Fix PLA_E_REPORT_WAIT_TIMEOUT 0x8030010C Error

That PLA_E_REPORT_WAIT_TIMEOUT error usually means Windows Performance tools are stuck. Here's how to kill the hung process and get things moving again.

PLA_E_REPORT_WAIT_TIMEOUT: The short version

You're probably staring at this error because a Performance Logs and Alerts (PLA) report got stuck — maybe from PerfMon, Windows Performance Recorder, or a custom Data Collector Set. The wait for the report tool timed out because the underlying process never finished. I've seen this happen when a trace session gets orphaned, often after you force-close a tool mid-collection or after a sudden power loss.

Quick fix — kill the stuck process

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run:
```
logman stop -ets
```
This stops all active ETW trace sessions. Yes, it's a shotgun approach, but it works when you don't know which session is hung.

Then kill any running WPR or PerfMon processes:

taskkill /f /im wpr.exe

taskkill /f /im perfmon.exe

Finally, restart the Performance Logs and Alerts service:
```
net stop pla
```
```
net start pla
```

That's it. Try running your report again. If the error's gone, you're done. I had a client last month whose entire print queue died because of this — turned out a stuck WPR trace was locking up the whole logging subsystem.

Why this works

The PLA error 0x8030010C happens when the report generation tool (usually Xperf or WPR) can't get a response from a trace session within the default timeout. The trace session is still alive in kernel memory, but it won't respond because something went wrong — maybe the session handle is orphaned or the buffers are wedged. logman stop -ets forcibly terminates every ETW session. Killing the processes clears any user-mode locks. Restarting the PLA service reinitializes the COM plumbing that manages data collectors.

Less common variations

If the error returns after reboot

Sometimes a corrupted Data Collector Set survives reboots. Check for leftover sessions:

logman query -ets

If you see sessions with "stopped" status but they won't delete, run:

logman delete "collector_name" -ets

Replace collector_name with the actual name.

If it's in Event Viewer logs only

You might see this error in Event Viewer under Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-EventTracing/Admin without a visible impact. That usually means a scheduled Data Collector Set failed to finalize. Delete the set in PerfMon and recreate it.

On Server 2016/2019 with SQL Server

Had a case where SQL Server's built-in XEvent sessions caused this conflict. Disable the XEvent sessions temporarily:

ALTER EVENT SESSION [YourSessionName] ON SERVER STATE = STOP

Then retry your report.

Prevention

Never force-close PerfMon or WPR while it's actively collecting. Use the Stop button or Ctrl+C in the command-line versions.
If you use scheduled Data Collector Sets, set a short stop condition (like a duration or a limit on the number of samples). I set mine to stop after 10 minutes max.
Keep Windows updated. Many older builds had bugs in the ETW session manager that caused orphaned sessions. KB5008212 (2022-01) fixed a bunch of those on Windows 10 21H2.
If you're a heavy ETW user, consider adding a scheduled task that runs logman stop -ets once a week. It's overkill for most people, but I've had clients whose trace sessions piled up over months.

That's the whole fix. No registry hacks, no system restore needed. Just kill the stuck session and move on. If it keeps happening, check for bad drivers or a failing disk — I once traced it back to an SSD that was throwing errors on every write.