WMI Toggle Tool

how do you use it.

Why do you ask?

big fish sent it to me, and i can not run it. this is what they sent me.Thanks for letting me know and I'm definitely sorry that there are some further issues here then. I'm afraid Customer Support doesn't get information a lot of the times about specific game things like this, so I'm unable to say if or when a feature might have been changed.

In terms of the errors that you're seeing, it's sort of a long shot, but, some of these might be coming from damage to a Windows service called Windows Management Instrumentation, or WMI.

It sounds a bit complicated, but basically, if this service is not operating properly in Windows, it can end up causing issues with games being able to play.

What we can do then here, is to just check if that's the case by turning the service off completely. Doing this should allow the Game Manager to bypass any parts of it that are not working as they should, and perhaps install games again here. To do this, simply download the following file created by our technical team to your desktop:

WMI Toggle Tool

1) Right click the program and select 'Run as Administrator' to open it.
2) You will likely see a prompt asking if you want the program to make changes on the computer, select yes, and then the program's window will open.
3) In the window, simply type '1' and then hit Enter to turn WMI off. After the process is completed, you can close the window.

Since the WMI is a part of several other services in Windows, these other services will also turn off while WMI is off. Not to worry, none of these services are essential to your operating system though. One thing you may notice though is the Windows security center, which will be turned off with this. Now, this doesn't mean that any security programs will be turned off as the security center merely provides a report of the state of your security. Rest assured, all options and features of your actual security will still remain running and can still be accessed directly through your security's interface.

I hope that this helps!

Sincerely,

Tim
Tier II Technical Support
www.BigFishGames.com
I'll be around Tues-Sat

Why did Big Fish send it to you? Are you sure it was Big Fish that sent it? Was this in an e-mail in response to a problem you had?

Never mind. You added to your post before I had a chance to finish my comment. I hope someone can help. This looks complicated.

it is, i never use it.

I have not heard of WMI before, but apparently it is a thing and you can read about it on the Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Management_Instrumentation

Clear as mud, and I don't know why you'd need it, but that's Windows for you.

And if you scroll down to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Management_Instrumentation#Importance_of_WMI_providers



So Windows 10 has 47 more WMI thingummies than earlier Windows.
You know what that means, right?

More stuff to go wrong.

The WMI Toggle Tool just turns off WMI.
Big Fish gave you instructions on using it.
They don't look too bad if you take them step-by-step.

The first two steps are the same as Running as Administrator, which you should already know how to do using right-click.
The 3rd step looks like you type a "1" and then the Enter key after a box comes up, then wait while WMI is disabled.

So the instructions for turning off WMI don't look that bad. But If they look too complicated for you or you're not comfortable turning off WMI, just forget about the game -- at least until after the next big Windows update when the WMI situation may change. You have other games where it's not necessary to do this. I very much doubt this game is worth it.

The tech support person is obviously trying to help you as much as he can. Perhaps he knows of cases where WMI caused a problem -- maybe he read about them or maybe he had the problems on his home computer. I think this fix is outside of what Big Fish normally suggests, so he's going above and beyond his job description to try to help you.

you are right, window smartscreen blocked it, the game is not worth it.

Finally! I totally agree... there is no game worth this amount of aggravation.

Indeed. All the time having been spent on a problem with one game could have better been used to play several games. Just my opinion. I just don’t have the patience for multiple solutions that may or may not help.

Windows security center, is turn off., can not turn it back on.

Did you try rebooting the computer?

no, i will restart. still get error 1068.

From what I can tell from an Internet search, error 1608 is an installshield error not related to antivirus. It might be related to installing a game or driver for the game.

Did rebooting have any effect on your antivirus?

From what I can tell from the Big Fish tech's post, the antivirus isn't actually deactivated by deactivating WMI, but your ability to access it (at least from the Taskbar) will be.
Have you tried accessing Windows Security Center through the Start Menu or Control Panel?

Maybe Draclvr can help more with the Security Center.
I don't have Windows 10 in front of me, so can't give exact directions for the current version, let alone what would work after toggling WMI.

I only have a minute before I have to leave.

See if you can use one of the methods in this link. From there, go to Update and Security.

Open Settings in Windows 8

yes, i went to adiministrator tool in control panel, and services. i will try dracs way.

