Fix CO_E_LOOKUPACCSIDFAILED (0X80010130) in COM+

When does this error show up?

You'll see error CO_E_LOOKUPACCSIDFAILED (0X80010130) in the Windows Application Event Log. It usually appears when a COM+ application tries to start or process a request. The exact message says: "The system function LookupAccountSID failed".

This happens most often after a domain user gets deleted or renamed. But it can also happen if a local user account was removed and that account was the identity for a COM+ application. I've seen this on Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Pro after IT cleaned up old domain accounts.

Plain English root cause

COM+ applications run under a specific user account. That account is stored as a SID (security identifier). When the app starts, Windows tries to look up that SID to see if the user still exists. If the user was deleted or renamed, the lookup fails. The error code 0X80010130 is Windows saying: "I can't find this user anymore."

The fix is simple: open Component Services, find the broken application, and either remove the bad user or change the identity to a valid account.

Step-by-step fix

Step 1: Open Component Services

1. Press Windows key + R. Type comexp.msc and hit Enter.
2. If you get a UAC prompt, click Yes.
3. After a few seconds, you should see the Component Services window open.

Step 2: Find your COM+ application

1. In the left pane, expand Component Services > Computers > My Computer > COM+ Applications.
2. Click on COM+ Applications. You'll see a list of all installed COM+ apps.
3. Look for the application that's throwing the error. If you don't know which one, check the Event Log for the exact Application ID (GUID).

Step 3: Check the application identity

1. Right-click the problematic COM+ application and choose Properties.
2. Go to the Identity tab.
3. You'll see one of these options selected:
   • Interactive user – Usually fine.
   • This user – This is likely the problem. The user listed might not exist anymore.
   • System account – Should be fine.
4. If you see This user and the name looks wrong or missing, that's your issue.

Step 4: Fix the broken account

You have two choices here. Pick the one that works for you:

Option A – Remove the bad account (quick fix)

1. In the Identity tab, select Interactive user or System account (Interactive user is safer for testing).
2. Click Apply. Then click OK.
3. After applying, you should see the properties window close.

Option B – Replace with a valid account (if app needs specific permissions)

1. In the Identity tab, select This user.
2. Click the Browse button next to the User field.
3. In the window that opens, type the name of a current domain or local user. Click Check Names. If it finds the user, click OK.
4. Type the password twice in the fields below.
5. Click Apply, then OK.
6. After you click OK, Windows will try to verify the account. If it succeeds, no error message appears.

Step 5: Restart the COM+ application

1. Back in the Component Services window, right-click the application and choose Shut down.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Right-click it again and choose Start.
4. The app should start without errors now.

Step 6: Test and verify

1. Open Event Viewer. Press Windows key + R, type eventvwr.msc, hit Enter.
2. Go to Windows Logs > Application.
3. Look for any new errors with source COM+ or DCOM.
4. If you see no new errors, the fix worked.

What if it still fails?

If the error comes back, check these three things:

• Multiple applications – You might have more than one COM+ app with a broken identity. Check all of them in the list.
• Orphaned SIDs in the registry – Open Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\COM3\Applications. Look for the Application ID from the error. Under that key, check the Identity value. If it points to a SID that doesn't exist, delete the entire Application key (only if you're sure it's not needed).
• Recreate the missing account – If the app really needs that specific user, recreate it with the same name. Then go back and set the identity again.

The real fix is almost always in the Identity tab. I've fixed this for a dozen technicians just by walking them through those steps. It's rarely something more complicated.