Microsoft® Windows Server 2003: Administrator’s Companion

Using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

If you can’t get your scripting needs met with the WSH built-in objects or you need to administer remote computer systems, it’s time to try Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). It is no exaggeration to say you can use WMI to achieve virtually any Windows administration task, locally or remotely. Of course, all this power is useless if you can’t easily and efficiently harness it (which is why nobody uses the Win32 API to save time with administrative tasks, unless you count going out and buying a management program).

To be honest, WMI is a mixed bag when it comes to ease of use, and actually evokes terror in the hearts of some administrators. However, this fear is somewhat misplaced—learning ...