WMI troubleshooting

In our environment, we basically run winrm quickconfig on all our machines. For those not joined to a domain, we also add them to the TrustedHosts list. For machines not joined to a domain, there is an added difficulty. If you are using the IP address instead of the host name, it definitely offers a few challenges.

A good strategy is to get remoteWMI to work, then integrate it in Remote Desktop Manager. We like to use WMIC.

Problem 1

Access denied error.

Solution

Make sure that the user account has the necessary permissions to access a computer remotely. See Securing a Remote WMI Connection (Windows).

You can also find troubleshoot tips in WMI Troubleshooting (Windows).

Problem 2

Error getting products informations.

Solution

Invalid Class WMI or WMI class not found on Windows Server 2003. On Windows Server 2003, Win32_Product is not enabled by default. You can enable it by following the steps provided in this Microsoft Forum.

Problem 3

Testing from a remote computer.

Solution

The WMIC command is used to test if you have access to the machine through WMI. You need to enter the following command:

wmic /NODE:"ComputerName" bios get serialnumber

Below is an example with other credentials:

wmic /NODE:"ComputerName" /user:"username" /password:"password" bios get serialnumber

Problem 4

Load from System Information does not work. Error getting Bios information.

Solution

This error can have several origins. Please validate the following:

• Sessions must be RDP.
• The station must be on the same domain.
• The credentials must be in the Tools section of the session and be accurate.
• Test the WMI requests directly from the station to see if the communication is working.