Online Manual

Common Errors and Troubleshooting

This guide will help you identify and resolve common issues that may occur when using Service Credentials Manager.

Connection and Authentication Issues

Cannot Connect to Computer

If you encounter errors connecting to a computer:

Check network connectivity - Ensure your computer can reach the target computer
Verify computer name - Confirm the computer name is correct and can be resolved via DNS
Firewall settings - Check that the necessary ports are open (WMI, RPC, etc.)
Enable ping test - Enable the "Ping Test Computers First" option to skip unreachable computers

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
Local vs. Domain - For local accounts, use .\username or ComputerName\username format

Service and Task Management Issues

Cannot Retrieve Services

If services are not displayed or cannot be retrieved:

Check administrative rights - Ensure you have administrative access on the target computer
Windows Management Instrumentation - Verify the WMI service is running on the target computer
Remote Registry - For some operations, the Remote Registry service may need to be running

Cannot Retrieve Scheduled Tasks

If scheduled tasks cannot be retrieved:

Task Scheduler service - Ensure the Task Scheduler service is running
Remote access to tasks - Verify remote task management is not restricted by policy
Version compatibility - v1 tasks on older systems might require different access methods

Cannot Update Service Credentials

If service credential updates fail:

Service Control Manager access - Ensure administrative access to SCM
Service is running - Some services cannot have credentials changed while running
"Log on as a service" right - Verify the new account has or can be granted this right
Password complexity - Ensure the password meets the system's complexity requirements

Cannot Update Task Credentials

If task credential updates fail:

Task Scheduler permissions - Verify administrative access to the Task Scheduler
Task registration - Some tasks may have restricted registration capabilities
Run level issues - Tasks requiring highest privileges need appropriate accounts

Service Control Issues

Cannot Start or Stop Services

If you encounter errors starting or stopping services:

Service dependencies - Check if dependent services need to be started first
Service account permissions - Ensure the service account has appropriate permissions
Service state - Services already in the target state will report an error
Disabled services - Disabled services cannot be started

Service Restart Errors

If services fail to restart after credential changes:

New credential permissions - Verify the new account has all required permissions
Resource access - Check if the service can access required resources with the new account
Binary path - Ensure the service executable path is accessible to the new account

Performance Issues

Slow Scanning

If scanning is taking too long:

Network latency - High network latency can slow down remote operations
Number of computers - Scanning many computers takes more time
Offline computers - Enable ping test to quickly skip offline computers
Filter options - Use filters to reduce the amount of data retrieved

Application Becomes Unresponsive

If the application appears to freeze:

Large data sets - Processing many services/tasks can be resource-intensive
System resources - Check if your system has sufficient memory available
Operation timeouts - Some operations may eventually time out if computers are unreachable
Cancel operation - Use the Cancel button to stop long-running operations

Export Issues

Export Fails

If exporting reports fails:

File access - Ensure you have write permissions at the export location
File in use - Check if the target file is already open in another application
Export format - Try a different export format (e.g., CSV instead of Excel)

Export Format Issues

If exported files don't look right:

Excel column width - Excel exports may need column widths adjusted
Special characters - Check for special characters that might affect CSV formatting
HTML formatting - Some browsers may display HTML exports differently

Application and Installation Issues

Installation Problems

If you encounter issues during installation:

Administrative rights - Ensure you have admin rights on the computer
.NET version - Verify .NET 8.0 or higher is installed
Windows version - Ensure your Windows version is supported
Antivirus interference - Temporarily disable antivirus software during installation

Database Issues

If you encounter database-related errors:

Database location - Check if the database folder is accessible
File permissions - Ensure you have permission to read/write to the database file
Database corruption - In rare cases, the database might need to be recreated

Using Debug Logs for Troubleshooting

For more complex issues, enable debug logging:

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

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

Common Error Messages

"Failed to connect to Service Control Manager"

This error typically indicates:

Insufficient permissions on the target computer
The Remote Registry service is not running
Network connectivity issues to the target computer

"Access is denied" when updating credentials