GI.bench Licensing on Windows 11: What the WMIC Removal Changes

What changed in Windows

Microsoft has been phasing out WMIC, the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line utility, over several release cycles. With the preview update KB5120998 (OS builds 26100.9278 and 26200.9278), released in August 2026, WMIC is gone from Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2.

Only the command-line utility disappeared. The WMI infrastructure underneath is untouched, and the same system information is still available through other interfaces. Earlier Windows versions still ship WMIC, though it has carried deprecated status there for some time.

Why this affects GI.bench

Older GI.bench versions call WMIC to read specific system information. Licensing uses that information to tie a license to a machine. When WMIC is no longer on the system, the query comes back empty, and GI.bench may stop recognizing a license that is perfectly valid.

On your test bench it looks like this: GI.bench starts on a PC where it has always worked, then reports the license as missing or invalid. Nothing happened to your license. What changed is how the software reads the machine it runs on.

The fix: update GI.bench

Update to GI.bench 1.19.x or newer. Licensing in the current version does not depend on WMIC at all, so it works on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 with the August 2026 update installed, and on every other current Windows version.

Your existing license stays valid. After the update, GI.bench detects it again. You do not need a new license, and the update costs nothing.

Alternative for older Windows versions

On older Windows 11 builds, where WMIC has only been disabled and still ships as a Windows Feature on Demand, you can switch it back on for the time being. Microsoft describes how in How to install WMIC Feature on Demand on Windows 11.

Treat that as breathing room, not a fix. WMIC is disappearing across the whole Windows 11 line, so any machine kept running this way will hit the same wall later.

Important: on 24H2 and 25H2, updating is the only option

Once the August 2026 update is installed on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, WMIC is removed rather than disabled. It is no longer offered as a Feature on Demand, and it cannot be switched back on. On those machines, updating to GI.bench 1.19.x or newer is the only way to get licensing working again.

What to do now

1. Check which Windows 11 version and update level your measurement PC is running.
2. Download and install GI.bench 1.19.x or newer. The installation guide in GI.knowledgebase walks you through it.
3. Start GI.bench and check that the license is recognized.
4. If licensing still fails, send your license details and the Windows build number to Gantner Instruments Technical Support.

Software that runs on measurement PCs for years has to survive the operating system underneath it changing. Taking WMIC out of GI.bench licensing is part of that: one component less between your test setup and the data it produces. If you run a validated or qualified test bench where software cannot be updated at short notice, talk to our support team before the next Windows rollout reaches those machines.