Win32_Thread - powershell.one

The Win32_ThreadâWMI class represents a thread of execution. While a process must have one thread of execution, the process can create other threads to execute tasks in parallel. Threads share the process environment, thus multiple threads under the same process use less memory than the same number of processes.

Methods

Win32_Thread has no methods.

Properties

Win32_Thread returns 22 properties:

'Caption','CreationClassName','CSCreationClassName','CSName','Description',
'ElapsedTime','ExecutionState','Handle','InstallDate','KernelModeTime','Name','OSCreationClassName',
'OSName','Priority','PriorityBase','ProcessCreationClassName','ProcessHandle','StartAddress',
'Status','ThreadState','ThreadWaitReason','UserModeTime'

Unless explicitly marked as writeable, all properties are read-only. Read all properties for all instances:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread -Property *

Most WMI classes return one or more instances.

When Get-CimInstance returns no result, then apparently no instances of class Win32_Thread exist. This is normal behavior.

Either the class is not implemented on your system (may be deprecated or due to missing drivers, i.e. CIM_VideoControllerResolution), or there are simply no physical representations of this class currently available (i.e. Win32_TapeDrive).

Caption

STRING MAX 64 CHAR

Short description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Caption

CreationClassName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Name of the first concrete class to appear in the inheritance chain used in the creation of an instance. When used with the other key properties of the class, this property allows all instances of this class and its subclasses to be uniquely identified.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property CreationClassName

CSCreationClassName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Creation class name of the scoping computer system.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property CSCreationClassName

CSName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Name of the scoping computer system.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property CSName

Description

STRING

Description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Description

ElapsedTime

UINT64 “MILLISECONDS”

Total execution time, in milliseconds, given to this thread since its creation.

For more information about using uint64 values in scripts, see Scripting in WMI.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property ElapsedTime

ExecutionState

UINT16

Current operating condition of the thread.

ExecutionState returns a numeric value. To translate it into a meaningful text, use any of the following approaches:

Use a PowerShell Hashtable

$ExecutionState_map = @{
= 'Unknown'
= 'Other'
= 'Ready'
= 'Running'
= 'Blocked'
= 'Suspended Blocked'
= 'Suspended Ready'
}

Use a switch statement

switch([int]$value)
{
  0          {'Unknown'}
  1          {'Other'}
  2          {'Ready'}
  3          {'Running'}
  4          {'Blocked'}
  5          {'Suspended Blocked'}
  6          {'Suspended Ready'}
  default    {"$value"}
}

Use Enum structure

Enum EnumExecutionState
{
  Unknown             = 0
  Other               = 1
  Ready               = 2
  Running             = 3
  Blocked             = 4
  Suspended_Blocked   = 5
  Suspended_Ready     = 6
}

Examples

Use $ExecutionState_map in a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to translate raw numeric values for 
  property "ExecutionState" to friendly text

  Note: to use other properties than "ExecutionState", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "ExecutionState" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ExecutionState_map = @{
      0 = 'Unknown'
      1 = 'Other'
      2 = 'Ready'
      3 = 'Running'
      4 = 'Blocked'
      5 = 'Suspended Blocked'
      6 = 'Suspended Ready'
}

#endregion define hashtable

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ExecutionState", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ExecutionState = @{
  Name = 'ExecutionState'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ExecutionState
    $ExecutionState_map[[int]$value]
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve the instances, and output the properties "Caption" and "ExecutionState". The latter
# is defined by the hashtable in $ExecutionState: 
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Caption, $ExecutionState

# ...or dump content of property ExecutionState:
$friendlyValues = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | 
    Select-Object -Property $ExecutionState |
    Select-Object -ExpandProperty ExecutionState

# output values
$friendlyValues

# output values as comma separated list
$friendlyValues -join ', '

# output values as bullet list
$friendlyValues | ForEach-Object { "- $_" }

Use $ExecutionState_map to directly translate raw values from an instance

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to manually translate raw numeric values 
  for property "Win32_Thread" to friendly text. This approach is ideal when
  there is just one instance to work with.

