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  1. C:
  2. Windows
  3. System32
  4. wbem
FolderRisk: Do not touch

wbem C:\Windows\System32\wbem

WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) folder: tools, providers, MOF files and the WMI repository.

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

wbem (Web-Based Enterprise Management) is the folder of the WMI infrastructure: the Winmgmt service, its providers and its repository. WMI is how management tools, monitoring, scripts and many applications read system configuration and state. The winmgmt tool lives here too.

What it contains

  • WMI components: winmgmt, provider hosts and provider DLLs.
  • MOF and MFL files that define WMI classes.
  • Repository: the WMI database.
  • Logs and AutoRecover: the WMI logs and the list of MOF files to recompile if the repository is rebuilt.

Risks and best practices

  • WMI is essential to inventory, monitoring and many administration tools, so do not delete or move anything here.
  • When WMI misbehaves, check the repository with winmgmt /verifyrepository before any repair. Back up before repairing, and do not deploy MOF files of unknown origin.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
:: Check WMI repository consistency (as administrator)
winmgmt /verifyrepository
Fenêtre de terminal
# Simple WMI/CIM test
Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object Caption, Version, LastBootUpTime

Folder contents

Folders 2

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