Harware info.
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Hi all, I would like to write program, hardware info - like cpu-Z(it's realy great tool!). I tried WMI, but I wasn't able to get memory type (DDR,DDR2), frequency and other things. What should I focus in? Could you help me? Thanks.
WMI is useful, but accesses a HUGE number of classes, often with names that don't seem to accurately describe the information that is available. If you have, WMI CIM Studio[^], that utility is the best place to start looking for the information. This is available as the WMI Adminstrative Tools download for Windows XP[^] For instance, when you start WMI CIM Studio, you want to view instances of the Win32_PhysicalMemory class[^] on your computer. Read down the page of the documentation until you locate the property, MemoryType. This information is often reported by the device driver (in this case), and may not be available, depending on how the driver is implemented. Once you know the information is available it is a simple matter to code the WMI query, but locating it initially, especially if you don't even know where to look can be very time comsuming. Read through the documentation that comes with your Visual Studio version for the Win32_classes, this can be helpful. This MSDN Code Example demonstrates How To Get WMI Information From Your Local Computer[^]
modified on Saturday, July 5, 2008 3:08 PM
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WMI is useful, but accesses a HUGE number of classes, often with names that don't seem to accurately describe the information that is available. If you have, WMI CIM Studio[^], that utility is the best place to start looking for the information. This is available as the WMI Adminstrative Tools download for Windows XP[^] For instance, when you start WMI CIM Studio, you want to view instances of the Win32_PhysicalMemory class[^] on your computer. Read down the page of the documentation until you locate the property, MemoryType. This information is often reported by the device driver (in this case), and may not be available, depending on how the driver is implemented. Once you know the information is available it is a simple matter to code the WMI query, but locating it initially, especially if you don't even know where to look can be very time comsuming. Read through the documentation that comes with your Visual Studio version for the Win32_classes, this can be helpful. This MSDN Code Example demonstrates How To Get WMI Information From Your Local Computer[^]
modified on Saturday, July 5, 2008 3:08 PM
Thank you for reply, I know Win32_PhysicalMemory class, there is the MemoryType property. But on the Windows XP prof. with sp2 I wasn't able to get proper MemoryType-DDR2, it returns unknown memory type. I tried it on 100 machines. I also had a problem with memory speed(it depends on hardware I think). Cpu-Z returns corect result(memory type and speed). Does it exist another solution? Thanks.
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Thank you for reply, I know Win32_PhysicalMemory class, there is the MemoryType property. But on the Windows XP prof. with sp2 I wasn't able to get proper MemoryType-DDR2, it returns unknown memory type. I tried it on 100 machines. I also had a problem with memory speed(it depends on hardware I think). Cpu-Z returns corect result(memory type and speed). Does it exist another solution? Thanks.
Ah,...I was wondering how many queries you'd already tried. That's the problem with WMI, it often doesn't produce the results you need. But, it's the logical place to start. I went over to the CPUID Developer System Information SDK site[^], and I got the impression that they did alot of research into the various hardware capabilities. The promotional material at the site states: "At the core of the CPUID kits is a powerful hardware detection engine based on a kernel-mode software driver". Also, "CPU-Z benefits from a great support of the hardware industry, resulting in the best source of information and a quick reactivity in the support of latest technologies.' ...This is WAY BEYOND WMI,...
modified on Sunday, July 6, 2008 5:03 PM
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Ah,...I was wondering how many queries you'd already tried. That's the problem with WMI, it often doesn't produce the results you need. But, it's the logical place to start. I went over to the CPUID Developer System Information SDK site[^], and I got the impression that they did alot of research into the various hardware capabilities. The promotional material at the site states: "At the core of the CPUID kits is a powerful hardware detection engine based on a kernel-mode software driver". Also, "CPU-Z benefits from a great support of the hardware industry, resulting in the best source of information and a quick reactivity in the support of latest technologies.' ...This is WAY BEYOND WMI,...
modified on Sunday, July 6, 2008 5:03 PM
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Thank you again, that is realy pity, because I thought that it exists simpler solution. Kind regards.
I agree. I had the same problem with my laptop sound card. Neither WMI nor the registry contained any useful information at all, except the trade name and manufacturer of the device. I happened to run into this article: What Every Programmer Should Know About Memory[^], it might give you some ideas (although it just concerns memory hardware).