Fix 0X80010100: RPC_E_SYS_CALL_FAILED Error Fast

What You're Seeing

You're trying to open something—maybe Component Services, a printer queue, or a remote admin console—and boom: RPC_E_SYS_CALL_FAILED (0X80010100). It's a COM call that died because the underlying system call didn't complete. I've seen this mostly on Windows 10 or Server 2019 after a botched update or when someone killed a DCOM process thinking it was malware.

Here's the fix order I've used a hundred times. Start with the first one. If it works, stop.

Simplest Fix (30 seconds): Restart the DCOM Service

Nine times out of ten, the DCOM Server Process Launcher service is hung or disabled. Don't reboot the whole server unless you have to.

1. Hit Win+R, type services.msc, press Enter.
2. Find DCOM Server Process Launcher.
3. Right-click and choose Restart. If it's not running, hit Start.
4. Also check Remote Procedure Call (RPC)—it should be running and set to Automatic.

Had a client last month whose entire print queue died because a Windows update had stopped the DCOM service. This alone fixed it.

Moderate Fix (5 minutes): Clear Stuck COM+ Applications

If the service was already running, you've got a corrupt COM+ application in memory. Happens when an app crashes without releasing the object.

1. Open Component Services (type comexp.msc in Run).
2. Go to Component Services > Computers > My Computer > COM+ Applications.
3. Look for any app marked as Disabled or Inactive—right-click and shut it down.
4. If you see one that's stuck on a red dot (stopped but not releasing), right-click and select Shut Down.
5. Reboot after you've shut down the stuck ones.

Pro tip: If you're getting this error when opening a specific MMC snap-in (like Group Policy Management), the snap-in's COM+ app is probably corrupt. Shut it down here and reopen.

Advanced Fix (15+ minutes): Registry Cleanup

Still broken? The registry key for DCOM permissions is probably damaged. This is rare but real—I've fixed it on three servers over the last year.

1. Open Regedit as admin (Win+R, type regedit, right-click and choose Run as administrator).
2. Navigate to:
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole

3. Export the key first (File > Export) in case you need to revert.
4. Delete these subkeys if they exist:
   

   DefaultAccessPermission
   DefaultLaunchPermission
   MachineAccessRestriction
   MachineLaunchRestriction

5. Do not delete the Ole key itself—only those four values.
6. Close regedit, restart the DCOM service from the first fix, and test.

If you still get the error after this, you're looking at a corrupted system file. Run this from an admin command prompt:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

When to Call It a Hardware Issue

If none of this works and you're on a laptop or desktop that's had a hard drop or liquid spill, check for failing RAM. The 0X80010100 error can pop from corrupted memory pages. Run MemTest86 for a full pass. I've seen it exactly once—a server that had a flaky stick of ECC RAM. Replaced it, error gone.

Otherwise, you're probably done after the first fix. Hit that DCOM service restart and move on with your day.