| Previous | Next |
| CO_E_CLASS_CREATE_FAILED | CO_E_SCM_RPC_FAILURE |
CO_E_SCM_ERROR
CO_E_SCM_ERROR means that activation failed while COM was binding the request to the SCM/DCOM activation infrastructure rather than inside the target object’s business logic.
Meaning in the subsystem
COM activation is a sequence rather than a single operation: registration lookup, SCM or surrogate selection, process startup, class-factory publication, marshaling, and finally the requested interface call. The useful evidence is the evidence from the first stage that fails; a later RPC or cleanup message can otherwise hide the original activation problem.
CO_E_SCM_RPC_FAILURE is specifically an RPC communication failure after the SCM path is selected; CO_E_SCM_ERROR is the broader bind/activation-control failure.
Minimum useful evidence
- Local versus remote activation, CLSCTX flags, machine name, and RPC endpoint context
- RPCSS/DCOM service state and System/DistributedCOM events at the activation time
- CLSID/AppID registration, service or executable activation route, and identity configuration
- Firewall/RPC evidence if the request crosses a machine boundary
Isolate the responsible condition
- Activate a known-good local server through the same SCM path.
- Compare in-process activation with local-server activation for the same client.
- Restart only the affected registered server, not the whole machine, and observe whether SCM binding changes.
Avoid the common misdiagnosis
Read the comparison results in this order for communication with the COM Service Control Manager:
Regression proof
Repair the failed contract rather than the surrounding system: Repair the activation registration or SCM/DCOM service path and preserve the original server-side failure instead of repeatedly re-registering unrelated components.
Close the incident only when the intended CLSID activates through the same local/remote route and DCOM event logs remain clean under repeated cold starts.
Technical references
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.