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CO_E_FAILEDTOOPENPROCESSTOKEN
COM could not open the server process token
CO_E_FAILEDTOOPENPROCESSTOKEN is HRESULT 2147549500 (0x8001013C) from winerror.h. The documented description is “Unable to open the access token of the server process.” The relevant context is the COM IAccessControl, DCOM client identity, trustee translation, token inspection, security descriptor, ACL, or serialization workflow.
Where it is encountered
- IAccessControl initialization, access checks, owner/trustee processing, and serialized ACL persistence.
- Server-side DCOM impersonation, client blanket inspection, token and SID lookup.
- Security descriptor construction, DACL canonicalization, file-backed policy storage, or legacy NetAccess migration.
The immediate focus is access-control logic that needs the process identity or privileges but cannot open the process token with required rights.
What to verify
Verify that process handle, desired token access, protection level, service identity, and native error are recorded. This distinction prevents it from being misclassified as corruption, network failure, or a reason for an unsafe automatic retry.
Correct handling and recovery
Request only necessary token rights, correct process protection or handle permissions, and keep process-token logic separate from client impersonation.
Difference from nearby HRESULTs
It concerns server process identity; CO_E_FAILEDTOOPENTHREADTOKEN concerns a thread impersonation token.
Practical scenario
A hardened service requests excessive token rights and is denied. The component reduces the request to TOKEN_QUERY and reads only required identity fields.
References
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