Using Perflib 2.0 in C++ - examples and help

Hello,

I am trying to write a program in C++ that uses performance counters with PERFLIB 2.0. I wrote a simple xml manifest which contains 3 counters - a counter, an average base and an average timer. I compiled them, included them in the code.

Now, I am trying to actually use them - but I seem to be unable to set the value of the average counter - It keeps throwing me the 87 error (incorrect parameter), even though I'm pretty sure the parameters are OK - I use them, one line above, to set the base counter, and that works fine.

I've scored the internet for documentation, for any kind of examples or help - but there isn't anything except the articles on this site, which are very high-level and rather unhelpful, and there aren't any code samples. There is some documentation for C#, but that doesn't help me.

Below is the relevant code:

The XML file:

<!-- <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?> -->
<instrumentationManifest     
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events" 
    xmlns:win="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/windows/events"
    xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"    
    >
    <instrumentation>
        <counters xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2005/12/counters" schemaVersion="1.1">
            <provider callback = "custom"
	      symbol="TestCounters"
              applicationIdentity = "TestCounters.exe"
              providerType = "userMode"
              providerGuid = "{ab8e1320-965a-4cf9-9c07-fe25378c2a23}">
                <counterSet guid = "{f72fdf55-eaa6-45ba-bf6d-4c7cb0d6ef73}"
                  uri = "Microsoft.Windows.System.PerfCounters.TestCounterSet"
                  name = "Counters Test"
		              symbol="CountersTest"
                  description = "Test of Counters"
                  instances = "single">
                    <counter id = "1"
                      uri = "Microsoft.Windows.System.PerfCounters.TestCounterSet.opTimeBase"
                      name = "Operation Time base"
                      description = "Count Operation Time Average"
                      type = "perf_average_base"
                      detailLevel = "standard"
                      defaultScale = "1">
                    </counter>
                    <counter id = "2"
                      uri = "Microsoft.Windows.System.PerfCounters.TestCounterSet.opTime"
                      name = "Operation Time"
                      description = "Count Operation Time"
		                  type = "perf_average_timer"
		                  baseID = "1"
		                  detailLevel = "standard">
                    </counter>
                    <counter id = "3"
                      uri = "Microsoft.Windows.System.PerfCounters.TestCounterSet.countOps"
                      name = "Count operations"
                      description = "operations count."
                      type = "perf_counter_counter"
                      detailLevel = "standard"
                      defaultScale = "1">
                      <counterAttributes>
                        <counterAttribute name = "reference" />
                      </counterAttributes>
                    </counter>
                </counterSet>
            </provider>
        </counters>
    </instrumentation>
</instrumentationManifest>

My code:

...

	ULONG countOps = 0;  // The by-reference counter variable
	double countAverageDuration ;
	ULONG res;
	res = PerfAutoInitialize();

	if (res != ERROR_SUCCESS)
		throw string("Failed to initialize");

	PPERF_COUNTERSET_INSTANCE cinst = PerfCreateInstance(
		hProvider, 
		&CounterSet_GUID, 
		L"My First Counters", 
		1);

	if (cinst == NULL)
		throw string("Could not create counter instance");

	res = PerfSetCounterRefValue(
		hProvider,
		cinst,
		3,
		&countOps
		);

	if (res != ERROR_SUCCESS) {

		throw string("Could not set counter ref value!");
	}


	srand(time(NULL));

	while (true) {
		int ops = rand() % 100000 + 2000;

		for (int i = 0; i < ops; i++) {
			countOps++;

			int duration = rand() % 1000;

			// Increase the base

			res = PerfIncrementULongCounterValue(hProvider, cinst, 1, 1);
			if (res != ERROR_SUCCESS)
				throw string("Could not increment base average counter");

			// Increase the average -- this line keeps throwing error 87

			res = PerfIncrementULongCounterValue(hProvider, cinst, 2, duration);

			if (res != ERROR_SUCCESS)
				throw string("Could not increment average counter");

			BlaBla(duration);
		}

		if (ops == 2000) break;
	}

	PerfDeleteInstance(hProvider, cinst);

	PerfStopProvider(hProvider);
	return 0;

Please help!

Thanks,

G.