The Best WMI Tools & Software for Windows Management Instrumentation Administration & Monitoring

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a framework of system tools that has been built into the Windows Operating system.

WMI is accessible over networks and lets users query remote systems to gain information about them.

WMI is powerful and flexible, and when used correctly it can deliver the best and most important information about your computers, servers and notebooks.

Here's our list of the best WMI Tools:

1. SolarWinds WMI Monitor – FREE TOOL  This monitoring system sits on top of WMI, creating a more digestible view of all of the WMI metrics and settings available. The tool includes templates that filter out WMI data to focus on specific applications. Runs on Windows Server.
2. ManageEngine OpManager and Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL A combination of two modules that will monitor WMI activity and track the application performance that server impairment would damage. Installs on Windows Server.
3. Datadog Infrastructure A monitoring system for servers and services that has WMI tracking built into it. This is a cloud-based platform.
4. Adrem NetCrunch WMI Tools A toolkit of utilities that are free to use and help administrators get more use out of WMI data. Runs on Windows and Windows Server.
5. WMI Query Generators A website listing free tools available for WMI management. Most run on Windows and Windows Server but there are some Linux tools there, too.
6. WMIE A free WMI tool written in PowerShell and runs on Windows and Windows Server.
7. PowerShell A command language built into Windows and Windows Server.
8. Hyena WMI A basic companion to WMIO that makes managing the system and extracting data from it a lot easier. Built for Windows and Windows Server.
9. NirSoft SimpleWMIView A free, straightforward viewer from WMI output. Installs on Windows and Windows Server.
10. WMIX WMI Explorer A free tool for remote access to WMI instances. Tuns on Windows and Windows Server

Information as simple as IP addresses, MAC addresses, and other system-related information is available, all the way to more specific hardware level information such as BIOS versions, serial numbers of internal components, to hardware information such as CPU temperatures, clock speeds, and active cores and similar information.

From here, users can create automated reports that provide detailed information about their systems and networked machines on the network.

Other WMI tools allow for the checking of system information in real-time via the WMI Framework, giving a vast array of information to anyone that wants to see what is happening on any Windows computer or server on the network.

One of the best features of WMI is the fact that all of this information is available to one centrally managed location, which makes managing an entire network as easy as running a simple WMI reporting tool.

The Best WMI Tools & Software for Monitoring, Management & Administration of 2023

1. SolarWinds WMI Monitor – FREE TOOL

This application allows you to monitor the real-time performance metrics of any Windows server and applications on your network. This allows you to log in remotely and check a wide array of WMI related settings.

The entire WMI library consists of thousands of different modules and metrics, which means that unless you know exactly which WMI command does what, you will have a lot of research to do before you can compile enough commands to become useful.

The SolarWinds WMI Monitor takes out much of the uncertainty that accompanies such a task, allowing you to use only the most relevant WMI counters.

This means that whether you want to monitor your Active Directory Server on your network, or check how the SharePoint installation is running, you will be able to use the right tool for the job.

You have the ability to choose between the pre-built templates that come with the primary installation of this application, or you can use one of the many community created and sourced templates that are shared via THWACK.

If you still can’t find what you are looking for, then you can even have a try at creating your own scripts by using the built in WMI Browser within the application. All of this is available in a free to use application that is limited to only one server per installation.

At this point you might be wondering what the WMI reports can tell you about your network, specifically your Windows servers. They can help you to uncover performance issue root causes, and then allows you to fix them as fast as possible.

There is a free version of the SolarWinds WMI Monitor, but it is relatively simple when compared to the full Server & Application Monitor that is offered by SolarWinds.

Pricing: WMI Monitor is Free

Download:https://www.solarwinds.com/free-tools/wmi-monitor

 

2. ManageEngine OpManager and Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine OpManager is a network and server monitoring tool that includes WMI monitoring procedures. Although the software for OpManager is available for Windows Server and Linux, it can only be installed on Windows Server if you intend to use it for WMI monitoring.

OpManager uses both SNMP and WMI in order to monitor hardware performance. WMI is specifically used to check on all components on a server running Windows. On Linux servers, OpManager just relies on data that comes in from SNMP. The OpManager processing engine interprets WMI data into system status reports. These appear on the console as graphs and statistics. The monitor also stores WMI to provide a time-lapse on live graphs and also as a foundation for historical analysis features within the dashboard.

Manage Engine produces a menu of system monitoring and management tools, each with a specialization. These tools are all written on a common platform and they can fit together to create a much wider, integrated monitoring system.

Applications Manager is another of the tools produced by ManageEngine and it compliments OpManager well in the pursuit of observing server statuses.

While OpManager monitors servers, Applications Manager monitors the software that runs on it. The tool is able to map the dependencies of applications, creating a map of supporting services. This can then be linked through to running processes, illustrated by the WMI data provided by OpManager.