  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Win32_Thread" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ExecutionState_map = @{
      0 = 'Unknown'
      1 = 'Other'
      2 = 'Ready'
      3 = 'Running'
      4 = 'Blocked'
      5 = 'Suspended Blocked'
      6 = 'Suspended Ready'
}

#endregion define hashtable

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to illustrate
  the number-to-text translation. To process all instances, replace
  "Select-Object -First 1" with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use
  the iterator variable $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property
$rawValue = $instance.ExecutionState  

# translate raw value to friendly text:
$friendlyName = $ExecutionState_map[[int]$rawValue]

# output value
$friendlyName

Use a switch statement inside a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a switch clause to translate raw numeric 
  values for property "ExecutionState" to friendly text. The switch
  clause is embedded into a calculated property so there is
  no need to refer to external variables for translation.

  Note: to use other properties than "ExecutionState", look up the appropriate 
  translation switch clause for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ExecutionState", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ExecutionState = @{
  Name = 'ExecutionState'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ExecutionState
    
    switch([int]$value)
      {
        0          {'Unknown'}
        1          {'Other'}
        2          {'Ready'}
        3          {'Running'}
        4          {'Blocked'}
        5          {'Suspended Blocked'}
        6          {'Suspended Ready'}
        default    {"$value"}
      }
      
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve all instances...
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | 
  # ...and output properties "Caption" and "ExecutionState". The latter is defined
  # by the hashtable in $ExecutionState:
  Select-Object -Property Caption, $ExecutionState

Use the Enum from above to auto-translate the code values

<# 
  this example translates raw values by means of type conversion
  the friendly names are defined as enumeration using the
  keyword "enum" (PowerShell 5 or better)
  
  The raw value(s) are translated to friendly text by 
  simply converting them into the enum type.
  
  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  enum definition for the property you would like to use instead.
#>


#region define enum with value-to-text translation:
Enum EnumExecutionState
{
  Unknown             = 0
  Other               = 1
  Ready               = 2
  Running             = 3
  Blocked             = 4
  Suspended_Blocked   = 5
  Suspended_Ready     = 6
}

#endregion define enum

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to focus on
  the number-to-text type conversion. 
  
  To process all instances, replace   "Select-Object -First 1" 
  with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use the iterator variable 
  $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property:
$rawValue = $instance.ExecutionState

#region using strict type conversion

<#
  Note: strict type conversion fails if the raw value is 
  not defined by the enum. So if the list of allowable values
  was extended and the enum does not match the value,
  an exception is thrown
#>

# convert the property to the enum **ExecutionState** 
[EnumExecutionState]$rawValue 

# get a comma-separated string:
[EnumExecutionState]$rawValue -join ',' 
#endregion

#region using operator "-as"

<#
  Note: the operator "-as" accepts values not defined
  by the enum and returns $null instead of throwing
  an exception
#>

$rawValue -as [EnumExecutionState]
#endregion

Enums must cover all possible values. If ExecutionState returns a value that is not defined in the enum, an exception occurs. The exception reports the value that was missing in the enum. To fix, add the missing value to the enum.

Handle

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Handle to a thread. The handle has full access rights by default. With the correct security access, the handle can be used in any function that accepts a thread handle. Depending on the inheritance flag specified when it is created, this handle can be inherited by child processes.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Handle

InstallDate

DATETIME

Object was installed. This property does not need a value to indicate that the object is installed.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property InstallDate

KernelModeTime

UINT64 “100 NANOSECONDS”

Time in kernel mode, in 100 nanosecond units. If this information is not available, a value of 0 (zero) should be used.

