Use VAMT in Windows PowerShell

Article
03/06/2014

Applies To: Windows 8, Windows 8.1

The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) PowerShell cmdlets can be used to perform the same functions as the Vamt.exe command-line tool.

To Install PowerShell 3.0

VAMT PowerShell cmdlets require Windows PowerShell, which is included in Windows® 8 and Windows Server® 2012. You can download PowerShell for Windows 7 or other operating systems from the Microsoft Download Center.

To Install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit

In addition to PowerShell, you must import the VAMT PowerShell module. The module is included in the VAMT 3.0 folder after you install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). To install the Windows ADK, see Installing the Windows ADK.

To Prepare the VAMT PowerShell Environment

To open PowerShell with administrative credentials, in Windows 8, click Start and type “PowerShell” to locate the program. Right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as administrator. To open PowerShell in Windows 7, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Windows PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then click Run as administrator.
Important

If you are using a computer that has an 64-bit processor, select Windows PowerShell (x86). VAMT PowerShell cmdlets are supported for the x86 architecture only. You must use an x86 version of Windows PowerShell to import the VAMT module, which are available in these directories:
- The x86 version of PowerShell is available in C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
- The x86 version of the PowerShell ISE is available in C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell_ise.exe
For all supported operating systems you can use the VAMT PowerShell module included with the Windows ADK. By default, the module is installed with the Windows ADK in the VAMT folder. Change directories to the directory where VAMT is located. For example, if the Windows ADK is installed in the default location of C:\Program Files(x86)\Windows Kits\8.0, type
```
cd “C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\VAMT 3.0”
```
Import the VAMT PowerShell module. To import the module, type the following at a command prompt:
```
Import-Module .\VAMT.psd1
```
Import-Module imports a module only into the current session. To import the module into all sessions, add an Import-Module command to a Windows PowerShell profile. For more information about profiles, type get-help about_profiles.

To Get Help for VAMT PowerShell cmdlets

You can view all of the help sections for a VAMT PowerShell cmdlet, or you can view only the section that you are interested in. To view all of the Help content for a VAMT cmdlet, type:

get-help <cmdlet name> -all

For example, type:

get-help get-VamtProduct -all

Warning

The update-help cmdlet is not supported for VAMT PowerShell cmdlets. To view online help for VAMT cmdlets, you can use the -online option with the get-help cmdlet. For more information, see Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) Cmdlets in Windows PowerShell.

To View VAMT PowerShell Help Sections

To get the syntax to use with a cmdlet, type the following at a command prompt:
```
get-help <cmdlet name>
```
For example, type:
```
get-help get-VamtProduct 
```

To see examples using a cmdlet, type:

get-help <cmdlet name> -examples