Upgrading Windows PowerShell
Innovative installers need Windows PowerShell 5.0 or later. Older versions of Windows ship with PowerShell 3.0 or 4.0, and the installer stops with a message asking for an upgrade. The upgrade is a free Microsoft package called Windows Management Framework 5.1.
Who needs this
These versions of Windows need the upgrade:
- Windows Server 2012 R2
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows 8.1
- Windows 7 SP1
Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016 or newer already include PowerShell 5.1. Nothing needs to be done on those machines.
Check the current version
Open PowerShell as an administrator and run these two commands:
The first command reports the PowerShell version. If Major is 5, the machine is ready and no upgrade is needed. The second command reports the Windows edition, which decides the download file below.
Check .NET Framework 4.8
Windows Management Framework 5.1 needs .NET Framework 4.5.2 or newer; Innovative recommends 4.8. In the same administrator PowerShell window run:
The number reported tells you the version:
| Number | .NET Framework | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 528040 or higher | 4.8 or newer | Nothing to do |
| 379893 to 528039 | 4.5.2 to 4.7.2 | Works, but install 4.8 anyway |
| below 379893, or an error that the path does not exist | older than 4.5.2 | Install 4.8 before continuing |
To install: download the .NET Framework 4.8 offline installer, right-click it, choose Run as administrator, and reboot when it finishes. Then run the command above again and confirm 528040 or higher.
Download Windows Management Framework 5.1
Open the Windows Management Framework 5.1 download page, click Download, and tick the one file that matches the Windows edition reported above:
| Windows edition (from the second command) | Tick this file |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Win8.1AndW2K12R2-KB3191564-x64.msu |
| Windows Server 2012 | W2K12-KB3191565-x64.msu |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Win7AndW2K8R2-KB3191566-x64.zip (unzip it; run the .msu inside) |
| Windows 8.1, 64-bit | Win8.1AndW2K12R2-KB3191564-x64.msu |
| Windows 8.1, 32-bit | Win8.1-KB3191564-x86.msu |
| Windows 7 SP1, 64-bit | Win7AndW2K8R2-KB3191566-x64.zip (unzip it; run the .msu inside) |
| Windows 7 SP1, 32-bit | Win7-KB3191566-x86.zip (unzip it; run the .msu inside) |
Servers are 64-bit. On a desktop, if unsure, run [Environment]::Is64BitOperatingSystem; True means 64-bit.
Install and reboot
Copy the file to the machine being upgraded, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.
The installer can sit at Initializing installation... for 10 to 30 minutes with no progress bar. This is normal: Windows Update scans the machine before it starts. Leave it alone and do not cancel; cancelling and starting again restarts the scan from the beginning.
When the update finishes, reboot the machine. Windows finishes installing the update during the reboot and may reboot a second time on its own. Expect 20 to 30 minutes before Remote Desktop works again; the machine answers ping well before it accepts a logon. Plan for about 45 minutes in total from starting the installer to logging back in.
After the reboot, open PowerShell again and run:
Major now reads 5 and Minor reads 1. The Innovative installer will run.
PowerShell 7 is optional and separate; Innovative installers run on Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7.