Fix DCOM Event ID 10016 error on Windows 10

In today’s post, we will identify the cause and then provide the possible solutions to the issue of DCOM (DistributedCOM) Event ID 10016 error that might show up in the Windows event viewer in the course of normal operations of Windows 10.

The Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) is an integral aspect of networked communication on Windows computers. It is a proprietary Microsoft technology that whirs into action every time an application makes a connection to the internet. A traditional COM can only access information on the same machine, whereas DCOM can access data on remote servers.

For example, many websites and services use scripts that access a remote server. When your system makes a request using a script or otherwise, DCOM forwards the request to the specific script object. Given how frequently modern applications use a network connection and our general use of computers, you can see how frequently DCOM comes into use.

DCOM Event ID 10016 error

You may notice the below event 10016 logged in the system event logs on a computer that is running Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server, version 1903 or Windows Server 1909:

Source: Microsoft-Windows-DistributedCOM
Event ID: 10016
Description: The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
{D63B10C5-BB46-4990-A94F-E40B9D520160}
and APPID
{9CA88EE3-ACB7-47C8-AFC4-AB702511C276}
to the user NT AUTHORITYSYSTEM SID (S-1-5-18) from address LocalHost (using LRPC) running in the application container Unavailable SID (Unavailable). This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool.

Typically, you’ll encounter the above error logged in the event viewer. However, it’s noteworthy that there are variations of the Event ID 10016 error. Nevertheless, the procedure to mitigate the error is essentially the same.

A DCOM error usually occurs when an application or service attempts to use DCOM but does not have the proper permissions. Most of the time, DCOM errors won’t affect your system, other than clogging up your Event Viewer. These 10016 events are recorded when Microsoft components try to access DCOM components without the required permissions. In this case, this is expected and by design.

DCOM errors are nothing to worry about – you can safely ignore them. However, there are procedures you can follow to resolve the event ID 10016 error whenever it occurs.

How to resolve DCOM event ID 10016 error

To resolve this issue, Microsoft suggests creating an XML filter to suppress the DCOM event ID 10016 error.

Here’s how:

Open Event Viewer (Press Windows key + R. In the Run dialog box, type eventvwr and hit Enter).
Ckick Windows Logs > System.
Click Filter current log under the Action pane.
Select the XML tab and check Edit query manually option.
Copy and paste the following XML text to the filter dialog.

<QueryList>
  <Query Id="0" Path="System">
    <Select Path="System">*</Select>
    <Suppress Path="System">
      *[System[(EventID=10016)]]
      and
      *[EventData[
        (
          Data[@Name='param4'] and Data='{D63B10C5-BB46-4990-A94F-E40B9D520160}' and
          Data[@Name='param5'] and Data='{9CA88EE3-ACB7-47C8-AFC4-AB702511C276}' and
          Data[@Name='param8'] and Data='S-1-5-18'
        ) 
        or
        (
          Data[@Name='param4'] and Data='{260EB9DE-5CBE-4BFF-A99A-3710AF55BF1E}' and
          Data[@Name='param5'] and Data='{260EB9DE-5CBE-4BFF-A99A-3710AF55BF1E}'
        ) 
        or
        (
          Data[@Name='param4'] and Data='{C2F03A33-21F5-47FA-B4BB-156362A2F239}' and
          Data[@Name='param5'] and Data='{316CDED5-E4AE-4B15-9113-7055D84DCC97}' and
          Data[@Name='param8'] and Data='S-1-5-19'
        )
        or
        (
          Data[@Name='param4'] and Data='{6B3B8D23-FA8D-40B9-8DBD-B950333E2C52}' and
          Data[@Name='param5'] and Data='{4839DDB7-58C2-48F5-8283-E1D1807D0D7D}' and
          Data[@Name='param8'] and Data='S-1-5-19'
        ) 
      ]]
    </Suppress>
  </Query>
</QueryList>

In this query, param4 corresponds to the COM Server application CLSID, param5 corresponds to the APPID, and param8 corresponds to the security context SID, all of which are recorded in the 10016 event logs.

Click OK.

The DCOM error entries with the Event ID 10016 are now hidden from view.

Alternatively, you can fix DCOM Permissions issue using Registry Editor & DCom Config tool.

Here’s how:

The fix involves a registry tweak – so as a precautionary measure, it’s recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point.

To prevent the events from being logged, follow these steps to grant permission to the DCOM components that have specific CLSIDs and APPIDs.

First, you’ll need to figure out which process or service is associated with the CLASS ID listed in the error. To do this, go ahead and copy the CLSID listed in the event description. In this case, it is {D63B10C5-BB46-4990-A94F-E40B9D520160}. Make sure to copy both the curly braces also.

Now, launch Registry Editor. When you have the registry editor opened, click on Edit and then Find. Go ahead and paste the CLSID into the search box and hit Enter.

The registry will now initiate a search. After some time, you should get a result under the HK_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID key. On the right-hand side, it should have two keys and the Default one should list out the name of the service. In this case, it should be RuntimeBroker.

Now that you have identified the process, you can now proceed as follows to fix the error.

Still, in the registry editor, navigate to the following AppID key associated with the RuntimeBroker:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAppID{9CA88EE3-ACB7-47C8-AFC4-AB702511C276}

By default, TrustedInstaller owns this registry key and its subkeys. Set Administrator as the owner of the key and its subkeys. See how to take ownership of registry keys for more information.

After setting Administrators as the owner, assign Administrators group and SYSTEM account have Full Control permission for the key and subkeys.
Exit the Registry Editor.

Next, start the DCOM Configuration tool (press Windows key + R. In the Run dialog box, type dcomcnfg.exe and hit Enter.

Click Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM Config.
Right-click the application that corresponds to the AppID that’s recorded in the event log, and then select Properties.

The application name in this example is RuntimeBroker which we identified earlier. If the DCom Config tool lists two RuntimeBroker entries. To find the right one, right-click on an item and click Properties and match the App ID with the one in the registry.

Select the Security tab.
Under Launch and Activation Permissions, select Customize, and click Edit.

If the Edit button is grayed out in RuntimeBroker application Properties page in DCOM Config, you’ll need to verify the AppID registry key permissions.

Under Group or user names, select Add.
Enter the group or user name that’s recorded in the event log. For example, the account recorded in the log may be NT AUTHORITYNETWORK SERVICE, NT AUTHORITYSYSTEM, or some other group or account.
Click OK.
Assign Local Activation permission for that user or group you added, and complete the process.

This procedure prevents the event log errors Event ID: 10016 relating to DCOM permissions.

Note: Microsoft does not recommend the method of modifying the permissions on DCOM components to prevent this error from being logged because these errors do not adversely affect the functionality and modifying the permissions can have unintended side effects.