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IT // Adventures

Windows Server Core: Shell & Bitlocker

Configure PowerShell as the default shell and BitLocker on Windows Server Core.

1 min read

Set up PowerShell as the default shell

Windows Server Core has no graphical user interface and is therefore primarily configured remotely or with PowerShell. For that, it makes sense to configure PowerShell as the default shell:

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

Enable BitLocker

If the system runs outside a protected environment, it is also advisable to encrypt the data with BitLocker.

To do so, enable BitLocker…

Enable-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:" -UsedSpaceOnly -TpmProtector

… add a recovery password…

Add-BitLockerKeyProtector -MountPoint "C:" -RecoveryPasswordProtector

… and back it up to Active Directory:

$blv = Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint "C:"
Backup-BitLockerKeyProtector -MountPoint "C:" -KeyProtectorId $blv.KeyProtector[1].KeyProtectorId