Due to wmic has been deprecated. Replace wmic command in attach process with powershell command.

[ZA139]

Hi,

According to issue #744, WMIC is deprecated as of Windows 10 version 21H1 and the 21H1 semi-annual channel release of Windows Server. This utility is superseded by Windows PowerShell for WMI.

Changes:

• The PowerShell command "Get-CimInstance" is now the first option on Windows
• For older Windows versions without CIM support, it falls back to "Get-WmiObject" for legacy compatibility
• If PowerShell is not available, it automatically falls back to WMIC for maximum legacy compatibility
• No Feature Changed

Additional changes:

• Added unit tests for PowerShell process listing functionality
• Added unit tests for automatic command fallback behavior:
  • Test PowerShell command execution when PowerShell is available
  • Test WMIC command execution when PowerShell is not available
• Added unit tests for Get-CimInstance failure scenarios
• The AttachProcessProvider now accepts an optional ProcessListCommand parameter in getAttachItems and _getInternalProcessEntries, allowing callers to specify the process listing command
• Updated unit tests to use the new parameter for precise control over process command selection

Best Regards
Charles

[ZA139]

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[jborean93]

Is it really worth adding the fallback to the old WMI cmdlet? Get-CimInstance has been present since PowerShell v3 which is included in Windows 8/Server 2012 which even now are end of life. Even older Windows versions can install PowerShell 5.1.

[ZA139]

Is it really worth adding the fallback to the old WMI cmdlet? Get-CimInstance has been present since PowerShell v3 which is included in Windows 8/Server 2012 which even now are end of life. Even older Windows versions can install PowerShell 5.1.

Thank you for raising this! You're absolutely right from a technical standpoint – Get-CimInstance has been around since PowerShell v3 and is indeed ubiquitous.

I added the fallback logic through Get-WmiObject and even down to WMIC, mostly out of a "just-in-case" mindset, trying to maximize compatibility as a community dev for anyone who might run this in a locked-down or legacy environment.

That said, I'm not attached to the extra fallbacks. Think of this PR as a conversation starter. I'm totally fine with any of these approaches:

• Keep the full fallback chain for max compatibility.
• Simplify it (e.g., remove Get-WmiObject but keep Get-CimInstance → WMIC).
• Or just standardize on Get-CimInstance and keep things clean.

If Microsoft prefers to simplify the code and drop the legacy support, I'm 100% on board. Just let me know what you'd like, and I'll update the PR accordingly. I'll happily strip it out.

[ZA139]

Hello @eleanorjboyd. I hope it's okay to follow up on this. I wanted to check if there is a reviewer available to look at this PR. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to assist in moving the process along. I appreciate your time and consideration.

[eleanorjboyd]

Sorry for the delay!

@Tyriar could you take a look at this by chance? Karthik also mentioned you have a package that returns this process info you made- would this be a fit to switch over to using that and would that be advantageous?

[Tyriar]

@eleanorjboyd this is that package: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-windows-process-tree, yes I'd recommend using that over launching pwsh as it was built for speed and avoids launching any processes.

[ZA139]

@eleanorjboyd this is that package: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-windows-process-tree, yes I'd recommend using that over launching pwsh as it was built for speed and avoids launching any processes.

Is this replacement already WIP? If not, I'd be happy to pick this up and work on integrating the vscode-windows-process-tree package to replace the current pwsh launching method. ETD is end of month.

[eleanorjboyd]

no it hasn't been started - we would greatly appreciate your help!

[ZA139]

no it hasn't been started - we would greatly appreciate your help!

Perfect. I'll get started on it right away. Thanks! ;D

[ZA139]

@eleanorjboyd this is that package: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-windows-process-tree, yes I'd recommend using that over launching pwsh as it was built for speed and avoids launching any processes.

@Tyriar Thanks for the information. I'll proceed with the implementation.
Just to confirm the plan for Windows before I dive in:

• Primary: Use vscode-windows-process-tree.getProcessList for maximum performance.
• Fallback: For stability, I propose falling back directly to WMIC (the current, stable fallback) if the native module fails. This provides a simple and reliable backup.
• Flexibility: Of course, I'm happy to include the modern PowerShell commands (Get-CimInstance) as an intermediate step in the fallback chain if you think it provides additional value or compatibility.

On Linux/macOS, the code will remain unchanged and use the existing ps command.

Looking forward to your feedback on the fallback strategy. Thanks for your guidance!


[Tyriar]

Flexibility: Of course, I'm happy to include the modern PowerShell commands (Get-CimInstance) as an intermediate step in the fallback chain if you think it provides additional value or compatibility.

I'm not sure about the performance of that particular command, but the main problem on Windows is launching processes has extra overhead which is noticeable when called a lot.

[ZA139]

Flexibility: Of course, I'm happy to include the modern PowerShell commands (Get-CimInstance) as an intermediate step in the fallback chain if you think it provides additional value or compatibility.

I'm not sure about the performance of that particular command, but the main problem on Windows is launching processes has extra overhead which is noticeable when called a lot.

Agreed. The native module is the optimal solution as it requires no process launch.
I'll implement the process-tree → WMIC chain. The fallback should only be needed in very rare scenarios where the native module fails to load. Let's keep it simple. XD
This approach maximizes performance while ensuring compatibility. I'll get started on it right away. Thanks!