How to Collect Dell Data Guardian Logs

Summary: Learn step-by-step instructions about how to gather logs for Dell Data Guardian by following these instructions.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Instructions

Note:

This article discusses the methods for collecting logs for Dell Data Guardian on Windows and Mac operating systems.


Affected Products:

  • Dell Data Guardian

Affected Versions:

  • v1.2 or later

Affected Operating Systems:

  • Windows
  • Mac

Note: It is highly recommended to collect logs before troubleshooting Dell Data Guardian or contacting Dell Data Security ProSupport. For more information, reference Dell Data Security International Support Phone Numbers.

Click Windows or Mac for relevant logging information.

Windows

Dell Data Guardian for Windows logs must be collected manually. A user can troubleshoot Dell Data Guardian by collecting:

  • .msi logs: Used to troubleshoot installation and uninstall issues
  • Product logs: Used to troubleshoot activation, policy, communication, and behavior issues

Click the appropriate logging for information about the log collection process.

.msi

  1. Log in to the affected endpoint.
  2. Right-click the Windows start menu and then select Run.
    Run option
  3. In the Run UI, type %temp% and then click OK.
    Run UI
  4. The .msi log files for Dell Data Guardian file names are not set to include identify information for the outputted log file name. The best way to find the .msi log that contains information that is related to your install or uninstall issue is to sort the directory by the date modified column. Find the log file with a timestamp around the time that you encountered the install or uninstall error.
  5. Once you open the file, you can confirm that you have the correct log by searching the text for Product: and in that line it should reference Dell Data Guardian.msi.
    Example product reference to Dell Data Guardian

Product

To assist Dell in quickly identifying the issue, it is recommended to enable Verbosity (debugging) and then reproduce the issue before the Capture of product logs. Click the appropriate process for more information.

Verbosity
Warning: Verbosity should only be enabled to troubleshoot an issue. Dell Technologies recommends disabling verbosity after the issue is resolved. Endpoints may experience performance degradation while verbosity is enabled.
  1. Right-click the Windows start menu and then click Run.
    Run option
  2. In the Run UI, type regedit and then press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER. This runs the Registry Editor as admin.
    Run UI
  3. In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Dell\Data Guardian\.
  4. Right-click the Data Guardian folder, select New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
    DWORD (32-bit) Value option
  5. Name the DWORD LogVerbosity.
    Naming the DWORD as LogVerbosity
  6. Double-click LogVerbosity.
  7. Populate Value data with 1f and then press OK.
    Value data populated with 1f in hexadecimal
  8. Right-click the Data Guardian folder, select New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
    DWORD (32-bit) Value option
  9. Name the DWORD ShowLogMarker.
    Naming the DWORD as ShowLogMarker
  10. Double-click ShowLogMarker.
  11. Populate Value data with 1f and then press OK.
    Value data populated with 1 in hexadecimal
    Note: After clicking OK, ShowLogMarker displays a Data value of 0x00000001 (1).
  12. Right-click the Dell Data Guardian system tray app and then select Log Marker.
    Log Marker option
  13. Populate some text about the issue that is being reproduced and then click OK. This information assists Dell in identifying the cause of your issue.
    Example text and the OK button
    Note: The example above outputs this data within all the active log files for Dell Data Guardian:
    2019-01-25 19:23:51.737Z Inf [4932] - *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Log Marker Test *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Capture
  1. Go to %programdata%\Dell\Data Guardian.
  2. Collect all logs in the Dell Data Guardian folder. This folder may contain:
    • Xendow.service.log: This contains product activation, communication, and policy information.
    • Xendow.Tray.log: This contains application service load information
    • [OFFICE PRODUCT].PID[5-DIGIT-NUMERIC-CODE]: This is created for each created and modified office-protected document. It contains information about file construction, restrictions, and key updates.
      Example logs
      Note: The screenshot may differ from the logs in your environment.

Mac

Dell Data Guardian for Mac logs must be collected manually. A user can troubleshoot Dell Data Guardian by collecting:

  • Install.log: Used to troubleshoot installation and uninstall issues
  • System.log: Used to troubleshoot activation, policy, communication, and behavior issues

Click the appropriate logging for information.

Install.log

Dell Data Guardian uses the native Mac OS X install.log to document install information.

  1. From the apple menu, click Go and then select Go to Folder.
    Go to Folder option in the Go menu
  2. Type /var/log and then click Go.
    Go to Folder window
  3. Copy Install.log to a readily available location for further investigation.
    install.log
    Note: Dell Technologies recommends searching for Dell Data Guardian to ensure that the information is relevant to Dell Data Guardian.

System.log

Dell Data Guardian uses the native Mac system.log for application level logging.

  1. From the Apple menu, click Go and then select Go to Folder.
    Go to Folder option
  2. Type /var/log and then click Go.
    Go to Folder window
  3. Copy System.log to a readily available location for further investigation.
    system.log
    Note: Dell Technologies recommends searching for Dell Data Guardian to ensure that the information is relevant to Dell Data Guardian application issues.

To contact support, reference Dell Data Security International Support Phone Numbers.
Go to TechDirect to generate a technical support request online.
For additional insights and resources, join the Dell Security Community Forum.

Affected Products

Dell Data Guardian
Article Properties
Article Number: 000123599
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 21 May 2025
Version:  13
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