For more information about using uint64 values in scripts, see Scripting in WMI.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property KernelModeTime

Name

STRING

Label by which the object is known. When subclassed, the property can be overridden to be a key property.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Name

OSCreationClassName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Creation class name of the scoping operating system.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property OSCreationClassName

OSName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Name of the scoping operating system.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property OSName

Priority

UINT32

Dynamic priority of the thread. Each thread has a dynamic priority that the scheduler uses to determine which thread to execute. Initially, a thread’s dynamic priority is the same as its base priority. The system can raise and lower the dynamic priority, to ensure that it is responsive (guaranteeing that no threads are starved for processor time). The system does not boost the priority of threads with a base priority level between 16 and 31. Only threads with a base priority between 0 and 15 receive dynamic priority boosts. Higher numbers indicate higher priorities.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Priority

PriorityBase

UINT32

Current base priority of a thread. The operating system may raise the thread’s dynamic priority above the base priority if the thread is handling user input, or lower it toward the base priority if the thread becomes compute-bound. The PriorityBase property can have a value between 0 and 31.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property PriorityBase

ProcessCreationClassName

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Value of the scoping process CreationClassName property.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property ProcessCreationClassName

ProcessHandle

STRING MAX 256 CHAR

Process that created the thread. The contents of this property can be used by Windows application programming interface (API) elements.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property ProcessHandle

StartAddress

UINT32

Starting address of the thread. Because any application with appropriate access to the thread can change the thread’s context, this value may only be an approximation of the thread’s starting address.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property StartAddress

Status

STRING MAX 10 CHAR

Current status of an object. Various operational and nonoperational statuses can be defined. Available values:

$values = 'Degraded','Error','Lost Comm','No Contact','NonRecover','OK','Pred Fail','Service','Starting','Stopping','Stressed','Unknown'

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Status

ThreadState

UINT32

Current execution state for the thread.

ThreadState returns a numeric value. To translate it into a meaningful text, use any of the following approaches:

Use a PowerShell Hashtable

$ThreadState_map = @{
= 'Initialized'
= 'Ready'
= 'Running'
= 'Standby'
= 'Terminated'
= 'Waiting'
= 'Transition'
= 'Unknown'
}

Use a switch statement

switch([int]$value)
{
  0          {'Initialized'}
  1          {'Ready'}
  2          {'Running'}
  3          {'Standby'}
  4          {'Terminated'}
  5          {'Waiting'}
  6          {'Transition'}
  7          {'Unknown'}
  default    {"$value"}
}

Use Enum structure

Enum EnumThreadState
{
  Initialized   = 0
  Ready         = 1
  Running       = 2
  Standby       = 3
  Terminated    = 4
  Waiting       = 5
  Transition    = 6
  Unknown       = 7
}

Examples

Use $ThreadState_map in a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to translate raw numeric values for 
  property "ThreadState" to friendly text

  Note: to use other properties than "ThreadState", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "ThreadState" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ThreadState_map = @{
      0 = 'Initialized'
      1 = 'Ready'
      2 = 'Running'
      3 = 'Standby'
      4 = 'Terminated'
      5 = 'Waiting'
      6 = 'Transition'
      7 = 'Unknown'
}

#endregion define hashtable

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ThreadState", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ThreadState = @{
  Name = 'ThreadState'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ThreadState
    $ThreadState_map[[int]$value]
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve the instances, and output the properties "Caption" and "ThreadState". The latter
# is defined by the hashtable in $ThreadState: 
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Caption, $ThreadState

# ...or dump content of property ThreadState:
$friendlyValues = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | 
    Select-Object -Property $ThreadState |
    Select-Object -ExpandProperty ThreadState

# output values
$friendlyValues

# output values as comma separated list
$friendlyValues -join ', '

# output values as bullet list
$friendlyValues | ForEach-Object { "- $_" }

Use $ThreadState_map to directly translate raw values from an instance

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to manually translate raw numeric values 
  for property "Win32_Thread" to friendly text. This approach is ideal when
  there is just one instance to work with.