Both OpManager and Applications Manager have a system of alerts that get triggered by statuses that cross predefined performance thresholds. The setup of both modules allows addresses to be specified to which notifications can be forwarded should an alert arise. These notifications are sent out by email or SMS message.

Although Applications Manager can be installed on Linux, if it is to be used in connection with the WMI monitoring functions of OpManager, it needs to be installed on Windows Server. ManageEngine offers a 30-day free trial of OpManager and Applications Manager.

Pricing: Get quotes for OpManager and Applications Manager.

Download: https://www.manageengine.com/products/applications_manager/download.html

3. Datadog Infrastructure

Datadog is a cloud-based SaaS platform that presents a range of infrastructure monitoring and management services, including Datadog Infrastructure. The Infrastructure package from Datadog gathers data on server performance, including the operations of services and applications. The tool is based in the cloud and all of the data processing for the service is hosted on the Datadog servers. However, there needs to be an agent program installed on monitored servers and that system has a WMI data gatherer integrated into it.

The WMI monitor that is built into the agent program means that all of the information presented in the Datadog Infrastructure console performs WMI monitoring. The dashboard is made up of pre-written screens but it is also possible to customize the system with a guided console screen assembly system. This enables users to put all of the key metrics they need on one screen and also build up stack views for instant problem root cause analysis.

Every metric monitored by Datadog Infrastructure can have performance thr4esholds applied to them. These denote acceptable service levels. When one of those thresholds gets tripped, Datadog Infrastructure displays an alert in the console. Those alerts can also be forwarded to key personnel via SMS message or email and it is also possible to channel them through collaboration systems, such as Slack.

The highest plan of Datadog Infrastructure uses AI-based machine learning routines to adjust threshold levels. This reduces the number of false alarms raised by the system and improves the alerting system’s credibility.

The console for Datadog is accessed through any standard browser, which means that technicians can be based anywhere, not only in the same building as the monitored servers. Datadog is able to group the monitoring of many servers that could be scatters across the globe.

Pricing: Datadog Infrastructure is offered in three editions: Free, Pro, and Enterprise. The Free version monitors up to five hosts and has a one-day data retention period. The Pro edition has a 15-month data retention period and costs $15 per host per month. Extras, such as AI-based performance thresholds are included in the Enterprise edition, which costs $23 per host per month.

Download: You can access a free trial of Datadog Infrastructure at https://www.datadoghq.com/wmi-monitoring/

4. Adrem Free WMI Tools

Free WMI Tools offers a free toolkit that allows you to access WMI information both on a local machine and on remote machines as well.

This allows you to add your own queries and create custom views.

This can range from anything as simple as General Information such as available disk space and RAM availability, or as in-depth as what the active software processes are that are running on your servers. Processing monitoring is a major plus when determining issues with your Windows systems and occasional Operating system hangs and slow downs.

Services that are crucial to running your network applications and keeping your users connected to applications are also available for viewing, which means that if anything suspicious or concerning happens on any of your systems, you will be aware of it.

For those that wish to delve into their records within their various servers and computers, there is also an event log viewer that shows all available logs for your queries.

This means that anything from failed user logins to failed applications can be laid bare so that you can weed out any potential issues.

Hardware components are also viewable from within the WMI control panel, which means that temperatures and system health is also available for monitoring.

Anything that has a sensor or data that can be attributed to it can be monitored from within this application.

Perhaps the most used feature is the Operating System capabilities of this application, which can tell you about anything from software updates to security patches.

If you find that there are WMI features that are not readily available then you can start to browse the WMI queries and create your own.

Pricing: Free

Download: https://www.adremsoft.com/wmitools/

5. WMI Query Generators

This is a handy website that offers some free tools that will help you to get started with delving into the world of WMI.

Some of the applications listed here are actually quite old, but if you are looking for some low level information about how the system works, as well as how you can script with it in Jscript, Perl, Python or VBScript, then this could be quite a valuable learning resource.

There are diagnostic tools and explorers hosted on the site as well, so if you find that you need more information about a specific system on your network then you can look at downloading and installing one of these free programs.

While not as polished as some of the other resources in our list, there is definite utility in using older software like this if you are trying to gain a foundational understanding of how WMI works, and how you can create useful and practical scripts and applications that leverage this powerful framework to provide you with deep levels of information relating to your systems.

Price: Free for personal use

Download: http://www.robvanderwoude.com/wmitools.php

6. WMIE

WMIE, or Windows Management Instrumentation Explorer, is an interesting project that has been developed with the intention of providing users with a single viewing pane that displays information such as WMI Namespaces, Classes, Instances and Properties which all tie into the application in a clean interface.

The primary inspiration for the design of this application was to make browsing WMI data more accessible and easy for users, while maintaining high levels of functionality and usefulness.

In order to successfully run this project, users must ensure that they have the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Full version installed on the target system that they wish to run it from, or have .NET Framework 4.5.1 installed.

