Random letters showing in ppowershell script error making it so hard to find where the error stems from

Question

I keep receiving random letters powershell script error. I made a changing mouse scheme script based on system os theme. I keep receiving random letters as shown in the image below when running the powershell script:

This is my script:

param (
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][int]$daySegment2,  # 0 = Day, 1 = Night
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][int]$daySegment4,  # -1 = N/A, 0 = Sunrise, 1 = Day, 2 = Sunset, 3 = Night
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][bool]$nightMode,   # True if night mode is enabled
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)][string]$imagePath # Path to current wallpaper image
)

$Location = "~\AppData\Local\WinDynamicDesktop\scripts\globalScripts\NightValue.xml"
$PreviousNightValue = Import-CliXml $Location

$Location2 = "~\AppData\Local\WinDynamicDesktop\scripts\globalScripts\StartValue.xml"
$StartValue = Import-CliXml $Location2

$NightValue = If ($nightMode) {1} Else {$daySegment2}

if ( ($NightValue -eq 0 -and $StartValue -eq 1) -or ($NightValue -ne $PreviousNightValue -and $StartValue -eq 0 -and $NightValue -eq 0))
{
$RegConnect = [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey([Microsoft.Win32.RegistryHive]”CurrentUser”,”$env:COMPUTERNAME”)
$RegCursors = $RegConnect.OpenSubKey(“Control Panel\Cursors”,$true)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“”,”W11 Cursor Light HD v2.2 by Jepri Creations”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“AppStarting”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\working.ani”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Arrow”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\pointer.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Crosshair”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\precision.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Hand”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\link.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Help”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\help.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“IBeam”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\beam.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“No”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\unavailable.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“NWPen”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\handwriting.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Person”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\person.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Pin”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\pin.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“precisionhair”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\precision.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeAll”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\move.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNESW”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\dgn2.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNS”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\vert.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNWSE”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\dgn1.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeWE”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\horz.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“UpArrow”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\alternate.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Wait”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_light_v2.2\busy.ani”)
$RegCursors.Close()
$RegConnect.Close()
$CSharpSig = @’
[DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "SystemParametersInfo")]
public static extern bool SystemParametersInfo(
             uint uiAction,
             uint uiParam,
             uint pvParam,
             uint fWinIni);
‘@
$CursorRefresh = Add-Type -MemberDefinition $CSharpSig -Name WinAPICall -Namespace SystemParamInfo –PassThru
$CursorRefresh::SystemParametersInfo(0x0057,0,$null,0)
}
ElseIf (($NightValue -eq 1 -and $StartValue -eq 1) -or ($NightValue -ne $PreviousNightValue -and $StartValue -eq 0 -and $NightValue -eq 1))
{
$RegConnect = [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey([Microsoft.Win32.RegistryHive]”CurrentUser”,”$env:COMPUTERNAME”)
$RegCursors = $RegConnect.OpenSubKey(“Control Panel\Cursors”,$true)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“”,”W11 Cursors Dark HD v2.2 by Jepri Creations”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“AppStarting”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\working.ani”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Arrow”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\pointer.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Crosshair”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\precision.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Hand”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\link.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Help”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\help.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“IBeam”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\beam.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“No”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\unavailable.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“NWPen”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\handwriting.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Person”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\person.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Pin”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\pin.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“precisionhair”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\precision.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeAll”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\move.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNESW”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\dgn2.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNS”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\vert.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeNWSE”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\dgn1.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“SizeWE”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\horz.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“UpArrow”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\alternate.cur”)
$RegCursors.SetValue(“Wait”,”%SYSTEMROOT%\Cursors\W11_dark_v2.2\busy.ani”)
$RegCursors.Close()
$RegConnect.Close()
$CSharpSig = @’
[DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "SystemParametersInfo")]
public static extern bool SystemParametersInfo(
                uint uiAction,
                uint uiParam,
                uint pvParam,
                uint fWinIni);
‘@
$CursorRefresh = Add-Type -MemberDefinition $CSharpSig -Name WinAPICall -Namespace SystemParamInfo –PassThru
$CursorRefresh::SystemParametersInfo(0x0057,0,$null,0)
}

$StartValue = 0
if (($NightValue -ne $PreviousNightValue))
{
    $NightValue | Export-Clixml -path $Location
}

if ($StartValue -ne 0)
{
    $StartValue | Export-Clixml -path $Location2
}

I tried removing some parts of the script, I think the problem stems for registry editing. But had no luck. the error kept showing no matter what I delete.

I tried putting the $PSStyle.OutputRendering='PlainText' at the top of my script, I received the same error. I tried setting the NO_COLOR to 1 inside my script. Did not fix the issue. I don't have access to the application that runs the script, I just can edit my script. BTW, that's started happening when the software started using PowerShell 7 instead of windows PowerShell(V5) I started getting this error.

Answer 1

Note: The following applies to PowerShell (Core) v7.2+:

What you're seeing are ANSI / VT (Virtual Terminal) escape sequences that are typically used to make terminals render text with formatting, notably colored.

If you render strings containing such escape sequences verbatim, such as via a message box, you'll get garbled text as in your screenshot, so you'll need to instruct PowerShell not to use these escape sequences.

Since it looks like you're calling your PowerShell script from the outside, via the pwsh.exe, the Windows PowerShell CLI, a simple way to instruct PowerShell not to use these escape sequences it to define the NO_COLOR environment variable (with any value, but 1 makes conceptual sense) before calling pwsh.exe.^[1]

An alternative is to execute $PSStyle.OutputRendering='PlainText':

• Either: as part of a -Command (-c) argument passed to pwsh.exe

• Or: By placing this call at the top of your script.

For more information, see the conceptual about_ANSI_Terminals help topic.

---

Demonstration of the problem:

# Call the PowerShell (Core) 7.2+ CLI and provoke an error,
# then render the output via a message box:
(New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell).Popup(
  (pwsh -c '1 / 0')
)

Result - note the garbled text:

The problem goes away if you define NO_COLOR first:

$env:NO_COLOR=1
(New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell).Popup(
  (pwsh -c '1 / 0')
)

Result - no more garbled text:

---

^{[1] If you define it for the calling process, the pwsh child process will inherit it. Unlike the $PSStyle.OutputRendering setting, NO_COLOR must already exist when the pwsh process is created in order to be effective. In cases where you're calling from a Unix shell, you can define the environmant variable in a command-scoped way, e.g. NO_COLOR=1 pwsh -c '1 / 0'}