It would help to know which "screen" you use in Windows 8. Do you use the screen with all the tiles or do you use the screen that looks like a normal Windows screen which also has the taskbar at the bottom? If you have the taskbar, you can also look in your Hidden Icons on the lower right. Security Center should be listed there and you may be able to open it from there.

tried, right click properties, click start, got windows could not start the security center on local computer. error 1068 the dependency group or service failed to start.

family, as you do sometimes, you didn't answer my question in the post above yours. Please answer the question before we try to go any further. It makes a difference in the instruction given to you. I have to leave for several hours now.

the screen that looks like a normal Windows screen which also has the taskbar at the bottom? tried it, can not be open.

Yes, as the Big Fish tech told you, you will not be able to access your Security stuff from the Taskbar after toggling WMI.

But that doesn't mean the Security stuff is not running.

You should be able to access your Security stuff through other means than the Taskbar and check what it's doing.

When Draclvr gets back maybe she can help.
In the meantime, answer all questions that may help her out.

Do you have Windows 10 now or do you still have 8 or 8.1?
That is important to know.
I was thinking you had 10 now.

Instructions for accessing things like Windows Security in 10 can be different from 8/8.1 when you can't use the shortcut in the Taskbar.

window 8.

I'm sorry I did not realize that toggling WMI off would block you from toggling it back on.
I guess the Big Fish tech didn't know either.
You should probably tell him what happened.
He should not recommend that fix to anyone else, since reversing the process isn't so easy.
Maybe he will know another way to toggle WMI back on.

I'm not finding easy instructions for getting WMI toggled back on if the instructions for toggling it off aren't working. It sounds like you use it so you can easily access your Security Center through your Taskbar. At least I'm not finding instructions for Windows Home.

Anyway, this site tells some ways to access Security Center in Windows 8 other than the Taskbar shortcut
https://www.digitalcitizen.life/introducing-windows-8-how-use-action-center-keep-your-system-secure

This site tells how to ensure services to do with Security Center are turned on
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-security-center-service-cant-be-started

Once you get Security Center on, maybe you can toggle WMI back on without the error 1068 problem.

It's too late to use the following site, but it recommends backing up your WMI settings before making changes
http://www.trainingtech.net/configure-wmi-control-in-windows-8/

OK... just got home. Did some digging and I'm of the opinion that you need to contact Big Fish to let them know you are unable to toggle your security back on. They are the ones who instructed you to do it, so they need to help you undo it.

This is just another example of when you REALLY need to give up on a game that won't work for you. This has caused far more trouble for you than it's worth.

I don't think they told her to turn her Security off.
They told her how to toggle WMI off, which meant she couldn't get to the Security through her Taskbar.
But they also said toggling WMI wouldn't turn the Security off.

I think Family turned her Security off herself, back when she could access it through the Taskbar.
She may have done this after reading a Help suggestion for a different game.

And now she can't get back to the Security Center to turn it on again because the only way she knows to get to the Security Center is through the Taskbar.
And she can't get to the Security Center through the Taskbar working because WMI is off.

So I think the best thing to do is access Security by some means other than the Taskbar, and make sure it is on.
Then try toggling WMI.

This is a problem with mixing fixes for different games, and not undoing them before trying something else.

I also think Big Fish should not be suggesting fixes like this to people unless they know the person has some technical ability -- at least enough to get to the Security Center in more than one way. They probably didn't predict that she'd turn her Security off herself before toggling WMI.

I'm hoping to help Family get access to her Security Center through the Taskbar again without having to take the computer to a repair shop.

i am with you drrac, ahead of you guys.

Really sorry this happened, Family.
It's what you call a "learning experience."

I provided family with a link to open Settings in Windows 8, but she never answered if she tried it. It gave 3 options to get to the Security Settings.

I think making sure her Security is on before she uses Internet is the critical thing right now.
Hopefully she can at least get the Security back on, even if not the WMI.
Maybe she will just have to learn a different way to get to the Security Center than using the Taskbar. The Taskbar is convenient but not absolutely necessary.

I agree, but I've not had a lot of luck with giving her directions and having them work for her. And we can't post pictures here.

Hopefully she can use one of the 3 ways detailed - with pictures - in the link I provided to get to the Security Center.

What type of security does she have? I can access Norton form various places without having to check it through the Security Center. Or am I just totally not understanding this at all? Wouldn't be the first time!

We're not exactly sure what's going on. She may have turned off her anti-virus and then tried to use this WMI Toggle Big Fish told her to do. For some reason she can no longer turn her antivirus back on. But we're just guessing at this point.

window defender on, as network access protection.

Does that mean you managed to turn the antivirus on again?
If so, are you able to toggle WMI ?


