SQL Server Configuration Manager cannot connect to WMI provider fix

If SQL Server Configuration Manager gives you this error when you try to open it:

Cannot connect to WMI provider. You do not have permission or the server is unreachable. Note that you can only manage SQL Server 2005 and later servers with SQL Server Configuration Manager.
Invalid namespace [0x8004100e]

this is almost always the SQL Server WMI provider not being registered correctly, and re-registering it resolves it in most cases.

The Fix

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt.
2. Locate the sqlmgmproviderxpsp2up.mof file for your SQL Server version, typically under:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\<version folder>\Shared

   (the version folder number depends on your SQL Server release — for example 130 for SQL 2016, 140 for 2017, 150 for 2019, 160 for 2022; check which folders actually exist on your machine rather than assuming one.)
3. Run: mofcomp "sqlmgmproviderxpsp2up.mof" from inside that folder (or provide the full path).
4. Once it completes without errors, reopen SQL Server Configuration Manager.

If you have multiple SQL Server versions installed side by side, you may need to repeat this for each version’s Shared folder, since each maintains its own WMI provider registration.

Current Version Folder Numbers (Updated for 2026)

Add 170 to the list above for SQL Server 2025, which reached general availability on 18 November 2025 — so the full current sequence is 130 (2016), 140 (2017), 150 (2019), 160 (2022), and 170 (2025). The underlying fix (re-registering the WMI provider MOF file) hasn’t changed on the newest release; only the folder number differs.

Resources

• SQL
• Microsoft