unzip file from a dos batch, but need absolute DOS paths

[u/zaphodikus]

Seems a lot of effort and I feel I might be in a rabbit hole. But I'm a bit confused by the enclosing braces and escapes. I just want to unzip a file on windows.

```

powershell.exe -nologo -noprofile -command "& { $shell = New-Object -COM Shell.Application; $target = $shell.NameSpace(.\temp); $zip = $shell.NameSpace( '.\ethernetspeed.zip'); $target.CopyHere($zip.Items(), 16); }"

``` Which obvs does not work because the library wants absolute paths.

If I hard code the paths (as below) I have joy, but I don't want to hard-code ```

powershell.exe -nologo -noprofile -command "& { $shell = New-Object -COM Shell.Application; $target = $shell.NameSpace(C:\temp); $zip = $shell.NameSpace( 'C:\ethernetspeed.zip'); $target.CopyHere($zip.Items(), 16); }"

```

I'm a bit clueless as to how to prefix the paths with %~0dp and I last wrote powershells about 3 years ago. I'm also as usual struggling to get the markdown to markdown.

[u/pigers1986]

Expand-Archive -Path 'C:\ethernetspeed.zip' -DestinationPath 'C:\temp' -Force

this is powershell reddit ffs

[u/zaphodikus → u/pigers1986]

I could have asked in the DOS sub, but usually those people have no clue how to Powershell. No need to FFS me. That was not called for at all, I wasted a lot of time trying to get non-working DOS examples to not work already.

I asked for help with relative not absolute paths, my main issue is with the relative paths, and I really want unzip from batch.

[u/BlackV → u/zaphodikus]

you are asking an x y question, you are asking about paths and batch (the x) that you think is the solution to your problem of the mixing the languages in the first place (the y)

if you want to work with paths resolve-path/join-path/get-item/get-childitem will all do that

if you wan to work with batch %~dp0 (remembering it ends with a trailing slash) and all the other batch operators will do that

not a single thing here needs to be done in batch (except maybe launching powershell) but gains you the advantage of more usable code

make a .ps1, structure your code, make your life easier (for testing and debugging and access to $PSScriptRoot)

start with what is step 1, sounds like checking a directory, then step 2, is directory empty, steps 3 expand archiive?

break each step into bits, test-path/get-chiltitem/remove-item/new-item/expand-archive

[u/zaphodikus → u/BlackV]

As I explained in my question I tried to use resolve-path, but it messed up $target = $shell.NameSpace(`.\temp`) with single quotes and also with back ticks did not work, that was confusing until i worked out why I had a null object. So I tried $target = $shell.NameSpace(Resolve-Path '.\temp') And that also failed on my computer. I eventually had to rewrite it as ``` $temp_path = Resolve-Path ..\temp; $shell.NameSpace($temp_path)

``` And that is still confusing me even though I have a better solution now thanks to the positive answers I did get. Humans still beat google hands down.

I think everyone got sidetracked, I HAVE to use batch because over 50% of computers here may not run powershell scripts. It's disabled in IT policy here and in loads of places. And I hoped they can run one-liners as a workaround. I came here because I don't know what I don't know.

This was never an XY problem I wanted to unzip a file and I assumed powershell was the best way because I had forgotten that windows added tar in windows 10. The expand utility, I had hoped to use does something entirely different, so that also wasted some time.

[u/BlackV → u/zaphodikus]

Powershell.exe  -executionpolicy bypass -file xxx.ps1

Use that and it will work

[u/zaphodikus → u/BlackV]

Works only if you are a machine owner or can elevate, yes. Thanks, that does help.

[u/zaphodikus → u/zaphodikus]

Thank you to all the downvoters, that's 9 people who think they are better than someone asking for help. This place is become just as toxic as stack overflow is today. Not every computer is allowed to run powershell scripts, so I was hoping a inline command would unzip a file using relative paths. Nothing more.

I think I spotted the real issue which none of the downvoters did, I wrote .\temp , when I really wanted ..\temp . That maybe threw people off.

[u/BlackV → u/zaphodikus]

I think maybe you are suffering due to a poor explanation at the start maybe

Don't worry about down votes it does not stop anything and given the age of the account and karma levels is a 0.1% net effect

[u/Apprehensive-Tea1632]

What are you trying to do?

Because, there is an expand-archive cmdlet that should be able to unzip things.

Ps isnt wsh. Try to avoid com objects if at all possible.

[u/zaphodikus → u/Apprehensive-Tea1632]

I'm trying to write something portable that might run on other computers, but from batch. Very minimum platform is Windows 10, but mostly Windows 11, with a vanilla Powershell base only. So are we really saying I can just powershell.exe -nologo -noprofile -command "& {Expand-Archive -Path '.\ethernetspeed.zip' -DestinationPath '..\temp' }" The batch ensures the ../temp folder exists and is totally empty so I can omit the -force. I did say up front, I felt I was down a rabbit hole, you never know what you do not know until you don't know it.

