Troubleshooting Collector Fields

This topic helps administrators resolve errors for the Collected Fields caused by misconfiguration or missing components by identifying issues, understanding their causes, and applying practical steps.

Registry Value Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Invalid or unknown registry hive.	The registry hive name specified in the collector configuration is invalid, misspelled, or does not exist.	Confirm that the registry hive name in the collector configuration matches a valid Windows hive. Common valid hives: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, and so on. If it is incorrect, update the hive name to a valid one. Save the changes and re-run the collector.
Registry Subkey or Value Not Found.	The specified registry subkey or value does not exist on the device.	Confirm the subkey or value path in the collector configuration is correct. Check if the subkey or value exists on the target device using regedit. If missing, create the required subkey or value or update the configuration to point to an existing one.
Unsupported data type or conversion.	Collector does not support the registry type.	Check the registry value type that is collected in the configuration. If it is one of the unsupported registry value types, change the configuration to use a supported type. Save the configuration and re-run the collector. Supported registry value types: REG_SZ REG_EXPAND_SZ REG_DWORD REG_QWORD Unsupported registry value types: REG_MULTI_SZ REG_BINARY REG_LINK REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR REG_RESOURCE_LIST REG_RESOURCE_REQUIREMENTS REG_RESOURCE_REQUIREMENTS_LIST

Additional Notes:

• A 'Not found' warning may be expected if the software is not installed on the device.
• Supported Data Type Conversions: The Registry Collector can convert certain registry value types into specific data formats. Below are the supported conversions:
  • For REG_SZ / REG_EXPAND_SZ:
    • String
    • Version (if a valid version format is found)
    • Date (if a valid format is found)
    • Date Time (if a valid format is found)
  • For REG_DWORD / REG_QWORD:
    • Number
    • Boolean
    • Date (if a valid numeric file time is found)
    • Date Time (if a valid numeric file time is found)
• If conversion fails, verify the format of the registry value.

File/Folder Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
File or Folder Not Found.	The specified file or folder path does not exist on the target device.	Confirm that the file or folder path in the collector configuration is correct and points to an existing location. On Windows, right-click the file or folder and select Properties to verify its presence. On macOS, ensure the path points to the correct file or app bundle inside the Applications directory. If the file does not exist, either create it or update the collector configuration to use a valid path.
Missing File Details (Not Found error for missing metadata).	The file exists, but the requested details (for example, version information) are not available.	Confirm that the file supports version or metadata properties (for example, .exe files on Windows or .app bundles on macOS). On Windows, right-click the file > Properties > Details tab to check if version info is present. On macOS, verify that the path points to an app bundle (for example, TextEdit.app) inside Applications. If metadata is missing, this may be expected behavior for certain files. Decide whether to update the configuration or ignore the error.

Additional Notes:

• The collector returns a Boolean type if metadata is found; otherwise, it gives 'Not found' error. An error can be expected if the file is optional or device-specific.
• Only valid application bundles located in the Applications directory or /System/Application will return version information.

Process Exists Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Incorrect name or missing extension.	The file extension is missing or incorrect.	Go to Task Manager > Details tab. Under the Name column, look for the exact process name. Provide the exact process name including its extension (for example, notepad.exe, chrome.exe).

Additional Notes:

• The collector checks the exact process name from Task Manager > Details, including the .exe extension.
• If the extension is missing, the collector will always return process not found error.

Service Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Process does not exist.	Incorrect Service name or Display name (for Windows) Incorrect or partial daemon name (for macOS).	Use exact service name including extension for Windows or a daemon name for macOS. Verify the process name in Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS). Use exact Service name or Display name from services.msc. Use fully qualified daemon name (for example, com.apple.background.task).

Additional Notes:

• On Windows, the collector accepts either the Service name or the Display name as shown in the Services console.
• On macOS, the collector requires the fully qualified daemon identifier, such as com.apple.background.task.

Plist Entry Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Unsupported data type (dict/array)	Collector does not return complex container types. The key name is wrong. The array index is out of range. The path skips the required level.	The collector converts only supported primitive types. Composite types must be dereferenced before they can be processed. Request concrete property type: string, date, integer, real, or Boolean
Invalid path syntax	Incorrect PlistBuddy-style path or index. It could be missing colons, using non-numeric index for arrays, trailing colon.	Use correct path. Use numeric indexes for arrays; keys for dicts.
Version parsing fails	The string does not match a valid version pattern.	Provide a version-like string (for example, 1.2.3)
Invalid date format	The date value is not in a recognized format.	Ensure the Plist date uses a valid format.
Value not found at the specified path	The key name is wrong. The array index is out of range. The path skips a required level.	Verify the exact key names and indexes.

WMI Property Collector

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Unsupported data type or conversion	Requested type does not match WMI property type.	Supported data type conversions by property data type. Verify WMI class/property; map numeric types (int16, uint32) to Number; use Boolean for true/false; String for text
Comparison failed (or value does not match)	Mismatch between reference type and the actual WMI property type (for example, treating numeric as string); value typo; whitespace.	Confirm the WMI property type; set Reference Type accordingly (String/Number/Boolean/Date).

Additional Notes:

• Supported conversions include:
  • String to String/Version/Date.
  • Numeric types to Number or Boolean.
• Unsupported conversions will result in an error that requires configuration changes.

Evaluating Collected Data

Issue/Error	Cause	Resolution
Mismatch between reference type and collected type	Reference are set incorrectly (for example, Number vs String)	Match reference type to collected data and use correct operator (Equals, Contains).

Additional Notes:

• Supported collectors for evaluation include Registry Value, Plist Entry, and WMI Property.
• Ensure that the data types String, Number, and Boolean match the collected data type.

Collector Errors in the Custom.inv file

When collectors fail to return expected results, review the Custom.inv file for error messages. This file contains the output of all custom collectors, including successful values and errors.

Location of Inventory Files:

• For Windows: C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACECloud\cloudinventory\
• For Mac: /Library/Application Support/Quest/KACECloud/data/cloudinventory

Key files:

• Policy.mnf: Contains collector definitions.
• Custom.inv: Contains collected values and error details.

How to Troubleshoot

1. Open the Custom.inv file and search for the collector ID to locate its result.
2. Check for error messages associated with the collector.
3. Validate the following:
   • Collector type and configuration.
   • Registry/file paths.
   • Agent permissions.
4. Correct the configuration and re-run inventory.

Example of Custom.inv file: