WPA throws error: Time inversion was detected in the trace

Dev Stability 17

I have WPA 11.1.5.2 version installed. Collected a CPU usage etl and opened it on same system, it threw below error:

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Gary Nebbett 6,091 Reputation points

2024-04-03T07:50:24.85+00:00

Hello Dev Stability,

Do all/most/some ETW traces that you create cause the same problem when opened in WPA?

Does the suggestion in the dialog box (use /tti option) have any effect?

Are you prepared to share the trace file, so that we can speculate about the cause of the problem?

Gary
Dev Stability 17 Reputation points

2024-04-05T09:52:33.88+00:00

Hi @Gary Nebbett
I tried multiple times but got the same error message.

Where does the /tti option go? Did not find it in wpr or wpa command line options.

I tried with perf kit from 2 sdks downloaded from https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/sdk-archive/

Windows SDK for Windows 11 (10.0.22621.2428) - Collected etl for CPU usage and opened in wpa but it showed time inversion error

Windows 10 SDK, version 2004 (10.0.19041.0) - Collected another etl for CPU usage and it opens without error.
Gary Nebbett 6,091 Reputation points

2024-04-05T10:26:49.4966667+00:00

Hello Dev Capability,

When you say that "I tried multiple times but got the same error message", so you mean that you tried several times to create new traces and open them in WPA, or that you tried several times to open the same trace in WPA?

I took a quick look for the /tti option. If you know how to launch WPA from the command line, just add /tti or -tti to the command line. For example: wpa -i test.etl -tti

Without seeing an example of the .etl which causes the problem, it is difficult to say much more.

Gary

1 answer

Hania Lian 17,776 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-05T07:06:59.6566667+00:00

Hello,

The “Time Inversion was detected in the trace” error when using the Windows Performance Analyzer, it means WPA has detected inconsistencies in the time stamps of the events recorded in the trace.

When tracing and recording event logs, every single event is timestamped to keep a chronological order of processes. If somehow an event has a timestamp that precedes a previously logged event, that forms a paradox and is seen as a “time inversion.” Hence, the trace cannot be reliably processed because the correct sequence of events can’t be established due to this inconsistency.

We could try the steps below

Re-record your trace: The error could be due to an anomaly when the trace was being recorded. Rerun your trace and see if the error persists.

Update your system: Systems can have bugs which can be ironed out through regular updates. Ensure that your system is up to date.

Or try to install the WPA from Microsoft Store to check.

Windows Performance Analyzer - Microsoft Apps

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

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Dev Stability 17 Reputation points

2024-04-05T09:53:15.2766667+00:00

Hi @Hania Lian

I tried multiple times but got the same error message. and my system has all updates.
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WPA throws error: Time inversion was detected in the trace

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