chore(docs): add Windows wmic information to README

[MikeMcC399]

• Relates to Error: kill EPERM  #384

Issue

start-server-and-test uses the unmaintained npm package ps-tree@1.2.0, last published 6 years ago, with cross-platform support, to implement the shut down server functionality.

As shown in the ps-tree > README > Windows section, ps-tree makes use of the wmic utility on Windows. This is the "Windows Management Instrumentation command-line" utility executable, also referred to as WMIC (upper case).

WMIC has however been deprecated by Microsoft since Aug 2016 and is removed by default in Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025.

There is currently no higher version of ps-tree available which removes the dependency on WMIC. There are two associated open PRs indexzero/ps-tree#59 and indexzero/ps-tree#62 which have not received any maintainer feedback.

Change

Add information into the README > Install section for Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025.

References

• Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows Server 2012 Aug 30, 2016

  • WMI providers

  The WMI command-line tool (Wmic) is deprecated. Use PowerShell cmdlets instead.

• Deprecated features for Windows client Nov 14, 2024

  Windows Management Instrumentation command-line (WMIC) utility.

  The WMIC utility is deprecated in Windows 10, version 21H1 and the 21H1 General Availability Channel release of Windows Server. This utility is superseded by Windows PowerShell for WMI. Note: This deprecation applies to only the command-line management utility. WMI itself isn't affected.

  [Update - January 2024]: Currently, WMIC is a Feature on Demand (FoD) that's preinstalled by default in Windows 11, versions 23H2 and 22H2. In the next release of Windows, the WMIC FoD will be disabled by default.

• WMI command line (WMIC) utility deprecation: Next steps

• How to install WMIC Feature on Demand on Windows 11

[MikeMcC399]

The issue also affects Windows Server:

Features removed or no longer developed starting with Windows Server 2025 includes the section

• Features we're no longer developing which says:

  Windows Management Instrumentation Command line (WMIC)

  Beginning with Windows Server 2025, WMIC is available as a feature on demand (FoD) which can be added with the DISM /Add-Capability command. It will be removed from Windows in a future release. PowerShell for WMI replaces the WMIC tool. Use PowerShell or programmatically query WMI as a replacement for WMIC. To learn more about WMIC depreciation, see WMI command line (WMIC) utility deprecation: Next steps

[MikeMcC399]

• At this time, I'm not aware of any usable workaround for the GitHub Actions runner image windows-2025, so the instructions in this PR are incomplete. See also Error: spawn wmic.exe ENOENT on current Windows systems #398

[MikeMcC399]

Withdrawn - due to lack of maintainer response

[daniatic]

@MikeMcC399 thanks for your work on this repo and this issue! What's the current status - any progress on a fix or alternative? I can work around it by installing wmic.exe for now, but wondering if there's a better long-term solution in the works.

[MikeMcC399]

@daniatic

I can't really answer your question as I'm not a maintainer of this repo, just a consumer.

Looking at the commit history, the last time the owner committed to the master branch was in the year 2023, so I wouldn't be hopeful that there will be any solution provided here.

Possibly a combination of wait-on and npm-run-all2 might be a replacement, but that's just an idea and I haven't tried it out.

[daniatic]

@MikeMcC399 thanks for your reply. Sorry for mistakenly assuming you were a maintainer - I saw your extensive work on this issue and made that assumption. Really appreciate your suggestions!

[MikeMcC399]

This PR is obsolete through the release of v3.0.0 which drops the requirement for WMIC on Windows.