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Creating a WMI Application or Script

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Any scripting language, such as VBScript, that works with ActiveX objects can access WMI data. Applications can access WMI in C++, using the COM API for WMI or in Visual Basic, using the Wbemdisp.tlb type library and the Scripting API for WMI. . You can obtain data through WMI by writing a script, an Active Server Page (ASP), or an HTML application (HTA). You can also use Windows PowerShell to obtain data or write scripts. For more information, see Scripting in WMI and Getting Started with Windows PowerShell. The TechNet ScriptCenter at https://www.microsoft.com/technet contains hundreds of scripting examples. For more information about print and online resources, see Further Information.

The following procedure describes how to connect to the WMI service and data store.

To connect to the WMI service and data store

  1. Locate the WMI service on a specific machine.
  2. Connect to one or more WMI namespaces.

These operations are different in C++, Visual Basic, .NET Framework languages, or when using a script. Scripts and Visual Basic applications must access classes whose instances are supplied with data by existing providers. But applications written in C++ can do more. For example, an application written in C++ can send events, but a WMI script can only subscribe to receive events.

A WMI provider can be written only in C++ or using the .NET Framework. For more information about writing applications in C# or Visual Basic .NET, see WMI .NET Overview.

For more information about creating applications and scripts for WMI, see:

To perform most tasks, use the preinstalled WMI classes.

Using WMI