  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Win32_Thread" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ThreadState_map = @{
      0 = 'Initialized'
      1 = 'Ready'
      2 = 'Running'
      3 = 'Standby'
      4 = 'Terminated'
      5 = 'Waiting'
      6 = 'Transition'
      7 = 'Unknown'
}

#endregion define hashtable

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to illustrate
  the number-to-text translation. To process all instances, replace
  "Select-Object -First 1" with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use
  the iterator variable $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property
$rawValue = $instance.ThreadState  

# translate raw value to friendly text:
$friendlyName = $ThreadState_map[[int]$rawValue]

# output value
$friendlyName

Use a switch statement inside a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a switch clause to translate raw numeric 
  values for property "ThreadState" to friendly text. The switch
  clause is embedded into a calculated property so there is
  no need to refer to external variables for translation.

  Note: to use other properties than "ThreadState", look up the appropriate 
  translation switch clause for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ThreadState", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ThreadState = @{
  Name = 'ThreadState'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ThreadState
    
    switch([int]$value)
      {
        0          {'Initialized'}
        1          {'Ready'}
        2          {'Running'}
        3          {'Standby'}
        4          {'Terminated'}
        5          {'Waiting'}
        6          {'Transition'}
        7          {'Unknown'}
        default    {"$value"}
      }
      
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve all instances...
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | 
  # ...and output properties "Caption" and "ThreadState". The latter is defined
  # by the hashtable in $ThreadState:
  Select-Object -Property Caption, $ThreadState

Use the Enum from above to auto-translate the code values

<# 
  this example translates raw values by means of type conversion
  the friendly names are defined as enumeration using the
  keyword "enum" (PowerShell 5 or better)
  
  The raw value(s) are translated to friendly text by 
  simply converting them into the enum type.
  
  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  enum definition for the property you would like to use instead.
#>


#region define enum with value-to-text translation:
Enum EnumThreadState
{
  Initialized   = 0
  Ready         = 1
  Running       = 2
  Standby       = 3
  Terminated    = 4
  Waiting       = 5
  Transition    = 6
  Unknown       = 7
}

#endregion define enum

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to focus on
  the number-to-text type conversion. 
  
  To process all instances, replace   "Select-Object -First 1" 
  with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use the iterator variable 
  $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property:
$rawValue = $instance.ThreadState

#region using strict type conversion

<#
  Note: strict type conversion fails if the raw value is 
  not defined by the enum. So if the list of allowable values
  was extended and the enum does not match the value,
  an exception is thrown
#>

# convert the property to the enum **ThreadState** 
[EnumThreadState]$rawValue 

# get a comma-separated string:
[EnumThreadState]$rawValue -join ',' 
#endregion

#region using operator "-as"

<#
  Note: the operator "-as" accepts values not defined
  by the enum and returns $null instead of throwing
  an exception
#>

$rawValue -as [EnumThreadState]
#endregion

Enums must cover all possible values. If ThreadState returns a value that is not defined in the enum, an exception occurs. The exception reports the value that was missing in the enum. To fix, add the missing value to the enum.

ThreadWaitReason

UINT32

Reason why the thread is waiting. This value is only valid if the ThreadState member is set to Transition (6). Event pairs allow communication with protected subsystems.

ThreadWaitReason returns a numeric value. To translate it into a meaningful text, use any of the following approaches:

Use a PowerShell Hashtable

$ThreadWaitReason_map = @{
= 'Executive'
= 'FreePage'
= 'PageIn'
= 'PoolAllocation'
= 'ExecutionDelay'
= 'FreePage'
= 'PageIn'
= 'Executive'
= 'FreePage'
= 'PageIn'
= 'PoolAllocation'
= 'ExecutionDelay'
= 'FreePage'
= 'PageIn'
= 'EventPairHigh'
= 'EventPairLow'
= 'LPCReceive'
= 'LPCReply'
= 'VirtualMemory'
= 'PageOut'
= 'Unknown'
}

