title: Why do I need to be admin to read .NET CLR Memory performance counters
body: <p>I couldn't find the ".NET CLR Memory" counter category programmatically (in c#), as in <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/q/4705698/738851">this</a> question. Running as admin solved the issue. </p>
  
  <p>But why do I need to do this? Is there an alternative? I want readonly access, to see GC generation collections inside my app for profiling purposes. Preferably without having to run the app with admin privileges.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>I can see the Memory performance counters in the Performance Monitor tool, without running as Admin</li>
  <li>Without running as Admin, I can get a shortened (but not empty) list of performance counter categories programmatically, but this doesn't include the one I'm interested in.</li>
  <li>Our corporate setup is a bit crazy: I have admin privileges, but am not a member of the local admins group. I do have the privileges to add myself, but every 30 minutes or so some automated process removes me. Don't know if this affects anything</li>
  <li>Adding myself to the Performance Monitor Users group had no effect (unless I need to reboot first)</li>
  </ul>