PowerToolBox
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Find logs and diagnostic data

Where the logs are

PowerToolBox writes three rolling log files to:

%APPDATA%\PowerToolBox\logs
  • powertoolbox-.txt — the human-readable operational log. Secrets, tokens, and authorization headers are redacted before any line is written. Kept for the last 90 days.
  • powertoolbox-.json — the same events as structured JSON, one event per line. Kept for the last 90 days.
  • audit-.json — the audit trail: scans run, exports, connection tests, settings changes. Kept for a year.

File names carry a date suffix, so the log covering a failure is the one dated that day. If the folder is empty, the app had no write access to %APPDATA%\PowerToolBox; fix that first.

Correlation IDs in error dialogs

User-facing error dialogs never show exception text. They show a generic message plus a short reference:

An unexpected error occurred. Details have been logged. (Ref: 1a2b3c4d)

The full exception is in the text log with the same CorrelationId, so searching the log for the reference takes you straight to the failing call. Quote the reference when you contact support.

Audit trail tamper detection

At startup the app verifies an HMAC-SHA256 hash chain over the audit trail (stored under %APPDATA%\PowerToolBox\audit-chain). If the chain was modified outside the app, startup logs a warning and raises a Critical security alert: a “PowerToolBox Security Alert” popup and an entry in the Windows Application event log under the source PowerToolBox. The same popup-and-event-log path is used for other Critical and High security events.

Treat a tamper warning as a security signal, not a bug: check who had access to the machine before you keep working.

What to attach to a support ticket

When you open a ticket on the support page, include:

  1. The powertoolbox-.txt file whose date covers the failure.
  2. The correlation ID (the Ref: value) if an error dialog appeared.
  3. The app version. It is shown in the status bar at the bottom of the main window (PowerToolBox v1.2.0).

The logs already have secrets stripped, so they are safe to attach.

Last updated: July 27, 2026