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🚀 PowerShell Script to Scan & Report Media/Torrent Files



🚀 PowerShell Script to Scan & Report Media/Torrent Files

PowerShell Script to Scan & Report Media/Torrent Files

📌 Introduction

Unwanted media and torrent files often pile up on domain computers — wasting space 💾, risking compliance ⚠️, and affecting bandwidth 🌐. Admins need a safe & auditable solution to scan or delete them while keeping full reports.

This article shows you how to use a PowerShell script that can:✨ Scan all fixed drives on multiple computers.✨ Delete unwanted files — or just report them safely (Dry-Run).✨ Exclude specific file types or folders.✨ Log results into an Excel 📊 report.✨ Email 📧 the report automatically to stakeholders.



❗ Problem / Challenges


  • ⚡ Performance: Full-disk scanning is expensive.

  • 🔑 Permissions: Need admin rights + remote execution enabled.

  • ❌ Partial Failures: Offline hosts, locked files, or access denied.

  • 🔒 Safety: Blind deletion is risky — admins want a dry-run mode.

  • 📑 Audit Needs: Management requires clear reports.


🛠️ What the Script Will Do?

This PowerShell Script to Scan & Report Media/Torrent Files. Below are the steps script will perform.

  • Read hostnames from C:\Scripts\Computer.txt.txt.

  • Ping 📡 each computer for reachability.

  • For reachable hosts:

    • Scan all fixed drives.

    • Search for files with extensions: .mp3, .mp4, .mov, .torrent.

    • Exclude unwanted extensions/folders.

    • Either delete them 🗑️ or mark them as found (if Dry-Run enabled).

  • Script runs in two modes: Script has two switches/parameters:

       - Dry-Run – only report files found (no deletion)

       - Delete – actually delete files

  • Log details into an Excel file with:

    • 🖥️ Computer Name

    • 📂 Files Found/Deleted (wrapped text)

    • ✅ Status

Finally, the script emails the report to 📧 abc@gmail.com with CC ➡️ xyz@gmail.com.


⚙️ Prerequisites

  1. 👨‍💻 Domain admin (or delegated) account with remote rights.

  2. 🔗 PowerShell Remoting (WinRM) enabled between machines.

  3. 📦 ImportExcel module (for XLSX reports) →

    Install-Module -Name ImportExcel -Scope CurrentUser (falls back to CSV if unavailable)

  4. 📧 SMTP server reachable for sending reports.

  5. 🧪 Test in Dry-Run Mode first!


🛠️ Script Switches Explained

To make the script flexible and safe, we added two switches:

📝 -DryRun

- Runs in report-only mode.

- Scans and lists matching files, but does not delete anything.

- Useful for testing and verifying before running in production.

🗑️ -Delete

- Actually deletes the files found.

- Generates a report of deleted files.

- Should only be used after testing with -DryRun.

👉 You must specify either -DryRun or -Delete. If none is provided, the script will exit with a warning.




📝 Sample Report (Dry-Run Example)

🖥️ Computer Name

📂 File Names Found

✅ Status

PC01

C:\Users\john\Music\song1.mp3 (DRY-RUN)

Files found (dry-run only)

PC02


No matching files found

PC03


Host unreachable

LAPTOP-200

C:\Temp\movie.mp4 (DRY-RUN)

Files found (dry-run only)

📥 Download the Script


The full script named "Get-MediaFiles.ps1" is included in the zip file "Get-MediaFiles.zip". You can download it, unzip it, and use it.




🔐 Safety & Best Practices


  • Run in Dry-Run Mode first ✅.

  • Limit search scope or exclude sensitive paths (like C:\\Windows).

  • Keep backups before enabling delete mode.

  • Consider enterprise-grade DLP or File Server Resource Manager for long-term enforcement.


🎯 Conclusion

This PowerShell solution gives IT admins both power ⚡ and safety 🛡️:

  • Dry-Run mode for cautious reporting.

  • Full-delete mode for actual cleanup.

  • Clear, auditable Excel reports for management.

  • Automatic email notifications for transparency.

Perfect balance of automation + control! 💼


👉 Always run in Dry-Run mode first to validate results before switching to Delete mode. This ensures safety and avoids accidental data loss. ✅


📌 Disclaimer: Use with caution. This script is powerful and can delete files permanently. Always test in a lab environment before running in production.


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