Windows command guide

How to Rebuild Windows Performance Counters with lodctr /R

Windows performance counters feed metrics into many monitoring and reporting tools. If those counters become damaged, Task Manager, Performance Monitor, server dashboards, or application monitoring can display missing values, strange measurements, or repeated counter errors. Rebuilding the counters is a targeted repair step that restores the underlying registry and definitions.

This guide is written around the specific symptom-command match for rebuild performance counters, not as a generic dump of terminal lines. That makes the page more useful for real troubleshooting and reduces the chance of running the wrong repair step.

Reviewed guide Updated 2026-04-21
Elevated Command Prompt
lodctr /R

Best place to run it

Elevated Command Prompt is the right execution context for this page. Because this repair touches protected Windows state, a normal unelevated shell can return misleading access errors or partial results.

Fast repair workflow

  1. Start from the exact symptom on this page: Performance Monitor reports counter errors
  2. Run the primary line exactly as shown: lodctr /R.
  3. This workflow is tuned for this repair, so avoid mixing it with unrelated repair commands too early.
  4. Test the original trigger again and compare the result with the problem description on this page.
  5. Move to the next repair family only after reading the output and deciding what actually changed.

Copyable wrapper script

Use this wrapper when you want the page command inside a clearer script block with start and finish prompts.

@echo off echo Run this CMD sequence in an elevated Command Prompt. echo Starting targeted repair sequence... lodctr /R echo. echo Review the output before closing this window. pause

Verification commands after the repair

These follow-up commands help you check whether the repair actually changed the Windows state that matters, instead of assuming success from a single line.

systeminfo whoami /groups

What problem this command is trying to solve

This command targets corrupted or inconsistent performance counter registrations.

  • Performance Monitor reports counter errors.
  • Monitoring tools show missing CPU, disk, or memory metrics.
  • Applications relying on Windows counters cannot read data correctly.

How the command works

lodctr /R rebuilds performance counter names and explain text from system backup data and re-registers them so Windows tools can read them correctly again.

When it makes sense to run it

Use it when counter-related warnings appear or when monitoring values are clearly broken rather than simply high or low.

Before you run this command

  • Open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell window before running lodctr /R.
  • Confirm that the symptom really matches this guide, especially if you are seeing signs such as: performance monitor reports counter errors.
  • Read the command once from start to finish so you know whether it scans, resets, or changes a stored setting.

What result to expect

After running lodctr /R, compare the result against the symptom that brought you here. The most useful checkpoint is whether performance monitor reports counter errors becomes less frequent, changes form, or produces a clearer error message. A command page is stronger when it helps you verify a real change instead of just assuming the line must have worked.

How to verify that it worked

The best verification step after lodctr /R is to repeat the action that previously triggered the problem. If monitoring tools show missing cpu, disk, or memory metrics still appears in exactly the same way, the command probably was not the whole answer and you should move to the next targeted check instead of assuming the page is finished.

Why administrator rights matter here

This command changes the specific Windows behavior described on this page. Run it in an elevated shell so Windows can apply the repair instead of only returning an access or privilege error.

Before you run it

Run Command Prompt as administrator. This command is for broken metrics infrastructure, not for making the system faster by itself.

When this is probably the wrong fix

This is not the right first fix for every random Windows problem. Use it when the symptom and command target on this page clearly line up with what your PC is actually doing.

What to do if it does not help

If lodctr /R does not improve performance monitor reports counter errors, move to the next repair step that matches the same symptom family instead of piling on random commands. The best follow-up depends on whether the failure is mainly about the specific Windows behavior described on this page.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use lodctr /R for this exact Windows symptom?

Use it when the behavior on your PC lines up with the repair target on this page: This command targets corrupted or inconsistent performance counter registrations.

What should I check right after lodctr /R?

Check whether the original trigger still reproduces the same failure. For this page, a useful checkpoint is whether performance monitor reports counter errors becomes less frequent, changes form, or points you toward a more specific next step.

When should I not rely on lodctr /R alone?

This is not the right first fix for every random Windows problem. Use it when the symptom and command target on this page clearly line up with what your PC is actually doing.