Click here to Skip to main content
15,886,776 members
Articles / Programming Languages / Visual Basic

Retrieving Information From Windows Management Instrumentation

Rate me:
Please Sign up or sign in to vote.
4.93/5 (39 votes)
15 Jul 2010CDDL15 min read 85.4K   7.4K   62  
How to use WMI to get system information and present it to the user in an easy to understand format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<root>
  <!-- 
    Microsoft ResX Schema 
    
    Version 2.0
    
    The primary goals of this format is to allow a simple XML format 
    that is mostly human readable. The generation and parsing of the 
    various data types are done through the TypeConverter classes 
    associated with the data types.
    
    Example:
    
    ... ado.net/XML headers & schema ...
    <resheader name="resmimetype">text/microsoft-resx</resheader>
    <resheader name="version">2.0</resheader>
    <resheader name="reader">System.Resources.ResXResourceReader, System.Windows.Forms, ...</resheader>
    <resheader name="writer">System.Resources.ResXResourceWriter, System.Windows.Forms, ...</resheader>
    <data name="Name1"><value>this is my long string</value><comment>this is a comment</comment></data>
    <data name="Color1" type="System.Drawing.Color, System.Drawing">Blue</data>
    <data name="Bitmap1" mimetype="application/x-microsoft.net.object.binary.base64">
        <value>[base64 mime encoded serialized .NET Framework object]</value>
    </data>
    <data name="Icon1" type="System.Drawing.Icon, System.Drawing" mimetype="application/x-microsoft.net.object.bytearray.base64">
        <value>[base64 mime encoded string representing a byte array form of the .NET Framework object]</value>
        <comment>This is a comment</comment>
    </data>
                
    There are any number of "resheader" rows that contain simple 
    name/value pairs.
    
    Each data row contains a name, and value. The row also contains a 
    type or mimetype. Type corresponds to a .NET class that support 
    text/value conversion through the TypeConverter architecture. 
    Classes that don't support this are serialized and stored with the 
    mimetype set.
    
    The mimetype is used for serialized objects, and tells the 
    ResXResourceReader how to depersist the object. This is currently not 
    extensible. For a given mimetype the value must be set accordingly:
    
    Note - application/x-microsoft.net.object.binary.base64 is the format 
    that the ResXResourceWriter will generate, however the reader can 
    read any of the formats listed below.
    
    mimetype: application/x-microsoft.net.object.binary.base64
    value   : The object must be serialized with 
            : System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter
            : and then encoded with base64 encoding.
    
    mimetype: application/x-microsoft.net.object.soap.base64
    value   : The object must be serialized with 
            : System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Soap.SoapFormatter
            : and then encoded with base64 encoding.

