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My Windows sensors do not work when using direct performance counter access. What can I do?

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My Windows sensors do not work when using direct performance counter access. What can I do?

important performance-counters prtg sensors windows

Created on Feb 7, 2013 3:18:01 PM by Daniel Zobel [Product Manager]

Last change on Dec 10, 2020 3:21:41 PM by Brandy Greger [Paessler Support]



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This article applies as of PRTG 22

Error messages when using WMI (Windows) sensors with a hybrid approach

Some WMI (Windows) sensors can use a hybrid approach to query values from your Windows machines. When this option is set, they try to directly access performance counters. If the access request fails, they try to use WMI for the connection. This makes monitoring more robust and eases the load on both the monitoring and the target systems.

Up to PRTG 17.1.30, the default option for these WMI (Windows) sensors was Performance Counters and fallback to WMI in case the first attempt failed.

As of PRTG 17.1.30, the default option is WMI only because of https://www.paessler.com/prtg/history/prtg-17#17.1.30.1618 to the underlying WMI engine in PRTG.

This option is set in the device on which you create the WMI (Windows) sensor. You can change it in the Windows Compatibility Options section of the device settings.

Note: You can set this option at group level as well. Set it for the root group, for example, so that it is valid for your entire device tree.

If the hybrid approach of WMI (Windows) sensors does not work

If the hybrid approach and the fallback do not work, there is likely a problem with directly accessing the performance counters.

In this case, we recommend that you use the WMI only option (default as of PRTG 17.1.30). The option is set in the device on which you create the Windows sensor. You can change it in the Windows Compatibility Options section of the device settings.

Note: You can set this option on group level as well. Set it for the root group, for example, so that it is valid for your entire device tree.

Reasons for unsuccessful access to performance counters

If the access request to the performance counters fails, check or try the following:

  • The probe system (either the local probe or a remote probe) must run on Windows Server 2008 R2 or later.
  • The Remote Registry Windows service must be running on the probe system.
  • The probe system and the target system must be part of the same Windows domain.
  • Check if the Windows credentials that you entered in PRTG are correct.
  • If you use a local user to monitor a target system that is not part of a domain: This user account must exist on both the probe system and the target system, that means, with the same user name and password. In the device settings in PRTG, under Credentials for Windows Systems, leave the Domain or Computer Name field empty.
  • Try to get access with the credentials of a Windows Domain Administrator account.
  • Some counters may be missing or may not contain counter data, or the performance counter libraries may become corrupted. This behavior can occur if certain extensible counters corrupt the registry, or if WMI-based programs modify the registry. In this case, you must rebuild the performance counter libraries. For details, refer to this article Manually rebuild performance counters for Windows Server 2008 64 bit or Windows Server 2008 R2 systems.
  • Try to restart the target and the probe service of the probe(s) monitoring the target(s).

Important error codes

Error codeError messageDescription/solution
up to 0x3E80System Error CodesError descriptions can be found in this article System Error Codes
0x800007D0Unable to connect to the specified computer, or the computer is offlineCheck the connection, the credentials, and if the Remote Registry Windows service is running on the target device.
0xB0000001There was an error in the calculation.Try to increase the scanning interval and do not use the sensor's Scan Now function.
0xB0000003Could not create counter.The connection to the target system was successful, but the performance counter could not be retrieved. Switch to WMI only (see above).
0xB0000004Could not log in using the specified credentials. Make sure they are not only valid for the target system, but for the probe system as well.The Windows user account of the Windows credentials you entered in PRTG must have the right to execute a program on the probe system (either the local probe or the remote probe), and this Windows user account must have the right to use the Remote Registry Windows service on the target system.

You can find the complete list of possible performance counter errors in this article: Performance Data Helper Error Codes.

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Created on Feb 7, 2013 3:29:05 PM by Daniel Zobel [Product Manager]

Last change on Feb 7, 2023 8:16:43 AM by Timo Dambach [Paessler Support]




Disclaimer: The information in the Paessler Knowledge Base comes without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Before applying any instructions please exercise proper system administrator housekeeping. You must make sure that a proper backup of all your data is available.