Windows Event ID 10016 – DistributedCOM: DCOM Permission Denied Error

Start by examining the specific Event ID 10016 details to identify which application and COM object are causing the issue.

1. Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System
2. Filter for Event ID 10016 using the filter option
3. Double-click the most recent 10016 event to view details
4. Note the CLSID and APPID values from the event description
5. Use PowerShell to identify the application associated with the CLSID:

Get-ChildItem "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID" | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*YOUR_CLSID_HERE*" } | Get-ItemProperty | Select-Object "(default)"

Replace YOUR_CLSID_HERE with the actual CLSID from the event. This command reveals which application or service is attempting the COM access.

Modify DCOM permissions directly through the Component Services console to grant appropriate access rights.

1. Press Windows + R, type dcomcnfg.exe, and press Enter
2. Navigate to Component Services → Computers → My Computer → DCOM Config
3. Locate the application corresponding to your APPID (use the APPID from the event)
4. Right-click the application and select Properties
5. Go to the Security tab
6. Click Edit under "Launch and Activation Permissions"
7. Add the user or service account mentioned in the event
8. Grant the following permissions: Local Launch, Local Activation
9. Repeat for "Access Permissions" if needed
10. Click OK and restart the affected service

# Restart the affected service (example for Windows Search)
Restart-Service -Name "WSearch" -Force

Apply PowerShell-based solutions for common Event ID 10016 scenarios affecting built-in Windows services.

1. Run PowerShell as Administrator
2. Execute the following script to address Windows Search DCOM issues:

# Fix Windows Search DCOM permissions
$searchCLSID = "{7D096C5F-AC08-4F1F-BEB7-5C22C517CE39}"
$searchAPPID = "{7D096C5F-AC08-4F1F-BEB7-5C22C517CE39}"

# Grant permissions to LOCAL SERVICE account
$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\$searchAPPID"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "AuthenticationLevel" -Value 1 -Type DWord

# Restart Windows Search service
Restart-Service -Name "WSearch" -Force

# Verify the fix
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Id=10016; StartTime=(Get-Date).AddMinutes(-10)} | Select-Object TimeCreated, Id, LevelDisplayName, Message

3. For ShellHWDetection service issues, use this additional script:

# Fix ShellHWDetection DCOM permissions
$shellCLSID = "{DD522ACC-F821-461A-A407-50B198B896DC}"
Stop-Service -Name "ShellHWDetection" -Force
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
Start-Service -Name "ShellHWDetection"

Directly modify registry entries to fix DCOM permissions when Component Services GUI fails or for automated deployment scenarios.

1. Create a registry backup before making changes:

# Backup DCOM configuration
reg export "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID" "C:\Temp\DCOM_Backup.reg" /y

2. Navigate to the DCOM registry location:

# Open registry editor to DCOM AppID location
regedit /m "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID"

3. Locate the APPID from your Event ID 10016 error
4. Modify the following values as needed:

• AuthenticationLevel - Set to 1 (None) or 2 (Connect)
• LaunchPermission - Binary value containing security descriptor
• AccessPermission - Binary value for access rights

5. For automated fixes, use this PowerShell approach:

# Set authentication level for problematic APPID
$appID = "YOUR_APPID_HERE"  # Replace with actual APPID
$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\$appID"

if (Test-Path $regPath) {
    Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "AuthenticationLevel" -Value 1 -Type DWord
    Write-Host "Updated AuthenticationLevel for APPID: $appID"
} else {
    Write-Host "APPID not found: $appID"
}

Address Event ID 10016 errors caused by Windows Security baseline policies or Group Policy DCOM restrictions in enterprise environments.

1. Check current DCOM authentication level policy:

# Query current DCOM authentication level
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole" -Name "DefaultAuthenticationLevel" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

2. Review Group Policy settings affecting DCOM:
3. Open gpedit.msc (Local Group Policy Editor)
4. Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Distributed COM
5. Check "Enable Distributed COM on this computer" setting
6. Review "Set Authentication Level for DCOM applications" policy

6. For domain environments, use PowerShell to query effective policies:

# Check effective Group Policy for DCOM settings
Get-GPResultantSetOfPolicy -ReportType Html -Path "C:\Temp\GPReport.html"

# Query specific DCOM-related registry keys affected by policy
$dcomKeys = @(
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole",
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\DCOM"
)

foreach ($key in $dcomKeys) {
    if (Test-Path $key) {
        Get-ItemProperty -Path $key | Format-List
    }
}

7. Create a custom Group Policy to allow specific DCOM applications:
8. In Group Policy Management, create a new GPO
9. Configure Computer Configuration → Preferences → Windows Settings → Registry
10. Add registry entries for specific APPID authentication levels