She's using the Microsoft default, not Norton or any other 3rd party security suite.


And can you access from those places with WMI toggled off?
One thing for sure, I would NOT recommend turning off WMI to find out, considering the mess it made.

You can find descriptions on the Internet saying WMI is "part of Windows."
But it's hard to find any description of what might happen if you turn it off, other than that turning it off might get rid of a conflict.

Unfortunately turning WMI off means some things you may depend on may no longer be accessible in the usual way.
That was the problem -- WMI being toggled off meant Family couldn't access her antivirus the way she usually did to make sure it was on. The Big Fish tech said...

In the case of Defender, "your security's interface" would be the Windows Security Center.
And there was no "actual security will still remain running" because apparently it had already been turned off before WMI was toggled off.

I don't know Jenny (if I'd be able to access Norton with WMI toggled off but am only assuming I would be able to) and I almost posted right at the beginning that the question I would have asked before trying to use that WMI tool, was can you go back to normal and how. This is why I don't fiddle around hardly ever.

Anyway, it sounds like her antivirus is on but the Windows Security Center is alerting her that THAT is not working.

Not being a techie, I'm finished now.

It "should" go back to normal the same way you turned it off.
It's a toggle.
It sounded simple enough.

However the toggle apparently didn't work as intended for turning it back on, possibly because the Security Center had been turned off.

This kind of "fix" can be very simple when it works right.
But when it doesn't, it can be a mess for a non-technical person.

The main thing is that Family's antivirus is back on.
(at least I think it is, if I understood her right)
But if she wants her Taskbar working back the way it did, I think she'll have to turn WMI back on.
If it was my computer, I'd want the Taskbar working as normal.


Well, that's no way to learn anything.
Suppose it had worked perfectly, with no problems at all.
We'd have another potential fix for misbehaving Big Fish games in our arsenal.

What we've learned:
If you want to try this fix, make doubly sure your Security Software is on before toggling WMI off.

I'd sure like to know what family did to get her Defender turned back on - assuming that's what happened. I wish she would tell us what is going on and what she did.

it never was off, just my Windows security center, my action center is acting like the robot in lost in space, tellling me 1 important message, turn it on, network access protection was off turn it on.

Did you get your Security Center back on?

no, waiting for big fish, do not use it, or you will be sorry.

Family,

In the future, be sure to try the demo before buying a game from Big Fish.
It's not 100% accurate, but usually if there is a problem with the demo, there will be a problem with the purchased game, and you'll know to avoid it.

Don't ever do "weird stuff" to get a game or demo running.
Even I don't do that, and I can usually fix the stuff I break.
I just say "I'm not going to mess with this" and uninstall the demo.

I'll allow the Big Fish installer to download DirectX files or some version of C++ that I don't have, but I won't go beyond that.
Those programs and files come from Microsoft and won't hurt anything.

I've never had to turn off the Windows antivirus for a Big Fish game.
I don't see why any recent Big Fish game would require that.

I hope you can get your computer back to normal soon.
I think it's only the reporting that toggling WMI messed up, rather than the Security Center itself.
But most people won't know the difference, and it is certainly disconcerting to see things that usually work not work anymore.

family, this sounds like the only thing that is turned off is your Network Access Protection... which you likely don't need as it is part of Server 2008.

So, Defender is turned on, right?
Did you go to your Security Center using the link I provided in an earlier post?
Can you go to your hidden icons in the lower right, open it, right click on the icon and select the dashboard?

This time, PLEASE, PLEASE answer these questions exactly as I've asked them. We are just doing guess work right now.

We REALLY, REALLY need to move on from this and let it go. But we do want to be sure your Defender is working properly first. So please answer my questions clearly.

Good advice, Jenny. Better to just move on from a game that won’t work and no good explanation than to continue fiddling until the problem becomes worse.

window defender is working properly

OK. You didn't answer my questions as I asked you to do. But the bottom line is it's working, so let's move on. I consider this subject closed.

sorry i upset you, but window defender is working.

I'm not upset, family. It's just that you never answer our questions and it gets frustrating trying to help you. But if Defender is working that's all we wanted to make sure happened. The subject is closed, so let's move on. We've already taken up WAY too much time, energy and forum space on this.

okay thank you very much.

i finally turn Windows security center back on myself, i google it took til 4pm to turn it back on.

Don't ever turn it off again.
It's too much trouble to get it back.

tell me about it, i google window security center will not start.