copy file from network share to all windows users desktops on all network computers

Question

Essentially, I would like to do something like this (using command prompt merely for a visual example, will gladly try PowerShell/VBScript/other programming methods)...

xcopy "\\thisserver\share\something.txt" "\\computer1\c$\users\dude\Desktop\*.*" /Y
xcopy "\\thisserver\share\something.txt" "\\computer2\c$\users\dudeette\Desktop\*.*" /Y
...

In fact, if I could take it a step further to simply the code, I would like to do something like this:

xcopy "\\thisserver\share\something.txt" "\\computer1\c$\*\*\Desktop\*.*" /Y
xcopy "\\thisserver\share\something.txt" "\\computer2\c$\*\*\Desktop\*.*" /Y

I know this is improperly coded, but essencially I would like to copy a file (.vbs file to be exact) from a easily accessible network location to all the Windows Users' (c:\users) desktop locations on all network computers within our domain.

Any help is greatly appreciated! If manually is the only option, then I guess that's how it is.

Answer 1

In a domain it would be far simpler to use a Group Policy Preference for deploying files to user desktops.

Press F3 with the cursor in the Destination File input box to get a list of available variables.

Answer 2

If you want to try PowerShell:

• create a text file containing the list of all destination paths, similar to this:

E:\share\Paths.txt:

\\computer1\c$\users\dude\Desktop
\\computer2\c$\users\dudeette\Desktop

.

In PowerShell:

ForEach ( $destination in Get-Content -Path 'E:\share\Paths.txt' )
{
    mkdir $destination -Force
    Copy-Item -LiteralPath 'E:\share\something.txt' -Destination "$destination\something.txt" -Force
}

.

Notes:

- I only tested this on the local drives

- if all destination folders exist: comment out "mkdir $destination -Force"
  (place a "#" before the line: "# mkdir $destination -Force")

- if destination paths contain spaces place this line above "mkdir" line
  $destination = $destination.Replace("`"", "`'")

- I didn't test paths with spaces either

- You can rename destination file to "somethingElse.txt" in the "Copy-Item" line:
  ... -Destination "$destination\somethingElse.txt" -Force

.

so, version 2:

ForEach ( $destination in Get-Content -Path 'E:\Paths.txt' )
{
    $destination = $destination.Replace("`"", "`'")
    # mkdir $destination -Force
    Copy-Item -LiteralPath 'E:\share\something.txt' -Destination "$destination\somethingElse.txt" -Force
}