Use a switch statement

switch([int]$value)
{
        {'Executive'}
        {'FreePage'}
        {'PageIn'}
        {'PoolAllocation'}
        {'ExecutionDelay'}
        {'FreePage'}
        {'PageIn'}
        {'Executive'}
        {'FreePage'}
        {'PageIn'}
       {'PoolAllocation'}
       {'ExecutionDelay'}
       {'FreePage'}
       {'PageIn'}
       {'EventPairHigh'}
       {'EventPairLow'}
       {'LPCReceive'}
       {'LPCReply'}
       {'VirtualMemory'}
       {'PageOut'}
       {'Unknown'}
  default    {"$value"}
}

Use Enum structure

Enum EnumThreadWaitReason
{
  Executive1       = 0
  FreePage1        = 1
  PageIn1          = 2
  PoolAllocation1  = 3
  ExecutionDelay1  = 4
  FreePage2        = 5
  PageIn2          = 6
  Executive2       = 7
  FreePage3        = 8
  PageIn3          = 9
  PoolAllocation2  = 10
  ExecutionDelay2  = 11
  FreePage4        = 12
  PageIn4          = 13
  EventPairHigh    = 14
  EventPairLow     = 15
  LPCReceive       = 16
  LPCReply         = 17
  VirtualMemory    = 18
  PageOut          = 19
  Unknown          = 20
}

Examples

Use $ThreadWaitReason_map in a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to translate raw numeric values for 
  property "ThreadWaitReason" to friendly text

  Note: to use other properties than "ThreadWaitReason", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "ThreadWaitReason" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ThreadWaitReason_map = @{
      0 = 'Executive'
      1 = 'FreePage'
      2 = 'PageIn'
      3 = 'PoolAllocation'
      4 = 'ExecutionDelay'
      5 = 'FreePage'
      6 = 'PageIn'
      7 = 'Executive'
      8 = 'FreePage'
      9 = 'PageIn'
     10 = 'PoolAllocation'
     11 = 'ExecutionDelay'
     12 = 'FreePage'
     13 = 'PageIn'
     14 = 'EventPairHigh'
     15 = 'EventPairLow'
     16 = 'LPCReceive'
     17 = 'LPCReply'
     18 = 'VirtualMemory'
     19 = 'PageOut'
     20 = 'Unknown'
}

#endregion define hashtable

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ThreadWaitReason", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ThreadWaitReason = @{
  Name = 'ThreadWaitReason'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ThreadWaitReason
    $ThreadWaitReason_map[[int]$value]
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve the instances, and output the properties "Caption" and "ThreadWaitReason". The latter
# is defined by the hashtable in $ThreadWaitReason: 
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property Caption, $ThreadWaitReason

# ...or dump content of property ThreadWaitReason:
$friendlyValues = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | 
    Select-Object -Property $ThreadWaitReason |
    Select-Object -ExpandProperty ThreadWaitReason

# output values
$friendlyValues

# output values as comma separated list
$friendlyValues -join ', '

# output values as bullet list
$friendlyValues | ForEach-Object { "- $_" }

Use $ThreadWaitReason_map to directly translate raw values from an instance

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to manually translate raw numeric values 
  for property "Win32_Thread" to friendly text. This approach is ideal when
  there is just one instance to work with.

  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Win32_Thread" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$ThreadWaitReason_map = @{
      0 = 'Executive'
      1 = 'FreePage'
      2 = 'PageIn'
      3 = 'PoolAllocation'
      4 = 'ExecutionDelay'
      5 = 'FreePage'
      6 = 'PageIn'
      7 = 'Executive'
      8 = 'FreePage'
      9 = 'PageIn'
     10 = 'PoolAllocation'
     11 = 'ExecutionDelay'
     12 = 'FreePage'
     13 = 'PageIn'
     14 = 'EventPairHigh'
     15 = 'EventPairLow'
     16 = 'LPCReceive'
     17 = 'LPCReply'
     18 = 'VirtualMemory'
     19 = 'PageOut'
     20 = 'Unknown'
}

