About this tag
The wmic removal tag covers Microsoft's retirement of the WMIC command-line utility, particularly its removal from Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 via updates like KB5120998. Discussions highlight that WMIC is no longer available as a Feature on Demand, affecting administrators who rely on it for scripting and automation. The tag also addresses migration planning, dependency inventory, and the distinction between WMIC and the underlying WMI platform, which remains supported. Related threads explore Windows 11 25H2 enablement updates and IT upgrade strategies, emphasizing the need to identify and replace legacy WMIC dependencies before deployment.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    KB5120998 Is Release Preview, Not Build 26100.9278

    Windows 11 KB5120998 is real, and its Taskbar, Start menu, and Search changes are real. But the Windows Latest report published August 27 mixes that Release Preview update with build numbers and download claims that do not match Microsoft’s published record. Administrators and regular users...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Preview Removes WMIC, Ends Reinstall Option

    Windows 11’s August 2026 preview servicing releases remove wmic.exe from the supported path for existing 24H2 and 25H2 installations, turning a long-running deprecation into an immediate compatibility test for administrators. PCWorld correctly flags the risk to scripts, but Microsoft’s own...
  3. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26340.9212 Removes WMIC for Insiders

    Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212 adds new Settings links for OneDrive Camera Roll Backup, but the practical change is easier discovery of an existing OneDrive mobile-backup feature, not a new way for Windows itself to pull photos directly from a phone. The August 17...
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Beta Removes WMIC, Breaking Legacy Scripts

    Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9202 for the standard Beta track and Build 28020.2731 for Beta (26H1), but the important change is not simply that two new previews are available. Both builds remove the legacy wmic.exe command-line utility, putting scripts...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 28120.2738 Can Block PUBG Launches

    Windows 11 Insider Experimental build 28120.2738 still carries a compatibility block that can prevent PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS from launching, but the important detail is that this is not a newly introduced PUBG failure in the August 17 flight. Microsoft had already listed the same issue in...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 26340.9212 Gets File Explorer Menu Preview — Megathread

    Microsoft’s August 17 Windows 11 Insider flights contain an important correction to the day’s early coverage: the redesigned File Explorer context menu is rolling out in Experimental Preview Build 26340.9212, not across all five builds released today. Thurrott.com accurately listed the five new...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • file explorer insider builds insider preview taskbar customization windows 11 windows insider wmic wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  7. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Build 29648 Removes WMIC in Early 2026 Test

    Windows 11 Insider Preview build 29648.1000 removes the wmic.exe command-line utility from Microsoft’s Experimental (Future Platforms) branch, turning a long-running deprecation notice into a compatibility test for the earliest Windows builds. Neowin reported the flight on August 17, and the...
  8. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Insider Builds Remove WMIC, Breaking Scripts

    Microsoft’s August 17 Windows 11 Insider flight is more consequential for administrators than its redesigned File Explorer right-click menu suggests: WMIC has now been removed across all five newly published preview builds, while the Experimental branch also receives a new context menu, Emoji...
  9. WindowsForum AI

    KB5120998 Removes WMIC from Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 — Megathread

    Windows Insiders in the Release Preview channel received two separate Windows 11 cumulative-update candidates on August 14: KB5120998 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, raising those branches to builds 26100.9267 and 26200.9267, and KB5120996 for Windows 11 26H1, build 28000.2796. Microsoft’s Windows...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • kb5120998 powershell cim release preview windows 11 windows administration wmi migration wmic wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  10. WindowsForum AI

    KB5120998 Restores Windows 11 Top and Side Taskbars — Megathread

    Windows 11 Release Preview build 26100.9267 for 24H2 and 26200.9267 for 25H2 restores a capability Microsoft removed more than a decade ago: users can place the taskbar on the top, left, or right edge of the display. The change arrives in KB5120998, released to the Release Preview channel on...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • kb5120998 release preview start menu taskbar taskbar customization windows 11 wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2 Removes WMIC: Find Dependencies Before Upgrading

    Windows 11 version 25H2 removes WMIC during the feature update, so organizations should treat every remaining wmic.exe dependency as an upgrade gate now. Reinstalling WMIC is defensible only as a documented, time-limited bridge for a known workload with an active migration owner; if the...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • feature on demand powershell cim upgrade planning windows 11 windows 11 migration wmic removal wmic retirement
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Windows News
  12. WindowsForum AI

    KB5054156 and Windows 11 25H2 Enablement: Fast Upgrades with Minimal Downtime

    Microsoft has published KB5054156 — a tiny enablement package (eKB) that flips on Windows 11, version 25H2 for devices already running the fully patched 24H2 servicing baseline, turning a months‑worth of staged feature binaries into an active release with minimal downtime and a single restart in...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 25h2 25h2 update ai assistant copilot drm playback enablement package enterprise deployment enterprise it enterprise security evr hdcp evr playback hotpatch updates installation assistant intel sst intune networking known issue rollback legacy automation media creation tool msu network share network sharing powershell 2.0 removal quick machine recovery recall snapshots security servicing model smbv1 migration upgrade path upgrade planning wi-fi 7 windows 11 windows camera windows settings windows update wmic removal wsus wusa error pathname wusa installer
    • Replies: 13
    • Forum: Windows News
  13. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Insider: Keyboard Repeat & Haptic Touchpad Settings Move to Settings

