise, you can open it manually by entering the sconfig command in the console.

The sconfig utility lets you perform basic Server Core configuration tasks using a pseudo-graphical text menu. This menu contains the following items:

• 1: Domain/workgroup – change workgroup or join a domain
• 2: Computer name – change the computer name (hostname)
• 3: Add local administrators — add local administrator accounts
• 4: Remote management — Allow or disable remote management and ICMP ping responses in the firewall
• 5: Update settings – configure Windows Update settings
• 6: Install updates
• 7: Remote Desktop – Enable/disable RDP
• 8: Network settings — Configure network adapter settings (IP address, gateway, DNS server)
• 9: Date and time
• 10: Diagnostic data settings – Change telemetry settings
• 11: Windows activation
• 12: Log off user
• 13: Restart server
• 14: Shutdown server
• 15: Exit to command line (PowerShell)

Each item in the sconfigmenu is numbered. To access a specific menu, enter its number and press Enter. Some items in the Sconfig main menu have submenus.

We will not review all of the Sconfig settings in detail since they are simple and self-explanatory. However, in most cases, administrators prefer to configure new Server Core hosts using PowerShell commands or scripts.  It is easier and faster, especially in mass deployment scenarios.

When you log in to Server Core in Windows Server 2019/2016, a command prompt (cmd.exe) opens. In order to always run the PowerShell.exe console instead of the command prompt, you need to make some changes to the registry. Run the commands below:

Powershell.exe
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon' -Name Shell -Value 'PowerShell.exe'

And restart a host:

Restart-Computer -Force

Basic PowerShell Commands to Configure and Manage Server Core

Now, let’s take a look at the basic PowerShell commands that can be used to configure Windows Server Core.

Use this cmdlet to view system information about the server.

Get-ComputerInfo (similar to systeminfo.exe)

To get information about your Windows Server build and PowerShell version

Get-ComputerInfo | select WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OsHardwareAbstractionLayer
$PSVersionTable

To reboot the Server Core host, run this PowerShell command:

Restart-Computer

To log off from the Server Core console:

logoff

If you installed Server Core in a virtual machine, you need to install special utilities and drivers to enhance interaction between the guest OS and the hypervisor:

• VMware Tools for VMware virtual machines
• VirtIO Drivers for Windows in Proxmox
• Hyper-V Integration Services in Hyper-V

For example, in the case of VMware, mount the ISO image with VMTools and then run the installation from the command line.

D:\setup64.exe

Or for a silent installation of VMTools:

Start-Process D:\setup64.exe -Wait -ArgumentList "/s","/v","/qn","REBOOT=R" -WindowStyle Hidden

Configure Network Settings on the Server Core with PowerShell

Now you need to configure network settings using PowerShell (by default, Windows is configured to receive an IP address from DHCP). List the available network adapters:

Get-NetIPConfiguration

Specify the network adapter interface index (InterfaceIndex) that needs to be changed, then you want to change and set a new IP address and DNS servers:

New-NetIPaddress -InterfaceIndex 4 -IPAddress 192.168.1.100 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1
Set-DNSClientServerAddress –InterfaceIndex 4 -ServerAddresses 192.168.1.11,192.168.101.11

Check the current network settings:

Get-NetIPConfiguration

To enable/disable a network adapter:

Disable-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet0"
Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet 0"

To enable, disable, or check the status of IPv6 support for a network adapter:

Disable-NetAdapterBinding -Name "Ethernet0" -ComponentID ms_tcpip6
Enable-NetAdapterBinding -Name "Ethernet0" -ComponentID ms_tcpip6
Get-NetAdapterBinding -ComponentID ms_tcpip6

To configure winhttp proxy server for PowerShell or system connections:

netsh Winhttp set proxy <servername>:<port number>

Set Time and Date in Windows Server Core

You can configure date, time, and time zone settings using a graphical tool timedate.cpl or with PowerShell:

Set-Date -Date "07/21/2025 09:00"
Set-TimeZone "Central Europe Standard Time”

Set Computer Name, Join Domain, and Activate Host

To change a computer name (hostname):

Rename-Computer -NewName be-srv01 -PassThru

To join a server to the on-premises Active Directory domain:

Add-Computer -DomainName "corp.woshub.com" -Restart

To add additional users to the local Administrators group, you can either configure a Group Policy or add the users manually.

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "corp\jsmith"

To activate Windows Server, enter your product key:

slmgr.vbs –ipk <productkey>
slmgr.vbs –ato

Or you can activate Windows on a KMS server. For example, to activate Windows Server Core 2025 Standard on a KMS host:

slmgr /ipk TVRH6-WHNXV-R9WG3-9XRFY-MY832
slmgr /skms kms.corp.woshub.com:1688
slmgr /ato

Enabling Remote Administration of Windows Server Core

Enable remote access to the Windows Server Core computer via RDP:

cscript C:\Windows\System32\Scregedit.wsf /ar 0

Allow remote host management:

Configure-SMRemoting.exe –Enable
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup “Windows Remote Management”

Check current Remote Management settings:

Configure-SMRemoting.exe -Get

To enable WinRM for PowerShell Remoting:

Enable-PSRemoting –force

In order to connect to this Server Core host remotely via PowerShell Remoting (WinRM) from another computer (in a workgroup environment), you must first add its name or IP address to the TrustedHosts list on the client computer.

Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "192.168.123.123" 

Next, use Enter-PSSession to establish a remote interactive session with the server.

Enter-PSSession -ComputerName "192.168.123.123" -Credential (Get-Credential)

Configuring Windows Firewall on Server Core

This article provides detailed information on how to configure the Windows Defender Firewall using PowerShell. I’ll only leave a few basic commands here.

Enable Windows Defender Firewall for all profiles:

Set-NetFirewallProfile   -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled True

Change the network adapter type from Public to Private:

Get-NetConnectionProfile | Set-NetConnectionProfile -NetworkCategory Private

To disable the Windows Firewall completely (not recommended):

Get-NetFirewallProfile | Set-NetFirewallProfile -enabled false

To enable connection via remote management tools:

Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayName "Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In)"
Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Event Log Management"
Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Service Management"
Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Volume Management"
Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Scheduled Tasks Management"
Enable-NetFireWallRule -DisplayGroup "Windows Firewall Remote Management"
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Administration"

How to Install Updates on Windows Server Core

Although Windows Update Group Policies are the preferred method for managing update settings, it is also possible to configure them manually.

Check the current Windows Update settings:

cscript $Env:SystemRoot\system32\scregedit.wsf /AU /v

In this case, the Windows updates are downloaded but not installed automatically (DownloadOnly).

Enable the automatic download and installation of updates.

cscript $Env:SystemRoot\system32\scregedit.wsf /AU 4

Disable automatic Windows updates installation:
cscript $Env:SystemRoot\system32\scregedit.wsf /AU 1

Get a list (history) of installed updates:

Get-Hotfix
Or
wmic qfe list
To install Windows updates manually, you can use the wusa tool:
wusa kbnamexxxxx.msu /quiet

Remove an installed update by its KB ID.

wusa /uninstall /kb:5042132

For installing and managing updates from the CLI, the PSWindowsUpdate module for PowerShell is convenient.

Managing Windows Core Roles, Services, and Processes

To get a list of all available roles on Windows Server Core, run the following PowerShell command:

Get-WindowsFeature

Get a list of all installed roles and features in Windows Server (used to quickly understand what the server is used for):

Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object {$_. installstate -eq "installed"} | ft Name,Installstate

For example, use the following command to install the DNS role:

Install-WindowsFeature DNS -IncludeManagementTools

To get a list of all services in Windows:

Get-Service

List only stopped services:

Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.status -eq   “stopped”}

Restart a specific service:

Restart-Service -Name spooler

Managing running processes is possible through both the Graphical Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) and the PowerShell.

Get-Process cmd, wuaucl* | Select-Object ProcessName, StartTime, MainWindowTitle, Path, Company|ft

Use the New-ScheduledTaskAction cmdlet to create a new item in the Task Scheduler. List the enabled scheduled tasks:

Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath | ? state -ne Disabled

Useful Windows Server Core Commands

Finally, I will share some useful PowerShell commands and scripts that I often use for managing Server Core.

Use the built-in Storage Disk Management module to get the status and health of physical disks.

Get-PhysicalDisk | Sort Size | FT FriendlyName, Size, MediaType, SpindleSpeed, HealthStatus, OperationalStatus -AutoSize

Check the free disk space:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk |
Select-Object -Property DeviceID, VolumeName, @{Label='FreeSpace (Gb)'; expression={($_.FreeSpace/1GB).ToString('F2')}},
@{Label='Total (Gb)'; expression={($_.Size/1GB).ToString('F2')}},
@{label='FreePercent'; expression={[Math]::Round(($_.freespace / $_.size) * 100, 2)}}|ft

Check the reasons for the last 10 server reboots (to see who restarted the server and when).

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{logname='System';id=1074}|ft TimeCreated,Id,Message | select -last 10

List the installed apps in Windows:

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table –AutoSize

To download and extract a ZIP file from an external website:

Invoke-WebRequest https://servername/file.zip -outfile file.zip
Expand-Archive -path '.\file.zip' -DestinationPath C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\

To copy all files from a specific directory to a remote computer over the network, you can use the Copy-Item cmdlet:

$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName be-dc01
Copy-Item -Path "C:\Logs\*" -ToSession $session -Destination "C:\Logs\" -Recurse -Force

Use the built-in pnputil tool to install a device driver manually:

Pnputil –i –a c:\install\hpspp\hpdp.inf

In order to add a printer, you must first install the Print-Services role.

Install-WindowsFeature Print-Services

Then, you can install a printer.

printui.exe /il

To send a text file to a printer:

Get-Content C:\sampletest.txt | Out-Printer

Display information about paging file usage.

Get-CimInstance Win32_PageFileUsage | Select-Object Name, AllocatedBaseSize, CurrentUsage, PeakUsage

Microsoft also offers a special package, Server Core App Compatibility Feature on Demand (FOD), which allows you to install some graphical tools and management snap-ins on Windows Server Core host (MMC, Eventvwr, Hyper-V Manager, PerfMon, Resmon, Explorer.exe, Device Manager, PowerShell ISE). This FOD image is available for download as an ISO (an active Microsoft subscription is required). You can install it as follows:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name ServerCore.AppCompatibility~~~~0.0.1.0

Installing the Server Core App Compatibility feature will require an additional 200 MB of RAM on the Server Core host.

This article compiles the most useful commands for managing Windows Server Core. I will periodically update this article by adding new commands that I find useful for my daily tasks.