Free - Wmic
wmic process list brief Kill a process by name or PID:
wmic cpu get name, maxclockspeed, numberofcores List all running processes with their process ID (PID): wmic process list brief Kill a process by
wmic process where name="notepad.exe" delete Generate a list of installed software (this is slow but thorough): WMIC was a revolutionary tool for its time—turning
wmic bios get serialnumber To see the CPU model and speed: This means it is no longer under active
wmic /? If you see "'wmic' is not recognized as an internal or external command" , your system has already moved beyond it. You can manually re-enable it via Settings > Optional Features (for now), but you should transition your scripts. WMIC was a revolutionary tool for its time—turning the complex WMI repository into a simple command line. It empowered admins to automate tasks and diagnose systems without third-party software.
wmic logicaldisk where deviceid="c:" get size, freespace List all local user accounts:
However, as of Windows 10 (version 21H1) and Windows Server 2022, Microsoft has officially deprecated WMIC. This means it is no longer under active development and will be removed in a future release. Despite this, understanding WMIC is still critical for managing legacy systems, writing quick diagnostic scripts, and appreciating the modern tools that replaced it. In simple terms, WMIC allows you to read and modify almost every aspect of a Windows system using simple text commands. Instead of clicking through a dozen GUI menus, you can type a single line to retrieve a serial number, kill a process, or change a service configuration.