#endregion define hashtable

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to illustrate
  the number-to-text translation. To process all instances, replace
  "Select-Object -First 1" with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use
  the iterator variable $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property
$rawValue = $instance.ThreadWaitReason  

# translate raw value to friendly text:
$friendlyName = $ThreadWaitReason_map[[int]$rawValue]

# output value
$friendlyName

Use a switch statement inside a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a switch clause to translate raw numeric 
  values for property "ThreadWaitReason" to friendly text. The switch
  clause is embedded into a calculated property so there is
  no need to refer to external variables for translation.

  Note: to use other properties than "ThreadWaitReason", look up the appropriate 
  translation switch clause for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "ThreadWaitReason", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$ThreadWaitReason = @{
  Name = 'ThreadWaitReason'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.ThreadWaitReason
    
    switch([int]$value)
      {
        0          {'Executive'}
        1          {'FreePage'}
        2          {'PageIn'}
        3          {'PoolAllocation'}
        4          {'ExecutionDelay'}
        5          {'FreePage'}
        6          {'PageIn'}
        7          {'Executive'}
        8          {'FreePage'}
        9          {'PageIn'}
        10         {'PoolAllocation'}
        11         {'ExecutionDelay'}
        12         {'FreePage'}
        13         {'PageIn'}
        14         {'EventPairHigh'}
        15         {'EventPairLow'}
        16         {'LPCReceive'}
        17         {'LPCReply'}
        18         {'VirtualMemory'}
        19         {'PageOut'}
        20         {'Unknown'}
        default    {"$value"}
      }
      
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve all instances...
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | 
  # ...and output properties "Caption" and "ThreadWaitReason". The latter is defined
  # by the hashtable in $ThreadWaitReason:
  Select-Object -Property Caption, $ThreadWaitReason

Use the Enum from above to auto-translate the code values

<# 
  this example translates raw values by means of type conversion
  the friendly names are defined as enumeration using the
  keyword "enum" (PowerShell 5 or better)
  
  The raw value(s) are translated to friendly text by 
  simply converting them into the enum type.
  
  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Thread", look up the appropriate 
  enum definition for the property you would like to use instead.
#>


#region define enum with value-to-text translation:
Enum EnumThreadWaitReason
{
  Executive1       = 0
  FreePage1        = 1
  PageIn1          = 2
  PoolAllocation1  = 3
  ExecutionDelay1  = 4
  FreePage2        = 5
  PageIn2          = 6
  Executive2       = 7
  FreePage3        = 8
  PageIn3          = 9
  PoolAllocation2  = 10
  ExecutionDelay2  = 11
  FreePage4        = 12
  PageIn4          = 13
  EventPairHigh    = 14
  EventPairLow     = 15
  LPCReceive       = 16
  LPCReply         = 17
  VirtualMemory    = 18
  PageOut          = 19
  Unknown          = 20
}

#endregion define enum

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to focus on
  the number-to-text type conversion. 
  
  To process all instances, replace   "Select-Object -First 1" 
  with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use the iterator variable 
  $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property:
$rawValue = $instance.ThreadWaitReason

#region using strict type conversion

<#
  Note: strict type conversion fails if the raw value is 
  not defined by the enum. So if the list of allowable values
  was extended and the enum does not match the value,
  an exception is thrown
#>

# convert the property to the enum **ThreadWaitReason** 
[EnumThreadWaitReason]$rawValue 

# get a comma-separated string:
[EnumThreadWaitReason]$rawValue -join ',' 
#endregion

#region using operator "-as"

<#
  Note: the operator "-as" accepts values not defined
  by the enum and returns $null instead of throwing
  an exception
#>

$rawValue -as [EnumThreadWaitReason]
#endregion

Enums must cover all possible values. If ThreadWaitReason returns a value that is not defined in the enum, an exception occurs. The exception reports the value that was missing in the enum. To fix, add the missing value to the enum.

