Event 18, HAL

ruaxbk · 2026-10-24T10:31:02-0400

I have been getting this error every time after booting system

"The performance counter is not readable from user mode. System performance may be degraded."

Any idea why this happens?

Windows 11 Pro / Version 25H2 (OS Build 26200.9168)

ruaxbk · 2026-10-24T10:35:57-0400

What has already been done:

Updating the BIOS to the latest available one

performance counters have been reset

PerpetualCycle · 2026-10-24T10:37:15-0400

I wouldn't be worried. I what it is trying to indicate is that because it can't read the counter, it doesn't know what the performance is.
It is at the hardware access layer, so whatever it is trying to read needs to have higher privilege

PerpetualCycle · 2026-10-24T10:42:19-0400

When you open device manager, are there any warnings in it (yellow triangles with a bang)? If so it might be a driver that provides access to whatever counter.

OAT · 2026-10-24T10:44:55-0400

PerpetualCycle said:
It is at the hardware access layer, so whatever it is trying to read needs to have higher privilege

You mean Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), surely.
I ought to know.

KevTech · 2026-10-24T10:47:51-0400

Try rebuilding the performance counters.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/manually-rebuild-performance-counters#rebuild-all-performance-counters-including-extensible-and-third-party-counters

OAT · 2026-10-24T10:49:05-0400

KevTech said:
Try rebuilding the performance counters.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/manually-rebuild-performance-counters#rebuild-all-performance-counters-including-extensible-and-third-party-counters

OP's second post states clearly he did already.

OAT · 2026-10-24T10:54:28-0400

You need to find out what start-up app is triggering the request to the performance counters.
That start-up app or (service or scheduled task) was installed at the user level.
I would use autoruns and seek it out.
It might be worth creating a new user and log on as that new user to see if the error is displayed.
Do you recall when this issue started cropping up?

KevTech · 2026-10-24T11:09:10-0400

OAT said:
OP's second post states clearly he did already.

They said reset but what I posted rebuilds them.

OAT · 2026-10-24T11:12:35-0400

KevTech said:
They said reset but what I posted rebuilds them.

It's the same thing as one retrieves the saved values while the other sets them back to nil.
There is nothing wrong with the counters anyway.
Something is requesting access to it or them.
Rebuilding or resetting them is therefore irrelevant.

I am suspecting some GPU measurement application that is used to set up performance for a game but this is pure speculation.
So this is really guessing and I hate doing that.

cereberus · 2026-10-24T11:34:55-0400

OAT said:
You mean Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), surely.
I ought to know.

Hal:
I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.

This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me.
And I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.

Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going.

Event 18, HAL

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