Common Errors and Troubleshooting

This guide will help you identify and resolve common issues that may occur when using AD Permissions Reporter.

Connection and Authentication Issues

Domain Controller Cannot Be Reached

If you see an error indicating that the domain controller cannot be reached:

• Check network connectivity - Ensure your computer can reach the domain controller
• Verify domain name/server name - Confirm the domain or server name is correct in your profile
• Check custom port - If using a custom port, verify it's correct and not blocked by a firewall
• Try a specific DC - Instead of using the domain name, try specifying a specific domain controller

Authentication Failed

If you receive authentication errors:

• Verify credentials - Ensure the username and password are correct
• Check username format - Use the format domain\username or username@domain.com
• Account restrictions - Verify the account isn't locked, expired, or restricted
• Network location - Some authentication methods may not work across certain network boundaries

Permission and Access Issues

Insufficient Permissions

If you encounter "Access Denied" or permission errors during scanning:

• Use appropriate credentials - Ensure the account has at least Read access to the objects being scanned
• Domain Admin not required - Full Domain Admin rights are not necessary; Read permissions are sufficient
• Check specific containers - Some containers may have explicit deny permissions that override inherited permissions
• Protected objects - Some objects in AD are protected from enumeration without specific permissions

Cannot See Permission Details

If permission details aren't showing correctly:

• Refresh the report - Sometimes reloading the report can resolve display issues
• Check Extended Rights - Some special permissions may not display with standard read permissions
• Verify object existence - The object may have been deleted or moved since the report was generated

Performance Issues

Slow Report Generation

If report generation is taking too long:

• Reduce scope - Use a more targeted approach with specific OUs instead of the entire domain
• Disable nested group resolution - Turn off "Expand nested groups" option to reduce processing time
• Use Custom Filter - Apply a more specific LDAP filter to reduce the number of objects processed
• Check network performance - Slow network connections to domain controllers will impact scan speed
• Domain controller load - High load on domain controllers can slow down LDAP queries

Application Becomes Unresponsive

If the application appears to freeze:

• Large data sets - Processing very large permission sets can be memory-intensive
• System resources - Check if your system has sufficient memory available
• Wait for processing - Some operations may take time without showing progress
• Cancel operation - Use the Stop button if available to cancel a long-running operation

Report Display Issues

Missing or Incomplete Information

If report data appears incomplete:

• Check error log - Expand the Event Log at the bottom of the report to see if errors occurred
• Verify permissions - Ensure the account has read access to all objects in the scan scope
• Check scan options - Some information may require specific options to be enabled

Principal Names Not Displaying Correctly

If user or group names appear as SIDs or are incorrect:

• Enable display names - Turn on "Get display names from Active Directory" in the profile options
• Check domain trust - Principals from untrusted domains may not resolve correctly
• Built-in principals - Some system principals may display differently

Export Issues

Export Fails or Takes Too Long

If you have problems exporting reports:

• Reduce data size - Apply filters to reduce the amount of data being exported
• Check disk space - Ensure sufficient space is available at the export location
• Enable performance option - Turn on "Improve Export Performance" in the export options
• Simplify format - Try exporting to a different format (HTML is generally fastest)

Exported Files Missing Data

If exported reports don't contain all expected data:

• Check filtering - Exports only include data visible in the current view with applied filters
• Group members - Ensure "Include Group Members" is enabled if needed
• File size limits - Very large Excel files may truncate data

Application and Installation Issues

Installation Problems

If you encounter issues during installation:

• Administrative rights - Ensure you have admin rights on the computer
• .NET Framework - Verify .NET 8.0 or higher is installed
• Antivirus interference - Temporarily disable antivirus software during installation
• Clean install - Try uninstalling completely before reinstalling

Application Won't Start

If the application fails to launch:

• Prerequisites - Ensure all required components are installed
• File corruption - Reinstall the application to replace potentially corrupted files
• Check Event Viewer - Look in Windows Event Viewer for application error details

Using Debug Logs for Troubleshooting

For more complex issues, enable debug logging:

1. Go to Settings > Debug
2. Enable the "Enable debugging" option
3. Note the log file location or change it if desired
4. Reproduce the issue
5. Check the generated log files for detailed error information

Debug logs can provide valuable information when contacting support about an issue.

Contacting Support

If you're unable to resolve your issue using this guide:

1. Enable debug logging and reproduce the issue
2. Take screenshots of any error messages
3. Note the steps to reproduce the problem
4. Contact our support team at support@albusbit.com
5. Include your debug logs, screenshots, and AD Permissions Reporter version number

For Pro license holders, priority technical support is available with faster response times.