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Windows IT Pro Blog
8 MIN READ

VBScript deprecation: Detection strategies for Windows

Raina_Sharma's avatar
Raina_Sharma
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
May 16, 2025
Start detecting Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) across your organization in preparation for the next deprecation phase. At the current deprecation phase of VBScript, it's available as a f...
Screenshot of Event Viewer showing search results for Event ID 7 in Sysmon.
Updated May 15, 2025
Version 1.0
servicing and updates
windows 11
AlexLaforge's avatar
AlexLaforge
Iron Contributor
Oct 09, 2025

Writing such a long blog post with countless techniques for listing VBScript dependencies is like asking Windows users to list all their dependencies on DLL's located under C:\Windows\System32. It's a complete nonsense.
Would I have been the author of this blog post, I'd ask myself at the end: is this seriously feasible?
What will we do with the countless listed dependencies?

  • Rewrite all scripts in PS?
  • Move all MSI Program installers to trash and forget our investments in valuable software?
  • Rewrite all Classic ASP 3 websites in  .NET v9 (or v10, v13, v271)?

VBScript is seriously bound to the Windows OS. Dot.

This is the reason why such a https://www.change.org/p/ask-microsoft-to-cancel-their-planned-removal-of-vbscript-classic-asp was signed by hundreds of people, sysadmins, developers, web developers.

VBscript is part of the WIndows ecosystem, and keeping it afloat will NOT harm Windows.
Removing it will be a pain for numerous businesses. And for Ms too.

Please seriously reconsider this dangerous decision.