UserModeTime

UINT64 “100 NANOSECONDS”

Time in user mode, in 100 nanoseconds units. If this information is not available, a value of 0 (zero) should be used.

For more information about using uint64 values in scripts, see Scripting in WMI.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property UserModeTime

Examples

List all instances of Win32_Thread

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread

Learn more about Get-CimInstance and the deprecated Get-WmiObject.

View all properties

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread -Property *

View key properties only

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread -KeyOnly

Selecting Properties

To select only some properties, pipe the results to Select-Object -Property a,b,c with a comma-separated list of the properties you require. Wildcards are permitted.

Get-CimInstance always returns all properties but only retrieves the ones that you specify. All other properties are empty but still present. That’s why you need to pipe the results into Select-Object if you want to limit the visible properties, i.e. for reporting.

Selecting Properties

The code below lists all available properties. Remove the ones you do not need:

$properties = 'Caption',
              'CreationClassName',
              'CSCreationClassName',
              'CSName',
              'Description',
              'ElapsedTime',
              'ExecutionState',
              'Handle',
              'InstallDate',
              'KernelModeTime',
              'Name',
              'OSCreationClassName',
              'OSName',
              'Priority',
              'PriorityBase',
              'ProcessCreationClassName',
              'ProcessHandle',
              'StartAddress',
              'Status',
              'ThreadState',
              'ThreadWaitReason',
              'UserModeTime'
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread | Select-Object -Property $properties

Limiting Network Bandwidth

If you work remotely, it makes sense to limit network bandwidth by filtering the properties on the server side, too:

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread -Property $property | 
Select-Object -Property $property

Selecting Instances

To select some instances, use Get-CimInstance and a WMI Query. The wildcard character in WMI Queries is % (and not “*”).

The parameter -Filter runs a simple query.

Listing all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Thread -Filter 'Caption LIKE "a%"' 

Using a WQL Query

The parameter -Query uses a query similar to SQL and combines the parameters -Filter and -Property. This returns all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”, and returns the properties specified:

Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT OSName, Handle, Caption, ExecutionState FROM Win32_Thread WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'"

Any property you did not specify is still present but empty. You might need to use Select-Object to remove all unwanted properties:
Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT OSName, Handle, Caption, ExecutionState FROM Win32_Thread WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'" | Select-Object -Property OSName, Handle, Caption, ExecutionState

Accessing Remote Computers

To access remote systems, you need to have proper permissions. User the parameter -ComputerName to access one or more remote systems.

Authenticating as Current User

# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with your current identity:
$result = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Thread -ComputerName $list 
$result

Authenticating as Different User

Use a CIMSession object to authenticate with a new identity:

# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with a different identity:
$cred = Get-Credential -Message 'Authenticate to retrieve WMI information:'
$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName $list -Credential $cred

$result = Get-CimInstance Win32_Thread -CimSession $session

# remove the session after use (if you do not plan to re-use it later)
Remove-CimSession -CimSession $session

$result

Learn more about accessing remote computers.

Requirements

To use Win32_Thread, the following requirements apply:

PowerShell

Get-CimInstance was introduced with PowerShell Version 3.0, which in turn was introduced on clients with Windows 8 and on servers with Windows Server 2012.

If necessary, update Windows PowerShell to Windows PowerShell 5.1, or install PowerShell 7 side-by-side.

Operating System

Win32_Thread was introduced on clients with WindowsÂ Vista and on servers with Windows ServerÂ 2008.

Namespace

Win32_Thread lives in the Namespace Root/CIMV2. This is the default namespace. There is no need to use the -Namespace parameter in Get-CimInstance.

Implementation

Win32_Thread is implemented in CIMWin32.dll and defined in CIMWin32.mof. Both files are located in the folder C:\Windows\system32\wbem:

explorer $env:windir\system32\wbem
notepad $env:windir\system32\wbem\CIMWin32.mof

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