Some Key Features:

• Browse and view WMI objects in a single pane of view.
• Connect as alternate credentials to remote computers.
• Asynchronous and Synchronous mode for enumeration.
• Method execution.
• SMS (Configuration Manager) mode providing additional functionality for Configuration Manager.
• Filter classes and instances matching specified criteria.

A minimum display resolution of 1024×768 is also required, and Administrator privileges must be enabled for the user that runs WMIE. Internet access is also recommended for updates.

Pricing: Free

Download: https://wmie.codeplex.com/

7. PowerShell

PowerShell is a command line interface that was engineered by Microsoft to help it to compete against Operating Systems such as Linux and Unix.

It has incorporated many of the features that have made Linux and Unix such powerful Operating Systems.

To this end, PowerShell has been able to become a stable and easy to learn interface that offers users much more than just WMI controls.

That is not to say that PowerShell doesn’t have great functionality with WMI though.

There are hundreds of commands that can be built around the WMI interactions from within PowerShell, however the challenge is scripting these functions successfully.

If you are a system administrator, then you already probably know about the power that comes from using PowerShell in scripts and BATCH files. But if you have never heard of it before, now would be a good time to learn more about how to use it and what you can use it for.

The possibilities are limitless, and if you have a specific WMI requirement that needs to be accomplished, then chances are that you can create exactly what you are looking for from the humble PowerShell command prompt.

Pricing: Free with Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

Download: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/

8. Hyena WMI

Hyena takes the WMI technology that is built into Microsoft Windows, and makes it even easier to use. WMI allows for manageability and improved vision of system components in a networked environment.

Microsoft has made many efforts to share scripting knowledge with users, but when it comes to editing old VBScripts, things can be a bit daunting for your average user.

This is where Hyena comes into the picture. Hyena is able to leverage the power of WMI by offering a system that communicates with several computers directly from the GUI.

This is done via a series of queries and even allows Hyena to perform additional WMI queries to the output of the queries.

The most compelling part about this system is that it requires no scripting knowledge on the part of the user, as all of this functionality is wrapped up in an easy to use GUI that is both intuitive and functional.

There are some built in WMI functions that come with the system, and these include:

• Predefined WMI queries for common classes and reports.
• The ability for users to create their own WMI reports
• Network capabilities that allow for queries to be executed on multiple machines simultaneously
• A graphical report builder
• Query result exports to Excel and Access for further data manipulation

There are plenty more features that are available through this system, and the product offers a 30 day free trial for you to demo before deciding on your purchase.

Pricing: Pricing information is only available through contacting the company directly. A link can be found here.

Download: https://www.systemtools.com/hyena/wmi.htm

9. NirSoft SimpleWMIView

SimpleWMIView is exactly what it says it is: it is a simple tool for Windows which displays any and all of the the results of the many WMI queries that you may wish to run on your network in a simple table.

This means that you can easily export the data to multiple different data formats.

There are many different types of WMI commands that you may wish to run, and this application has many pre built queries that you may wish to use straight from the get go.

This application is somewhat unique in our list of programs as it also allows users to run it as a command prompt application.

The output is therefore easier to automate into your scripting and automated reports that you might need to run at set intervals, making this quite a handy reporting tools as well.

Any and all WMI related information can be custom scripted into your environment, giving you a powerful tool at your disposal.

Pricing: Free

Download: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html

10. WMIX Free WMI Tools

This application allows you to perform agentless Windows administration tasks remotely, which is what WMI enables you to do.

Where this program differs from directly using WMI tools is that you do not need to understand how to script, nor do you need to know how to interpret vast amounts of data.

The program extracts and displays all of this data for you in a simple to use window. Once you have created your query, the program allows users to export the command that underpins the query to popular formats such as PowerShell or Visual Basic WMI Scripts.

This means that once the hard work has been done by the application, you can simply extract the commands that you need and then integrate them into your scripting or programs.

The GUI is modern and sleek, and it allows users to navigate the inner workings of the WMI system quickly and easily, while building powerful queries and reports.

Pricing: Starts at $29 per month (paid annually)

Download: https://www.goverlan.com/tools/wmix.php

Conclusion

There are so many great WMI tools out there that it can be difficult trying to find the right one for you. The great thing about all of this choice is that there is nothing stopping you from trying them all!

Even the applications that are not free will have a trial period that you can at least demo the products with, meaning that you can experiment with the applications before you have to commit to anything.

Our Recommendation would be Solarwinds WMI Monitor if you are looking for a FREE Version to Use.

You can download it below and get started immediately!

 

https://www.solarwinds.com/free-tools/wmi-monitor

 

If that doesn't have all the features your looking, grab another WMI Tool from the Above list and get it installed and configured fairly quickly in your environment.

We always suggest trying out multiple tools until you find the one that suits you best!

WMI Tools & Software FAQs

Related Post: Windows Monitoring Software and Tools