This page covers common issues and their solutions. If you need additional help, submit a support ticket — Pro license holders receive priority support.
Many issues are easier to diagnose with debug logs. To enable:
%ProgramData%\AlbusBit\ADFastReporter\logs)2026-03-29_Debug.txtFor scheduled tasks, you can also enable debug logging per task in the task editor’s General tab, or by adding the -d flag to the command line.
Include log files when contacting support — they contain the detailed error information needed to diagnose the problem.
Application won’t start — Verify the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime is installed. Open a command prompt and run dotnet --list-runtimes — you should see a line starting with Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 10.0. If missing, download from Microsoft’s .NET download page. If the runtime is installed but the app still won’t start, check the Windows Event Viewer (Application log) for .NET-related errors.
“Side-by-side configuration is incorrect” — This typically means a runtime dependency is missing. Reinstall the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime.
“Unable to connect to domain” — Check that your workstation is domain-joined and can reach a domain controller. Run nltest /dsgetdc:yourdomain.com from a command prompt to verify DC discovery. If using a custom server in the connection, verify the hostname resolves and is reachable on port 389 (LDAP).
Connection times out — Try specifying a domain controller that’s geographically close to your workstation. Check for firewall rules blocking LDAP (TCP 389) or Global Catalog (TCP 3268) traffic.
“Access denied” or credentials fail — Verify the username format — use DOMAIN\username or username@domain.com. If using saved credentials, delete and re-save the connection (the password is stored in Windows Credential Manager and may become stale after a password change).
Cross-domain connection fails — Verify a trust relationship exists between the domains. The account must have read access in the target domain. Network connectivity to at least one DC in the target domain is required.
No results returned — Check three things: (1) The connection’s OU scope — if it’s set to a specific OU, objects outside that OU won’t appear. (2) The search scope — “Base Only” searches only the root object, not children. Change to “Entire Subtree.” (3) Report filters — if using a custom report form with filters, temporarily remove filters to confirm objects exist, then add filters back one at a time.
Reports run slowly — Several factors affect performance. Narrow the connection scope to a specific OU instead of the entire domain. Reduce the number of fields, especially calculated fields like inherited group memberships and child counts which require extra processing. Non-replicated attributes (like lastLogon) query every domain controller individually, which adds time proportional to the number of DCs. The Global Catalog option in Settings can also add overhead — disable it if you don’t need cross-domain universal group resolution.
“ProOnlyException” error — A field or filter in the report form requires the Pro edition. Either remove the Pro-only field/filter, or upgrade to Pro.
DirectoryServicesCOMException — This is an LDAP-level error from Active Directory. The error message typically includes a specific code and description. Common causes: insufficient permissions to read certain attributes, the target OU doesn’t exist, or the LDAP query is invalid. Check the extended error message in the log panel for details.
“Non-replicated fields can be inaccurate” — This warning appears when AD FastReporter couldn’t reach one or more domain controllers while querying non-replicated attributes like lastLogon. The report still completes, but lastLogon values for some users may not reflect the most recent logon if it happened on an unreachable DC. This is informational — if you need full accuracy, ensure all DCs are reachable.
Export fails with permission error — The user account running AD FastReporter (or the scheduled task run-as account) needs write access to the target folder. Verify permissions on the export path.
PDF export produces unexpected results — PDF export uses the Syncfusion library. Very wide reports (many columns) may not fit well on a single page. Consider reducing the number of fields or using XLSX format for wide reports.
CSV encoding issues — AD FastReporter exports CSV in UTF-8 encoding. Some older versions of Excel may not handle UTF-8 correctly. Open the CSV in Excel via Data → From Text/CSV and select UTF-8 encoding, or use XLSX format instead.
Task doesn’t run — Check Windows Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) to see the task status and last run result. Common causes: (1) The run-as account’s password has changed — update it in the task. (2) The computer was off or asleep at the scheduled time. (3) The task was created with “Run whether user is logged on or not” but the account doesn’t have “Log on as a batch job” rights.
“This task requires admin privileges” — Creating Windows scheduled tasks requires either running AD FastReporter as Administrator, or selecting “Run only when user is logged on” (which doesn’t need elevation). See Scheduled Tasks for details.
Task runs but no email is sent — Check that SMTP is configured in Settings → Email and that a test email works. When running as a scheduled task, the command-line tool logs: “No valid email settings found. Please check all settings in Tools/Options/Email.” if the SMTP configuration is incomplete. Also verify the run-as account has network access to the SMTP server.
Task runs but no file is exported — Verify the export path exists and the run-as account has write permissions to it. Check the task history in the GUI for error messages.
License key doesn’t activate — Copy and paste the key exactly as received (avoid trailing spaces). Ensure the key hasn’t expired. If you received the key by email, check that no characters were corrupted by email formatting.
“Incorrect license” when running scheduled tasks — The command-line tool (ADFastReporterCmd.exe) checks the license from the shared database. If the license was recently changed in the GUI, restart the application to ensure the database is updated, then try the task again.
“Database is locked” — This can happen if multiple instances of AD FastReporter (or the command-line tool) try to write to the database simultaneously. Close any extra instances. If the problem persists, ensure no backup software has the .db file locked.
Database migration from old location — If upgrading from an older version, AD FastReporter automatically migrates the database from %LocalAppData%\AlbusBit\ADFastReporter\ to %ProgramData%\AlbusBit\ADFastReporter\ on first launch. If the migration fails (e.g., permission issues), you can copy the adfastreporter.db file manually.
When contacting support:
Submit a support ticket or email support@albusbit.com. Pro license holders receive priority response.