Compare WMIC.EXE with Windows Powershell Cmdlets for WMI

 

The WMI command-line (WMIC) utility provides a command-line interface for WMI. With Windows 7 you can do everything that you can do with wmic using Windows Powershell and much more by leveraging powerful features of Windows Powershell.

 

Below are some scenarios in wmic and their equivalent in Windows Powershell commands, try them out and compare the results and general experience working with both -

WMIC Version

 

Windows Powershell Version

wmic bios get caption, manufacturer, smbiosbiosversion, version

 

get-wmiobject win32_bios caption, manufacturer, smbiosbiosversion, version

wmic logicaldisk where drivetype=3 get name, freespace, systemname, filesystem, size, volumeserialnumber /format:list

 

get-wmiobject win32_logicaldisk name, freespace, systemname, filesystem, size, volumeserialnu

mber -filter drivetype=3

wmic process call create 'notepad.exe'

 

invoke-wmimethod win32_process -name create -argumentlist 'notepad.exe'

wmic /node:<machine name> /user:<username>/password:<password> logicaldisk where drivetype=3 get name, freespace, filesystem, size

 

Get-wmiobject -ComputerName <machine name>       -credential <remote credentials>  win32_logicaldisk name, freespace, systemname, filesystem, size, volumeserialnumber  -filter drivetype=3

WMIC PROCESS where name='notepad.exe' delete

 

gwmi win32_process -filter "name='notepad.exe'" | remove-wmiobject

wmic ENVIRONMENT SET NAME="TEMP", VARIABLEVALUE="NEW" , username="<system>"

gwmi win32_environment -filter 'Name="testvar" and username="<system>"' | set-wmiinstance -argument @{variableValue="testvalue"}

 

  This post talks about some other reasons why using powershell is a good idea if you are working with WMI

 

Kapil Mathur [MSFT]