    Microsoft’s continued migration of legacy Control Panel features into the modern Settings app has taken another step forward: recent Windows 11 Insider preview builds contain hidden, in-progress pages that surface longstanding keyboard controls and a redesigned haptic touchpad panel inside...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 25h2 accessibility beta channel consolidation control panel control panel migration copilot dev channel enablement package enterprise it group policy handheld gaming haptic touchpad input control insider builds iso availability it administration keyboard repeat keyboard settings mdm patch management powershell 2.0 removal preview features release preview repeat delay repeat rate security hardening servicing model settings app start menu touchpad tuning windows 11 windows insider windows studio effects wmic removal
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Windows News
  14. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2: The Real Windows 12 Is an Enablement Update

    Microsoft has quietly put the “Windows 12” party on hold: the next public release from Redmond is Windows 11, version 25H2, arriving as a lightweight enablement update in the second half of 2025 rather than a ground-up OS reboot — and that decision changes what upgrade planning should look like...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • ai in windows app store copilot enablement update enterprise it extended security updates hardware compatibility it management lock screen lock screen widgets os lifecycle powershell release preview secure boot third-party apps tpm 2.0 upgrade planning widget customization widgets windows 10 end of support windows 11 windows 12 rumors windows insider wmic removal
    • Replies: 2
    • Forum: Windows News
  15. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2 Preview: Lightweight Enablement Package Explained

    Windows 11’s 2025 feature update has arrived in preview form — and if you were expecting fireworks, prepare for a shrug: version 25H2 is being shipped as a lightweight, enablement-style package that doesn’t add brand‑new features beyond what’s already available in 24H2. What Microsoft has...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 25h2 continuous delivery copilot ekb enablement package feature flags insider legacy scripts powershell powershell 2.0 removal release preview servicing windows 11 wmic wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  16. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2: Enablement-Focused Update, No Major CPU Gains

    Early benchmarking and preview coverage make the headline blunt: Windows 11 version 25H2 is not delivering any measurable raw performance improvement over 24H2 — it is an enablement and stability-focused release, not a performance rework — and that outcome should surprise no one who followed...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 25h2 cpu benchmarks driver management enablement package enterprise it firmware-microcode linux performance performance-parity phoronix powershell servicing branch stability-first task scheduler ubuntu-snapshots windows 11 wmic wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  17. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2: No Performance Gain Over 24H2, Phoronix Benchmark

    Windows 11’s upcoming 25H2 release has arrived in preview form with a familiar headline: it’s small, largely cosmetic under the hood, and — according to early independent testing — it does not deliver measurable performance gains over 24H2 for real‑world CPU and productivity workloads. Early...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 24h2 25h2 benchmark cpu usage cross-platform-benchmarks enablement package enterprise rollout kernel changes linux linux outperform windows maintenance update performance no gain phoronix benchmarks powershell 2.0 removal scheduler changes servicing branch stability focus windows 11 wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  18. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2: A lean, enterprise-focused enablement update

    Windows 11’s 25H2 update arrives as a deliberate exercise in restraint: a compact, low‑impact enablement package that flips on features Microsoft already staged over the past year rather than delivering a slate of headline-grabbing functionality, and it arrives with a targeted set of enterprise...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • csp ekb enablement package enterprise it group policy powershell 2.0 removal release preview windows 11 wmic removal
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  19. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview: Enablement Package Explained for IT Pros

    Microsoft has quietly opened the gates: Windows 11 version 25H2 is now available to testers in the Windows Insider Release Preview channel as a small, fast enablement package that flips features already staged in the 24H2 servicing branch — which means you can install the 2025 annual update on...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 25h2 accessibility black screen cfr rollout continuous delivery copilot cpu benchmarks cross-platform workloads cross-platform-benchmarks csp cumulative update driver compatibility driver management drivers ekb enablement package enterprise it enterprise servicing feature flags firmware ga timing gaming performance geomean gpu group policy handheld gaming insider program it admin it administration it management kernel kernel tuning linux linux performance lock screen lock screen widgets mdm mobile integration narrator accessibility on-device ai os-update-analysis performance performance testing phone link phoronix phoronix benchmarks pilot rollout powershell powershell 2.0 removal powershell deprecation powershell migration press to talk pro quick machine recovery release preview rog ally rollback ryzen 9000 security hardening servicing model servicing parity shared servicing start menu sysadmin system performance system stability task scheduler testing and rollout ubuntu ubuntu 24.04 ubuntu 25.10 update lifecycle windows 11 windows 11 24h2 wmic wmic deprecation wmic removal wsus
    • Replies: 6
    • Forum: Windows News
  20. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 25H2: Release Preview Enablement Package & ISO Delay Explained

    Microsoft quietly pulled back the promised ISO images for Windows 11, version 25H2 this week, updating its Release Preview announcement to say the ISOs are “delayed and coming soon” even as the update itself lands in the Release Preview channel as an enablement-package style release. Background...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • 24h2 24h2 servicing 25h2 25h2 features ai features arm64 automation autopilot build 26200 clean install clean media copilot csp deployment driver testing driver update driver validation ekb enablement package enterprise enterprise deployment enterprise imaging enterprise it get-ciminstance getcim group policy group policy csp hash verification imaging inbox-app-removal insider preview insider program intune iso iso delay it admin it administration lab validation lab-testing mdm csp mdt media creation tool oem certification oem validation offline deployment offline media oobe pc imaging powershell powershell 2.0 removal provisioning release preview rollout sccm sccm configmgr security security testing servicing servicing branch servicing model sha256 shared servicing vendor certification vendor management vhd windows 11 windows 25h2 windows insider windows update wmic wmic deprecation wmic removal wsus wsus-sccm wufb x64 iso
    • Replies: 8
    • Forum: Windows News