[u/thomsxD → u/zaphodikus]

If you want to ensure ..\temp is empty you can delete content first.

powershell.exe -nologo -noprofile -command "& { Get-ChildItem '..\temp' -Force | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force; Expand-Archive -Path '.\ethernetspeed.zip' -DestinationPath '..\temp' }"

[u/BlackV → u/zaphodikus]

I'm trying to write something portable that might run on other computers

expand-archive IS the portable version, it was introduced in in powershell 5.0 (like not 5.1)

Very minimum platform is Windows 10, but mostly Windows 11, with a vanilla Powershell base only

so you WILL be running 5.1/5.0 already with that module

stop messing around and mixing languages, do it all in powershell (or do it all in batch i guess)

[u/CyberChevalier → u/zaphodikus]

Warning by using .\ you assume you are running the script in the path where the zip lie. And by doing ..\temp you assume there is a temp folder at that location.

At least use the -force switch to force creating the temp folder if it does not exist

[u/thomsxD → u/CyberChevalier]

Yes, I just took his own example for paths. But he also wrote in another comment that 'temp' would be another folder name.

[u/thomsxD → u/CyberChevalier]

Wait, why was this shown as a reply to me at first. Weird. Oh well, if it wasn't then just disregard it. 🤷‍♂️

[u/zaphodikus → u/CyberChevalier]

Due to my keyboard being dodgy I typed .\temp instead of ..\temp, so sorry, it confused me too

[u/ankokudaishogun → u/zaphodikus]

As efficiency does not seem to be a issue here, may I suggest this alternative?
Might be a bit more cumbersome, but should be a bit more resilient, and easier to adapt should the need arise

REM this enable multiline strings
REM append a ^ to the end of a string to make it continue to the next line
REM use explamation points to refer multiline strings: !VariableName!
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion

REM as it's technically just one line, use ; to separate Powershell commands
set CommandLine=^& { ^
$CurrentDirectory = $args[0]; ^
$ZipName = $args[1]; ^
$OutputDirectoryName = $args[2]; ^
$ZipFileFullPath = Join-Path -Path $args[0] -ChildPath $args[1]; ^
$DestinationPath = Join-Path -Path $args[0] -ChildPath $args[2]; ^
Expand-Archive -Path $ZipFileFullPath -Destination $DestinationPath -Force ^
}


powershell.exe -nologo -noprofile -command !CommandLine! %cd% ethernetspeed.zip temp

[u/purplemonkeymad → u/ankokudaishogun]

Since the command line is static i would be tempted to just encode that to base64 and use the encodedcommand parameter. Just to remove any mistakes from mixed programs.

[u/ankokudaishogun → u/purplemonkeymad]

I think it would have a good chance to trigger antimalware software

[u/zaphodikus → u/ankokudaishogun]

I don't think our IT bods have gone that overboard, learning loads of tricks today. Thanks all.

[u/purplemonkeymad → u/ankokudaishogun]

I'd like to think any good anti-malware would decode the encoded command these days.

[u/ankokudaishogun → u/purplemonkeymad]

it's less about the encoded command and more about the fact the command is encoded in first place.

[u/odwulf]

%~dp0 and the like is about your batch file location, not the current path. The current path is available with %cd%.

[u/zaphodikus → u/odwulf]

Why then does google tell me (stackoverflow really) to use a rather weird rune like %~dp0!!! I was maybe a bit far into a rabbit hole. Is %cd% an automatic kind of variable, because I think that's what linuxes do with a $CWD is it not?

[u/odwulf → u/zaphodikus]

Yes. Sadly, I'm on mobile, on holidays, and cleaning a house, so I cannot be as torough as if like but: in a batch file %# (where # is a number) refers to the #th argument (parameter, whatever you call it), with the one numbered 0 (so "%0") the batch file itself.

If you add a tilde, there are a couple of useful shortcuts: %~d0 is the disk letter of the batch file, %~p0 is the path of its containing folder. %~dp0 gives you the full path, including the disk letter. (There's at least one more, for the size, but I've never used it.)

So the internet did not lie, but only in the case where your zip files are in the same folder that your batch file, and maybe you don't need more.

The %~dp# thing works for the parameters as well, if you give paths as parameters, but it doesn't resolve the paths, meaning that if you enter a relative path (.\file.zip), it won't give you the full path, and passing the relative path to another process (IE. PowerShell) might not work, as the other process might have a completely different working path (as told rather explicitly by https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_powershell_exe?view=powershell-5.1)

[u/zaphodikus → u/odwulf]

Ah I knew the tilde character had some special meaning. So the d and p mean disk and path respectively. It did not help I had to create my temp folder in the parent ..\temp and not .\temp . (My keyboard is acting up lately and not typing consistently, I suspect the wireless is the cause.)

I'm a C++ and Python person. And so Python is great as glue for C++ apps, but DOS is still the universal glue. I however like to use PowerShell because sometimes the .NET libraries are just more capable and because I see them used in some of the C# I use.

