Hardware Hash CSV Combiner

A PowerShell script to safely combine multiple hardware hash CSV files into a single file for Windows Autopilot device registration.

Overview

This script combines multiple hardware hash CSV files without corrupting the original or output files. It includes validation, backup capabilities, and duplicate removal options.

Features

• Safe Processing: Validates CSV structure before combining
• Automatic Backup: Creates timestamped backups of existing output files
• Duplicate Removal: Optional removal of duplicate device entries
• Detailed Reporting: Automatically generates comprehensive processing reports
• Empty File Detection: Identifies and reports empty or header-only CSV files
• Error Handling: Robust error handling with detailed logging
• Flexible Input: Supports recursive directory scanning
• Proper Encoding: Uses UTF-8 with BOM encoding (required for Windows Autopilot)
• Colored Output: Easy-to-read console output with timestamps

Requirements

• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later
• PowerShell Core 7.x (cross-platform compatible)
• Read/Write permissions to source and destination folders

Usage

Basic Usage

Combine all CSV files in the current directory:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1

Specify Source Path

Combine CSV files from a specific directory:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 -SourcePath "C:\HardwareHashes"

Custom Output File

Specify a custom output filename:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 -OutputFile "Autopilot-AllDevices.csv"

Recursive Search

Search subdirectories for CSV files:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 -SourcePath "C:\HardwareHashes" -Recursive

Remove Duplicates

Combine files and remove duplicate entries based on device serial number:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 -RemoveDuplicates

Complete Example

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 `
    -SourcePath "C:\DeviceHashes" `
    -OutputFile "Autopilot-Import.csv" `
    -Recursive `
    -RemoveDuplicates `
    -CreateBackup $true

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
SourcePath	String	No	Current directory	Path to folder containing CSV files
OutputFile	String	No	Combined-HardwareHash.csv	Name or path of output file
Recursive	Switch	No	False	Search subdirectories recursively
RemoveDuplicates	Switch	No	False	Remove duplicate entries
CreateBackup	Boolean	No	True	Backup existing output file
GenerateReport	Boolean	No	True	Generate detailed processing report

CSV Format

The script expects hardware hash CSV files in the Windows Autopilot format:

Device Serial Number,Windows Product ID,Hardware Hash
123456789,XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX,BASE64_ENCODED_HASH_HERE
987654321,XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX,BASE64_ENCODED_HASH_HERE

Supported Header Variations

• Device Serial Number,Windows Product ID,Hardware Hash
• Device Serial Number,Windows Product Id,Hardware Hash
• Serial Number,Windows Product ID,Hardware Hash

How It Works

1. Validation: Checks all CSV files for proper hardware hash format
2. Filtering: Skips invalid or empty files
3. Backup: Creates timestamped backup if output file exists
4. Combining: Merges all valid CSV files into one
5. Deduplication: Optionally removes duplicate entries
6. Export: Writes combined data with proper UTF-8 BOM encoding
7. Reporting: Generates detailed processing report (optional)

Automatic Reporting

The script automatically generates a comprehensive processing report (enabled by default) that includes:

Report Contents

• Summary Statistics: Total files found, successfully combined, total records, output file size
• Successfully Combined Files: Lists each file with record count and file size
• Empty Files (0 bytes): Files that are completely empty
• Empty Data Files: Files with header only, no data rows
• Invalid Format Files: Files that don't match expected hardware hash format
• Validation Errors: Files that failed validation checks
• Processing Errors: Files that encountered errors during processing

Report Location

Reports are automatically saved as timestamped text files:

<OutputFile>.report_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.txt

Example:

Combined-HardwareHash.csv.report_20260107_143022.txt

Sample Report

================================================================================
           Hardware Hash CSV Combine Report
================================================================================
Generated: 2026-01-07 14:30:22
Script Version: 1.0

SUMMARY
========================================
Total CSV Files Found: 10
Successfully Combined: 8
Total Records in Output: 156
Output File: C:\HardwareHashes\Combined-HardwareHash.csv
Output File Size: 245.67 KB

PROCESSING STATISTICS
========================================
Valid Files Processed: 8
Empty Files (0 bytes): 1
Empty Data Files (header only): 1
Invalid Format Files: 0
Files with Validation Errors: 0
Files with Processing Errors: 0

SUCCESSFULLY COMBINED FILES (8)
========================================
  [OK] Device1.csv
       Records: 25
       Size: 32.15 KB
       Path: C:\HardwareHashes\Device1.csv
  ...

EMPTY FILES - 0 BYTES (1)
========================================
  [SKIP] EmptyFile.csv
         Reason: File is empty (0 bytes)
         Path: C:\HardwareHashes\EmptyFile.csv

EMPTY DATA FILES - HEADER ONLY (1)
========================================
  [SKIP] NoData.csv
         Reason: File contains only header, no data rows
         Path: C:\HardwareHashes\NoData.csv

Disabling Reports

To disable automatic report generation:

.\Combine-HardwareHashCSV.ps1 -GenerateReport $false

Safety Features

No Corruption

• Original files are never modified
• Read-only operations on source files
• Validation before processing
• Proper CSV parsing and export

Backup Protection

• Automatic backup of existing output file
• Timestamped backup files (e.g., Combined-HardwareHash.csv.backup_20260107_143022)
• Backup created before any write operations

Error Handling

• Validates file structure before combining
• Continues processing if individual files fail
• Detailed error messages with timestamps
• Exit codes for automation (0 = success, 1 = error)

Example Output

[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Starting Hardware Hash CSV Combine Process
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] =========================================
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Source Path: C:\HardwareHashes
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Output File: C:\HardwareHashes\Combined-HardwareHash.csv
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Found 5 CSV file(s) to process
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Validating CSV files...
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [SUCCESS]   Valid: Device1.csv
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [SUCCESS]   Valid: Device2.csv
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [SUCCESS] 5 valid file(s) will be combined
[2026-01-07 14:30:15] [INFO] Combining CSV files...
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS]   Added 10 record(s) from Device1.csv
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [INFO] Total records collected: 50
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [INFO] Writing combined CSV file...
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [INFO] =========================================
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS] SUCCESS: Combined CSV file created!
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS] Output File: C:\HardwareHashes\Combined-HardwareHash.csv
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS] Total Records: 50
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS] File Size: 245.67 KB
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [SUCCESS] Files Combined: 5
[2026-01-07 14:30:16] [INFO] =========================================

Troubleshooting

"No CSV files found"

• Verify the source path is correct
• Check that CSV files exist in the directory
• Use -Recursive switch to search subdirectories

"File does not have expected hardware hash CSV format"

• Ensure CSV files have proper headers
• Check that files are not corrupted
• Verify files contain hardware hash data

Permission Errors

• Run PowerShell as Administrator if needed
• Check read permissions on source folder
• Verify write permissions on destination folder

Use Cases

• Combining hardware hashes from multiple technicians
• Consolidating device inventories before Autopilot import
• Merging departmental hardware hash collections
• Creating master device lists for bulk enrollment

Importing to Windows Autopilot

After combining your CSV files, import to Windows Autopilot:

Option 1: Microsoft Intune Admin Center

1. Navigate to Devices > Windows > Windows enrollment > Devices
2. Click Import
3. Select your combined CSV file
4. Click Import

Option 2: PowerShell

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.Graph.Intune
Connect-MSGraph
Import-AutopilotCSV -csvFile "Combined-HardwareHash.csv"

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests.

License

This script is provided as-is for use with Windows Autopilot hardware hash management.