Automation: WMIC And PowerShell Command's

WyattCollins · Jan 24, 2026

I keep running into PowerShell command's to run.
Last I knew, MS Windows cmd (Admin) couldn't recognize PowerShell command's.
Has that been changed to PowerShell and CMD using the same scripting language(s)?

Try3 · Jan 24, 2026

WyattCollins said:
Has that been changed to PowerShell and CMD using the same scripting language(s)?

No.
And it never will. MS do not even always update their documentation when they alter Cmd commands so they'll never bother further developing them to align them with anything else.

my ditty - Batch file and PowerShell guides [post #7] - ElevenForum

Denis

Welcome to ElevenForum.

It's really worth making time to browse through the ElevenForum Tutorial index - there's a shortcut to it at the top of every ElevenForum page [within the Tutorials dropdown list].
- At the foot of the ElevenForum Tutorial index is a shortcut to download it as a spreadsheet.
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TairikuOkami · Jan 24, 2026

WMIC and VBS are disabled by default now. CMD is replaced by Terminal.
I have removed Terminal and replaced Start's PS with CMD. I hate PS.

Install or Uninstall VBScript Feature in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to install or uninstall the VBScript optional feature for all users in Windows 11. A .vbs file is a Virtual Basic script written in the VBScript scripting language. It contains code that can be executed within Windows via the Windows-based script host...

www.elevenforum.com

Add or Remove WMIC command Feature in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the WMIC command as an optional feature for all users in Windows 11. The WMI command-line (WMIC) utility provides a command-line interface for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WMIC is compatible with existing shells and utility commands...

www.elevenforum.com

pseymour · Jan 24, 2026

What Denis/Try3 says is true. There are also aliases in PowerShell for some cmd commands. For example, you can use "copy" and "dir" in a PowerShell session, because they are aliases for Copy-Item and Get-ChildItem, respectively. You can see a list of defined aliases with Get-Alias, or simply "alias."

WyattCollins · Jan 24, 2026

This may have changed some time after I last tried PowerShell.
PowerShell on my system at that time wouldn't open in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking.
Of course, that was during Windows 7 Home Premium SP1.

WyattCollins · Jan 24, 2026

After reading extensive, I feel led to ask...
Is wmic still able to be used for end-user level scenario's?

pseymour · Jan 24, 2026

You can still add wmic for now, but it’s bound to be removed entirely.

WMI command line (WMIC) utility deprecation: Next steps | Windows IT Pro blog

Get ready for the next step in WMIC deprecation: this feature on demand will be disabled by default soon.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

garlin · Jan 24, 2026

WMIC is included by default on every clean 24H2/25H2 install.

But after OOBE has completed, a hidden scheduled task deliberately uninstalls it (after the point where someone who needs WMIC to support a legacy setup script would have used it). Now you have to re-enable it as an Optional Feature from Settings. The only difference with earlier Windows is the stealth task to uninstall WMIC as soon as the Windows install is over.

You probably won't find WMIC in 26H2. But most of the same functions can be done by calling PowerShell.

WyattCollins · Jan 25, 2026

garlin said:
WMIC is included by default on every clean 24H2/25H2 install.

---

You probably won't find WMIC in 26H2. But most of the same functions can be done by calling PowerShell.

Is MS trying to move away from WMIC in CMD completely?

Try3 · Jan 25, 2026

WyattCollins said:
Is MS trying to move away from WMIC in CMD completely?

Yes.
There's some further info in
WMIC utility deprecation - ElevenForum
Add or Remove WMIC command - ElevenForumTutorials

Denis

garlin · Jan 25, 2026

WMIC is a standalone executable. While you can run it from inside PowerShell, the whole point is PS has native methods for accessing Windows API's directly. So you don't really need to call external Windows tools like WMIC.

PS supports the Get-WMIObject function, which does the same lifting as WMIC before it. The function returns an object as the result, so you can pick at the different object fields to extract your data instead of the tedious way you normally parse WMIC (or any external command's) output from CMD.

Parsing WMIC from CMD:

Code:

for /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion ^| findstr /v SMBIOSBIOSVersion') do set version=%%a

Because the Get-WMIObject Win32_BIOS call returns a data object with multiple fields, you can extract just the Version:

Code:

PS C:\Users\GARLIN\Downloads> Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS

SMBIOSBIOSVersion : 9ECN37WW(V2.01)
Manufacturer      : LENOVO
Name              : Compiler Version: VC 9.0
SerialNumber      : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Version           : LENOVO - 1

PS C:\Users\GARLIN\Downloads> $Version = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS | select Version

WyattCollins · Jan 25, 2026

so following all this...currently I can still use it but in 26H2...yep...no longer used?

zbook · Jan 25, 2026

garlin said:
So you don't really need to call external Windows tools like WMIC.

If or when wmic is no longer available what are replacement commands when booting into Windows RE?

Try3 · Jan 25, 2026

zbook said:
what are replacement commands

They vary depending on exactly which of the many WMIC commands you want to replace.
For example, instead of
wmic os get LocalDateTime
I can use
Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object -ExpandProperty LocalDateTime
but the responses are in different formats.

There's further info in the links I posted earlier.

All the best,
Denis

zbook · Jan 25, 2026

Try3 said:
They vary depending on exactly which of the many WMIC commands you want to replace.

Without a universal command: how would this be modified:

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-Partition | Select-Object DriveLetter, PartitionNumber, Guid

Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object DriveLetter, PartitionNumber, Guid

Try3 · Jan 25, 2026

zbook said:
how would this be modified

I don't know.
But it looks like you have posted viable PS commands already. Well, at least the first one looks viable.

Working with WMI - MSLearn
Get-CimInstance - MSLearn

Denis

pseymour · Jan 25, 2026

WyattCollins said:
so following all this...currently I can still use it but in 26H2...yep...no longer used?

It hasn’t been announced, but this year marks the 10th year of deprecation, so it would make sense. Any new scripts/processes should be written in PowerShell or something else, and any existing things should be migrated pretty soon.

garlin · Jan 25, 2026

zbook said:
If or when wmic is no longer available what are replacement commands when booting into Windows RE?

PS isn't built into WinPE or WinRE because it requires additional libraries.

But you can create a custom image, by mounting it and using the Windows ADK Add-on's to add the PS optional components. WinRE is a specialized version of WinPE. There's a specific order that must be followed in adding the OC's (because of layered dependencies). Usually you can find an online guide which walks you through the process.

Try3 · Jan 25, 2026

zbook said:
when booting into Windows RE

Sorry I misled you.
I'm glad garlin has corrected me.

Denis

Try3 · Jan 25, 2026

TairikuOkami said:
VBS ... disabled by default now

Do note that the member who posted this is on build 28020.1362

My 25H2 [26200.7171] still has VBS without my having taken any action about it.

Denis

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