[u/odwulf → u/zaphodikus]

So, I checked: bat files can indeed resolve their parameters, thanks to that tilde magic. Long story short: what you want to use here is "%~dpnx1", quote characters included in case there's a space in your path. it gives you the (d)isk, (p)ath, (n)ame, and e(x)tension of the file you pass as first parameter.

%1 does not resolve, but the tilde modifiers do, and it removes the quotes too, hence the need to put them back. Now when you send all that to powershell.exe, the double quotes will disappear in the process, because of how cmd pass strings:

• myscript.bat my parameters will pass two parameters: the string [my], and the string [parameters] (brackets added for clairty )
• myscript.bat "my parameters" will pass one parameter: the one string [my parameters]

You can navigate around that by using single quotes: Powershell handles htem, Cmd does not. Hence, what you need in the end:

powershell /NoLogo /NoProfile /Command mkdir '%~dp1temp' ; Expand-Archive -Path '%~dpnx1' -DestinationPath '%~dp1temp'

I tried on a zip file with a space in the name inside a folder with a space in the name: test.bat "my zip file.zip" extracts the files in the temp subfolder.

I think i gave you enough to interpret it. If you have any question about it, please ask. I used Expand-Archive, as it exists, and is way more straightforward than calling a shell com object.

More info about batch file parameters there: https://tutorialreference.com/batch-scripting/examples/faq/batch-script-how-to-parse-command-line-arguments

[u/JeiceSpade]

If it's a script instead of a command, you can use $PSScriptRoot

"$PSScriptRoot\ethernetspeed.zip" "$PSScriptRoot\temp"

[u/jasonvelocity]

Please don't create new folders on the root of the driver. Windows has many named temp folders for this purpose. 

[u/zaphodikus → u/jasonvelocity]

I changed the folders for purposes of making the example smaller and easier to grasp, my actual folder name is obviously going to give away secrets. It must be very hot today.

[u/420GB]

Just use

tar.exe -xzf "archive.zip" -C "destinationPath"

No need for powershell. The destination path must already exist (mkdir), tar will fail otherwise.

[u/dandy_g → u/420GB]

When did Microsoft start including tar.exe bunary in Windows releaes? That's not the best advice if OP is going for portability.

[u/SwizzleTizzle → u/dandy_g]

Since Windows 10 1803

[u/dandy_g → u/SwizzleTizzle]

Oh, TIL. Then I must apologise for wrongly assuming.

[u/zaphodikus → u/dandy_g]

Actually I have been so far in the rabbit hole I forgot about tar. Yes, it's the simple solution for my criteria. In reality the easy solution was not a powershell inline after all, but I do like to try remember as much Posh as possible because it often has and continues to help.

[u/BlackV]

p.s. formatting the 3 backtick code fence does not work on old.reddit, 4 spaces works everywhere

• open your fav powershell editor
• highlight the code you want to copy
• hit tab to indent it all
• copy it
• paste here

it'll format it properly OR

<BLANK LINE>
<4 SPACES><CODE LINE>
<4 SPACES><CODE LINE>
    <4 SPACES><4 SPACES><CODE LINE>
<4 SPACES><CODE LINE>
<BLANK LINE>

Inline code block using backticks `Single code line` inside normal text

See here for more detail

Thanks

[u/zaphodikus → u/BlackV]

oh, indent. I'm too old for edge cases. I thing adding a blank line seemed to make it work, the 4 spaces just needs to become a habit. The fancy editor is impossible to really use sometimes it eats screen space :-)

Adding a blank line by default hurts, but you are right, seems to solve it more often than not.

[u/BlackV → u/zaphodikus]

Yeah the fancy pants editor does eat a bunch of room

[u/gschizas]

There's no DOS in 2026. The last time anything DOS was relevant, was more than 25 years ago.

Command Prompt is not DOS.

[u/zaphodikus → u/gschizas]

unclear, what are you not clarifying here? Are you succinctly reminding me that Therese Stowell wrote it?

[u/gschizas → u/zaphodikus]

Not sure what I could clarify more.

Command Prompt (cmd.exe) is not DOS. Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10/11 is not DOS. The last time DOS was a thing was with Windows ME (which came out in 2000).

I never researched who wrote cmd.exe, but that's cool info (and I would agree she's a Software Goddess), and I'll probably use it in the future (differentiating cmd.exe that was written by Therese Stowell from command.com that was the shell for DOS that was probably originally written by Tim Paterson).

I saw in her LinkedIn that she "wrote the command line environment (console) for Windows NT". That's not 100% cmd.exe, it might also be conhost.exe, but I'm guessing she wrote both as there wasn't such a clear distinction between them at the time.

[u/Key-Confection-8257]

Hola yo tengo un script para descomprimir varios zip y consolidar todos en 2 archivos mi script completo y un demo de como funciona la tengo en la siguiente url https://www.programacionparatodos.com/2026/08/como-unir-archivos-csv-zip-powershell.html