    mimetype: application/x-microsoft.net.object.bytearray.base64
    value   : The object must be serialized into a byte array 
            : using a System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter
            : and then encoded with base64 encoding.
    -->
  <xsd:schema id="root" xmlns="" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:msdata="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-msdata">
    <xsd:import namespace="http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace" />
    <xsd:element name="root" msdata:IsDataSet="true">
      <xsd:complexType>
        <xsd:choice maxOccurs="unbounded">
          <xsd:element name="metadata">
            <xsd:complexType>
              <xsd:sequence>
                <xsd:element name="value" type="xsd:string" minOccurs="0" />
              </xsd:sequence>
              <xsd:attribute name="name" use="required" type="xsd:string" />
              <xsd:attribute name="type" type="xsd:string" />
              <xsd:attribute name="mimetype" type="xsd:string" />
              <xsd:attribute ref="xml:space" />
            </xsd:complexType>
          </xsd:element>
          <xsd:element name="assembly">
            <xsd:complexType>
              <xsd:attribute name="alias" type="xsd:string" />
              <xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" />
            </xsd:complexType>
          </xsd:element>
          <xsd:element name="data">
            <xsd:complexType>
              <xsd:sequence>
                <xsd:element name="value" type="xsd:string" minOccurs="0" msdata:Ordinal="1" />
                <xsd:element name="comment" type="xsd:string" minOccurs="0" msdata:Ordinal="2" />
              </xsd:sequence>
              <xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" use="required" msdata:Ordinal="1" />
              <xsd:attribute name="type" type="xsd:string" msdata:Ordinal="3" />
              <xsd:attribute name="mimetype" type="xsd:string" msdata:Ordinal="4" />
              <xsd:attribute ref="xml:space" />
            </xsd:complexType>
          </xsd:element>
          <xsd:element name="resheader">
            <xsd:complexType>
              <xsd:sequence>
                <xsd:element name="value" type="xsd:string" minOccurs="0" msdata:Ordinal="1" />
              </xsd:sequence>
              <xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" use="required" />
            </xsd:complexType>
          </xsd:element>
        </xsd:choice>
      </xsd:complexType>
    </xsd:element>
  </xsd:schema>
  <resheader name="resmimetype">
    <value>text/microsoft-resx</value>
  </resheader>
  <resheader name="version">
    <value>2.0</value>
  </resheader>
  <resheader name="reader">
    <value>System.Resources.ResXResourceReader, System.Windows.Forms, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089</value>
  </resheader>
  <resheader name="writer">
    <value>System.Resources.ResXResourceWriter, System.Windows.Forms, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089</value>
  </resheader>
  <metadata name="bwSearchWmiClass.TrayLocation" type="System.Drawing.Point, System.Drawing, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a">
    <value>17, 17</value>
  </metadata>
  <metadata name="ToolTips.TrayLocation" type="System.Drawing.Point, System.Drawing, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a">
    <value>174, 17</value>
  </metadata>
  <assembly alias="System.Drawing" name="System.Drawing, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />
  <data name="btnMSDNhelp.BackgroundImage" type="System.Drawing.Bitmap, System.Drawing" mimetype="application/x-microsoft.net.object.bytearray.base64">
    <value>
        R0lGODlhPgAjAIYAAP7+/WdlZf5pNkpGR/+EU/pcK+Q6CfnIt8zLytXU1f00AlpXWP2Zdjo2N/i0mPjg
        1hgUFb27vPacgCklJtw3Bfe4pPtIFrWztPX29YuJiv+XZugtAPssAOl3VcPCwv3q4qSio/fVyKuqqvr6
        +tnZ2fyfhd7d3f/6+JWTlObl5eLh4uNYLfaHaOl8WtorAPja0u7u7v318vyslurp6dtFF+iFZf/493x6
        enZzc+ZeMvHw8fj4+ISCg88qAOlMHPzPxU9MTf97R5COjv7v6//8+i4qK8jGx/0/DIB+fhEMDrCvr9jX
        2D88PG1qax4aG1NQUdHQ0RMPEJmYmAsJDF9cXSUhIjIuL6Cen+/v78/Ozv9VIuno6Hp3eMnIyR4rNevr
        6+2Sdu/w8N5VLTYyM6GgoPDv8OROIUM/QIJ/gPVRJvBfOLi3t/Ojje+mkPv7+/Ls5+fm5vfm36inp/B/
        YPT09PPz8+ZzUPZvR3Fvb9vb2+Tk5JaYnfM8DtfW13l3dv///yH/C05FVFNDQVBFMi4wAwEBAAAh+QQA
        AAAAACwAAAAAPgAjAAAI/wD/CBxIsKDBgwgTKlzIsKHDhxAjSpxIsaLFixgzVgThZMIFjSALSnFSRUTI
        k3+uVJmgBGVIOStbXkwBR+AWDx5mDDQRoUtNgl+6RMhSh6AOKGtM/IkwweOfMEr/wDDiISqWLSMULqBy
        QcmTCWMCZPkjpwFYrgLdKFlQpIqVGzAErgnQoEoDIUImFEHw5wYQEBG+WgEiYkcEEHoURonSgAmTIosX
        3DA7ZvEZpUrGJLFyxskAFX88NFj82IkVJw2WwDgTxQoTsBCijFHiIcJPhFWcRGmCoEsAJxCcUDHSpQkE
        CCJGLIjyBIEKJYW/PIlSBEUCBE2qQGCypM6T2E/WJP/IMCFKAD1u3CgsAmEB6D9GmEAYkEAglMpCTAww
        T4cgmeBCDESHcQ30scN3QCwhEAZURAHEewpph8JAKkyHxEAwABEFEhjcEEUVeHjQ3wg4RMFEVAKJYFoC
        GGh44UAZRDEACQxpJ4V6f5CwHw8D6TEdHn8ssYATSVSBgwoAlPhEXAMp4RaLGt4wkBsZzEfjQhLiqGMU
        aFA4XRM7/GGCEANAkEQTfcQIxBcEcWQFlFHgMNAOPMyXR40QoIDjEvt1KZAKGjahw0BwcAFBFSiQIZsH
        AwGABARjLNFinAONUOeMeOop0JZ+/gFonHqowGQEp6HQhXZN/KREAxCktoOGcqb/demdCy2WQVZ/QMFE
        EjgAIJAJZyRxQxYBACEEGdM1AIUbASTRnhA4WHHcGFnoMMCZc3roxRsMOeGEEGH+kcV+N+Cq34Z5UDFF
        Euw2AIJA4xKZhBMB4ABWFlgAkYQfA2GAxhQDPAAAEScUfIINMdgwEBlSJODrU0qYKuAFKPAFhRABBJAB
        AjiKKUUTAVzxxRcggAADABcIYUSjCOwRQQgOMFBCCRKUwAALElSK65QjPJxWz2npUEa4BAFQRhk4pvez
        z2m5EYcGRyigAB8GVE2DSxb9kIYCHGywgQsuXI31RDaUUIAFXHtNgRljS/QBAwIIgHbXFBiwwklMQxQC
        AwQQwiB32hsYkMNJRMQQA0QfVKDB4gQUcAQHfPhQ990hAfBABS8wdMIHP/DNuABaTA3GAR1Q4ANKH0jQ
        QhsvxEBEozYM8cABDvgtQBAEBAH6EWmwEWYIdnTgUhw1mLFCCxI4UEEFMpTAwh0WcMDBEVoUUIAWFqTB
        QggEffAA1kRUIEYP5FNgPgVebyC9AkdYYIEaLBzQNkJDONABDeST70L6G/CRRgds4N78EuKGF7TBDmKg
        AQVcUDcfqGEObPjB4QZIwYAAADs=
</value>
  </data>
  <metadata name="$this.TrayHeight" type="System.Int32, mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089">
    <value>45</value>
  </metadata>
</root>

By viewing downloads associated with this article you agree to the Terms of Service and the article's licence.

If a file you wish to view isn't highlighted, and is a text file (not binary), please let us know and we'll add colourisation support for it.

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL)


Written By
Other
United Kingdom United Kingdom
This member has not yet provided a Biography. Assume it's interesting and varied, and probably something to do with programming.

Comments and Discussions