Inconsistent PowerShell when command is called via Invoke-Command

Question

I've got a simple Get-ScheduledTask command that gives me a simple output:

    Get-ScheduledTask | select -last 1
    
    TaskPath                                       TaskName                          State
    --------                                       --------                          -----
    \Microsoft\Windows\WS\                         WSTask                            Ready

When I call this same command through Invoke-Command (run from and on the same computer as above), I sometimes get a very similar output:

    Invoke-Command -ComputerName PRD-APIEXT001 -ScriptBlock {Get-ScheduledTask |select -last 1 } -Credential $cred
    
    TaskPath                                       TaskName                          State      PSComputerName
    --------                                       --------                          -----      --------------
    \Microsoft\Windows\WS\                         WSTask                            Ready      PRD-APIEXT001

But sometimes, I get a much more verbose output:

    Invoke-Command -ComputerName PRD-APIEXT001 -ScriptBlock {Get-ScheduledTask |select -last 1} -Credential $cred
    
    
    PSComputerName     : PRD-APIEXT001
    RunspaceId         : [REDACTED]
    Actions            : {MSFT_TaskComHandlerAction}
    Author             : Microsoft Corporation
    Date               : 2010-10-27T17:18:44.0816608
    Description        : Windows Store Maintenance Task
    Documentation      :
    Principal          : MSFT_TaskPrincipal2
    SecurityDescriptor : [REDACTED]
    Settings           : MSFT_TaskSettings3
    Source             : wsservice.dll
    State              : 3
    TaskName           : WSTask
    TaskPath           : \Microsoft\Windows\WS\
    Triggers           :
    URI                : \Microsoft\Windows\WS\WSTask
    Version            :

I can figure out no rhyme or reason why it's sometimes the simple output, and sometimes the verbose output, except that it only seems to change in one direction; from verbose to simple. That is, once a PowerShell session shows the simple output, it never seems to go back to the verbose output. But sometimes a session that used to be showing verbose output will switch to the simple.

Now, I know from this StackOverflow question that Invoke-Command adds properties to each object that it returns.

But I am still at a loss as to why it would sometimes give the the table-based output and sometimes give me a list of properties as the output.

Can anybody tell me what might be happening here?

I am using PowerShell version 5.1.14409.1018.

Yes, and it's the same computer I'm running the command from. — PortMan
– PortMan, Commented Jul 31, 2020 at 18:49

js2010 · Accepted Answer · 2020-07-31 18:02:58Z

1

It looks like until the ScheduledTasks module is loaded, either with import-module or running get-scheduledtask locally, the display info for that type of object isn't loaded.

Import-Module ScheduledTasks
icm localhost { get-scheduledtask | select -last 1 }  # elevated prompt for localhost

TaskPath                                       TaskName
--------                                       --------
\Microsoft\XblGameSave\                        XblGameSaveTaskLogon


Get-ScheduledTask | select -last 1 | get-member | findstr TypeName

TypeName: 
'Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.CimInstance#Root/Microsoft/Windows/TaskScheduler/MSFT_ScheduledTask'

edited Jul 31, 2020 at 18:02

answered Jul 31, 2020 at 17:50

js2010

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