WMI Filters for Windows 7, XP & Server 2008 R2 Terminal Server

[FN-GM]

Hi,

I am looking for a WMI for Windows ThinPC. I wonder if anyone can help please?

Thanks

[SYNACK]

Run this on one "wmic OS Get Caption" assuming it has that exe and then filter by what it says. it should give you the OS caption which it probably different and so filterable for.

[Arthur]

Here's the PowerShell equivalent of Synack's WMIC command should you need it.

(Get-WmiObject -Class win32_OperatingSystem).caption

[FN-GM]

Sorry for the long reply. Only just got time to carry on with the project.

Once i have run that what would i do with the information displayed please?

[Arthur]

A few examples...

Windows 7 Ultimate

Select * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Caption = "Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate")

Windows 7 (All Editions)

Select * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Caption LIKE "Microsoft Windows 7%")

[FN-GM]

@Arthur Sorry for the long reply

What do we need the brackets for? If i want to use the above caption to detect 7 and 32 bit would this do please?

SELECT * FROM WIN32_OperatingSystem WHERE (Caption LIKE "Microsoft Windows 7%") AND (OSArchitecture='32-bit')

Thanks

[Arthur]

What do we need the brackets for?

I'm not sure why I did it, but the brackets aren't required in the example above. I think I woke up too early that day.

For future reference, if you have a WMI filter which contains several different Boolean operators (ANDs and ORs for example), make sure you read this article first.

If I want to use the above caption to detect 7 and 32 bit would this do please?

Your example is fine. Another alternative would be to check the OS version...

SELECT * FROM WIN32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version LIKE '6.1.%' AND OSArchitecture='32-bit'

I would also try to avoid using too many WMI filters if you can. Item-level targeting of GPPs will almost always be faster (if that is an option?)...

WMI filters take some percentage of performance away each and every time Group Policy processing is evaluated. That is, at every logon, at startup and every 90 minutes thereafter, you'll take a little performance hit because WMI filters are re-evaluated. So, be careful and don’t link a GPO to the domain level or every single Windows XP machine and later will work hard to evaluate that WMI query. (Source)

WMI Filters have been around since Windows XP/2003 and are a great way to filter your Group Policy Objects based on the hardware of the computer that the policy is applied. However performing a WMI queries can take a substantial amount of time and if you have multiple WMI filters applying to your computers you have a significant performance decrease. Once again you can get around having to resort to using WMI Filters as Group Policy Preference Item-Level Targeting also have a number of options you can target hardware. Unlike WMI the Preference targeting engine has the performance advantage of being written in native code so it is much faster at determining what setting to apply. (Source)

[FN-GM]

I would also try to avoid using too many WMI filters if you can. Item-level targeting of GPPs will almost always be faster (if that is an option?)...

For what I am using it won't help :-) Also I only have a few I am tweaking existing ones.

I also can't use the WMI thta you posted as it picks up Windows Thin PC as well so that's why I am making tweaks to the existing ones.


Thanks for your help :-)

[FN-GM]

Hi @Arthur do you know a WMI to pickup a clientname on an RDP session please? The option i want to do cant be done via group policy preferences.

Thanks

[Arthur]

Not sure to be honest. Are you able to use the %ClientName% environment variable like you did in this thread?

[FN-GM]

Yep seems to work, i dont think its possible. I have been googling and found nothing.

Thanks

[rich_tech]

Apologies for raising a very old thread here, I really dont normally do this, but this has thrown up a possible answer to a fiddly problem were having at the moment and I want to know if what I propose is achievable :-

SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version = '6.1%' AND ProductType = '1' AND ( OSArchitecture="32-bit" OR OSArchitecture="64-bit" )

Basically, we are now looking at Windows 7 64 bit in the school that I work in and we are finding that our GPOs arent applying to the 64 bit clients, this is because of the existing 32 bit only filtering in place, so I am obviously trying to create a WMI filter to allow us to include the 64 bit machines into the fray, would the WMI filter that I have put above work ? (I got it off an existing 64 bit WMI filter in our forest and wanted to know if what I have altered in here is going to get the results we want.

or can anyone help guide me in the right path if possible ?

Thanks,

Richard

[FN-GM]

select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where Version like "6.1%" and ProductType = "1"

That will pickup both 32 and 64

[rich_tech]

Thanks for that, much appreciated !

[kennysarmy]

Slightly different take on the same theme:

I have the following working WMI filters:

Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem Where Version like "5.1%" and ProductType = "1"
Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem Where Version like "6.1%" and ProductType = "1"

So I can target XP and Win7 seperately.

I know want to add Win7 64bit in to the fray as a new WMI filter

Anything existing can be filetered as is I reckon, so I just need a new WMI filter so I can target specific policies to 64 bit windows 7.

Would this work for the new WMI filter?
Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem Where Version like "6.1%" and ProductType = "1" and AddressWidth="64"

I am also wondering if I should edit my existing WMI filter for Windows 7 so that it applies only to 32 bit.

Or would three WMI filters for Windows 7 give me most flexibility.
One for all flavours, one for 32 bit and one fore 64 bit

Does anyone else do it that way?

So I am guessing I would have:

Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem Where Version like "6.1%" and ProductType = "1" and AddressWidth="64"
Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem Where Version like "6.1%" and ProductType = "1" and AddressWidth="32"
SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version = '6.1%' AND ProductType = '1' AND ( OSArchitecture="32-bit" OR OSArchitecture="64-bit" )

Comments appreciated.