Using the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine

Article
11/03/2023

Windows PowerShell is designed to be backward compatible with previous versions. Cmdlets, providers, snap-ins, modules, and scripts written for Windows PowerShell 2.0 run unchanged in newer versions Windows PowerShell. However, Microsoft .NET Framework 4 changed the runtime activation policy. Windows PowerShell host programs written for Windows PowerShell 2.0 and compiled with Common Language Runtime (CLR) 2.0 cannot run without modification in new versions Windows PowerShell that are compiled with CLR 4.0 (or higher).

The Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine is intended to be used only when an existing script or host program cannot run because it is incompatible with Windows PowerShell 5.1. Examples of this include older versions of Exchange or SQL Server modules. Such cases are expected to be rare.

Many programs that require the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine start it automatically. These instructions are included for the rare situations in which you need to start the engine manually.

Deprecation and security concerns

Windows PowerShell 2.0 was deprecated in August, 2017. For more information, see the announcement on the PowerShell blog.

Windows PowerShell 2.0 is missing a significant amount of the hardening and security features added in versions 3, 4, and 5. We highly, highly recommend that users not use it if they can help it. For more information, see A Comparison of Shell and Scripting Language Security and PowerShell ♥ the Blue Team.

Installing and Enabling Required Programs

Before starting the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine, enable the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 with Service Pack 1. For instructions, see Installing Windows PowerShell.

Systems on which Windows Management Framework 3.0 or higher is installed have all of the required components. No further configuration is necessary. For information about installing Windows Management Framework, see Install and configure WMF.

How to start the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine

When you start Windows PowerShell the newest version starts by default. To start Windows PowerShell with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine, use the Version parameter of PowerShell.exe. You can run the command at any command prompt, including Windows PowerShell and Cmd.exe.

PowerShell.exe -Version 2

How to start a remote session with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine

To run the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine in a remote session, create a session configuration (also known as an endpoint) on the remote computer that loads the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine. The session configuration is saved on the remote computer and can be used by any authorized user to create sessions that use the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.

This is an advanced task that is typically performed by a system administrator.

The following procedure uses the PSVersion parameter of the Register-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet to create a session configuration that uses the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine. You can also use the PowerShellVersion parameter of the New-PSSessionConfigurationFile cmdlet to create a session configuration file for a session that loads the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine and you can use the PSVersion parameter of the Set-PSSessionConfiguration parameter to change a session configuration to use the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.

For more information about session configuration files, see about_Session_Configuration_Files. For information about session configurations, including setup and security, see about_Session_Configurations.

To start a remote Windows PowerShell 2.0 session

To create a session configuration that requires the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine, use the PSVersion parameter of the Register-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet with a value of 2.0. Run this command on the computer at the "server side" or receiving end of the connection.

The following sample command creates the PS2 session configuration on the Server01 computer. To run this command, start Windows PowerShell with the Run as administrator option.
```
Register-PSSessionConfiguration -Name PS2 -PSVersion 2.0
```
To create a session on the Server01 computer that uses the PS2 session configuration, use the ConfigurationName parameter of cmdlets that create a remote session, such as the `New-PSSession cmdlet.

When a session that uses the session configuration starts, the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine is automatically loaded into the session.

The following command starts a session on the Server01 computer that uses the PS2 session configuration. The command saves the session in the $s variable.
```
$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -ConfigurationName PS2
```

How to start a background job with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine

To start a background job with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine, use the PSVersion parameter of the Start-Job cmdlet.

The following command starts a background job with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine

Start-Job {Get-Process} -PSVersion 2.0

For more information about background jobs, see about_Jobs.