How to fix Error 550 on Windows 11

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Windows 11 Error 550: Profiling Not Started

Why This Error Happens

Error 550 typically occurs when the Windows Performance Monitoring or diagnostic profiling service cannot initialize a data collection session due to insufficient user permissions or a locked resource. This is often caused by the Event Trace Session already being in use by another process, a corrupted profiling driver, or the current user account lacking the necessary “Log on as a batch job” or Administrator privileges required to start ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) sessions. Additionally, corrupted registry entries related to the Performance Counter subsystem can prevent the profiler from properly attaching to the target process.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. Run as Administrator: Right-click the profiling application shortcut and select Run as administrator. Profiling tools require elevated privileges to hook into system processes and access kernel-level tracing.

  2. Check for Conflicting Trace Sessions: Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run:

   logman query -ets

If you see a lingering session (e.g., NT Kernel Logger or a custom profiler session) that shouldn’t be active, stop it manually:

   logman stop "SessionName" -ets

  1. Verify User Group Policy Rights: Press Win + R, type secpol.msc, and navigate to Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. Ensure your user account is listed under “Log on as a batch job” and “Performance Log Users”. If not, add your account and restart your session.

  2. Repair Performance Counters: Corrupted counters are a common cause of Error 550. Open Command Prompt (Admin) and rebuild the counter library:

   lodctr /R

Follow this with a WMI repository consistency check:

   winmgmt /verifyrepository
  1. Update or Reinstall the Profiler Driver: Navigate to Device Manager, check for a “Kernel Profiling” or vendor-specific tracing driver under System Devices. If found, right-click and select Update driver. If the error persists, uninstall the driver and reinstall the profiling software package entirely.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the Fix: Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), navigate to Windows Logs > Application, and confirm no new Error 550 instances appear after restarting the profiling session.
  • Alternative Solution: If the error persists specifically within Visual Studio or a third-party IDE, disable Windows Defender Real-time Protection temporarily, as it can sometimes lock the memory space required for the profiler to attach, triggering a false permission denial.