Can not run Get-DSCConfiguration when using xRegistry module

[TheRealBenForce]

I'm using xRegistry 5.1.0.0 to allow binary data 00 due to issue #276. This is the only experimental module I'm using in my configurations, however I have many others from the PSDesiredStateConfiguration 1.1.

Get-DSCConfiguration fails with the following output in powershell:

Get-DscConfiguration : GetConfiguration did not succeed.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-DscConfiguration
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (MSFT_DSCLocalConfigurationManager:root/Microsoft/...gurationManager) [Get 
   -DscConfiguration], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MI RESULT 1,Get-DscConfiguration

Event Log results after running Get-DSCConfiguration:

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-DSC/Operational
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-DSC
Date:          1/11/2017 9:53:37 AM
Event ID:      4250
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      DSCPullClient
Description:
Job {BA6A8FA8-D80D-11E6-8162-0A8B1BA44ED0} : 
Message Unable to cast object of type 'System.String' to type 'System.Collections.IList'.
Parameter name: value 
HResult -2147024809 
StackTrack    at Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.Internal.Data.CimPropertyOfInstance.set_Value(Object value)
   at Microsoft.PowerShell.DesiredStateConfiguration.Internal.ResourceProviderAdapter.GetTargetResource(IntPtr resourceConfigurationInstanceHandle, IntPtr nonResourcePropetiesHandle, IntPtr metaConfigHandle, IntPtr regInstanceHandle, IStreamsHandler plugInStreamsHandler, IntPtr& outputInstanceHandle, IntPtr& errorInstanceHandle)
   at Microsoft.PowerShell.DesiredStateConfiguration.Internal.DscPluginManagedEntryWrapper.Get(IntPtr provContext, IntPtr instance, IntPtr nonResourcePropeties, IntPtr metaConfig, IntPtr regInstance, IntPtr outputInstance, IntPtr extendedError)

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-DSC/Operational
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-DSC
Date:          1/11/2017 9:53:37 AM
Event ID:      4252
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      DSCPullClient
Description:
Job {BA6A8FA8-D80D-11E6-8162-0A8B1BA44ED0} : 
MIResult: 1
Error Message: GetConfiguration did not succeed.
Message ID: MI RESULT 1
Error Category: 0
Error Code: 1
Error Type: MI

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-DSC/Operational
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-DSC
Date:          1/11/2017 9:53:37 AM
Event ID:      4097
Task Category: Send configuration scenario for Local configuration manager
Level:         Error
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      DSCPullClient
Description:
Job {BA6A8FA8-D80D-11E6-8162-0A8B1BA44ED0} : 
This event indicates that failure happens when LCM is processing the configuration. Error Id is 0x1. Error Detail is The SendConfigurationApply function did not succeed.. Resource Id is [xRegistry]AuditBackupRightsEnabled and Source Info is ::45::9::xRegistry. Error Message is NULL.

The referenced instance from the job ID mof file is this:

instance of MSFT_ResourceInDesiredState as $Alias00000041
{
    ResourceId = "[xRegistry]RemovedForSecurity";
    SourceInfo = "::45::9::xRegistry";
    ModuleName = "xPSDesiredStateConfiguration";
    ModuleVersion = "5.1.0.0";
    ConfigurationName = "PartialConfig";
    ResourceName = "xRegistry";
    InstanceName = "RemovedForSecurity";
    InDesiredState = True;
    StartDate = "20170111095336.756000-300";
    DurationInSeconds = 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000E+000;
    RebootRequested = False;
};

My resource configuration:

xRegistry AuditBackupRightsEnabled
{
    Key         = 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa'
    ValueName   = 'FullPrivilegeAuditing'
    ValueData   = 00 # Have also tried passing this as a string.
    ValueType   = 'Binary'            
    Ensure      = 'Present'
    Force       = $true
}

This is the only instance of an experimental resource I'm using in my partial configuration. As a tested, I attempted to use xUser and xService while commenting out my xRegistry. I was able to Get-DSCConfiguration fine and also confirmed my new config was pulled. When I switched back to User, Service and uncommenting xRegistry, the problem resurfaced on my first attempt to Get-DSCConfiguration.

[TheRealBenForce]

I previously had some commentary in my initial post about how I thought this may be causing additional problems with applying configurations where they seem to hang. I've removed those comments since I can not solidly reproduce the issue 100%, however I will continue to investigate. I am able to reproduce the error on Get-Configuration when using xRegistry 100%.

UPDATE: The slowness when applying configurations seems to be related to this:
Some DSC resources like registry resource may start to take a long time to process the request.
I implemented the suggested fix and that works like a charm.

The initial posting is still an outstanding issue. I've updated the initial post to include the resource configuration which I see now I forgot to include.

[TheRealBenForce]

I've recreated this in a second lab environment with out all stack software installed in my enterprise environment. I used the Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 AMIs on EC2. @kwirkykat Has anybody from DSC team looked at this yet to validate if it is a bug? I'm new to the community and still learning DSC. Seems like xRegistry is slated to become HQRM next week. If Get-DSCConfiguration is not functioning when setting binary registry keys with xRegistry, that seems like a pretty large bug for a HQRM.

[kwirkykat]

@TheRealBenForce I'm looking at it

[TheRealBenForce]

Awesome, you rock @kwirkykat!