Computer Temps Checking with SW

[us3rnotfound]

Got a question that was bugging me for quite a while. In Windows, utilizing WMI, you cannot check the temps of the CPU/HDD/MOBO. You can get to other data such as the BIOS and CPU frequencies, but no active monitoring of temperatures.

However it seems as if you are required to have a 3rd party app to read these temperature monitors. How is that? I thought that the software installed in Windows has to utilize Windows to "reach down" to the lower levels of the PC. In other words, isn't Windows managing the computer and Windows applications can only call functions that Windows already prescribes? Or are programs such as Core Temp able to circumvent Windows and get to the motherboard registers?

Appreciate the help.

 

[sm625]

see http://code.google.com/p/open-hardware-monitor/

It has a dll (OpenHardwareMonitorLib.dll) which you can use to get all the information you want. The GUI app looks a lot like hwmonitor.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

Got a question that was bugging me for quite a while. In Windows, utilizing WMI, you cannot check the temps of the CPU/HDD/MOBO. You can get to other data such as the BIOS and CPU frequencies, but no active monitoring of temperatures.

However it seems as if you are required to have a 3rd party app to read these temperature monitors. How is that? I thought that the software installed in Windows has to utilize Windows to "reach down" to the lower levels of the PC. In other words, isn't Windows managing the computer and Windows applications can only call functions that Windows already prescribes? Or are programs such as Core Temp able to circumvent Windows and get to the motherboard registers?

Appreciate the help.

There are lots of hardware-level things that aren't baked into Windows. This is why we need drivers. In addition, there are plenty of means to access hardware-level objects using direct addressing that do not require the intervention of Windows (or require only a passive role in facilitating addressing).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Got a question that was bugging me for quite a while. In Windows, utilizing WMI, you cannot check the temps of the CPU/HDD/MOBO. You can get to other data such as the BIOS and CPU frequencies, but no active monitoring of temperatures.

What about ACPI thermal zones? And to check HDD temps, you have to use SMART commands.