Fix COMADMIN_E_SERVICENOTINSTALLED 0x80110436
COM+ service not installed error? It's a missing or corrupted system file. Here's the fix from quickest to deepest.
Why you're seeing this
You tried to open Component Services, maybe to configure a COM+ application for your Exchange or SQL server, and bam — COMADMIN_E_SERVICENOTINSTALLED. The COM+ Event System service isn't there, or its registry entries got corrupted after a failed update, a botched uninstall, or an overzealous security cleanup. I've seen this on Windows Server 2019, Server 2016, and even Windows 10 Pro after a feature update went sideways.
Let's get it back. Start with the 30-second fix. If that doesn't work, move to the 5-minute one. Only go to the deep fix if you're still stuck.
Fix 1: Quick repair (30 seconds)
This is the first thing I try when I see this error on a server. Open an elevated Command Prompt — right-click Start, choose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin). Then run:
regsvr32.exe /s comsvcs.dllThis re-registers the core COM+ DLL. No output if it works. Then restart the COM+ Event System service. Open Services (services.msc), find the service, right-click and start it. If it's missing from the list entirely, skip this and go to Fix 2.
I've had this work on maybe 1 in 3 cases. When it does, you're done.
Fix 2: Reinstall COM+ from the command line (5 minutes)
If that didn't cut it, Windows can reinstall COM+ using the System Preparation tool. You'll need your Windows installation media or an ISO handy.
- Elevated Command Prompt again.
- Run this command (adjust the drive letter if your media is on D: or E:):
DISM /Online /Add-Capability /CapabilityName:ServerCore.AppCompatibility~~~~0.0.1.0 /Source:ESD:D:\sources\install.wim:1 /LimitAccessThis re-adds the COM+ subsystem. It takes a couple minutes. After it finishes, reboot. Check if the COM+ Event System service appears in Services. If it does, try launching Component Services again.
I prefer this over the old ocsetup method because DISM handles missing files better. On Server Core editions, this is the only reliable way.
Fix 3: Full COM+ reinstall (15+ minutes)
If you're still getting the error, the COM+ catalog itself is shot. This fix requires extracting the COM+ setup files from the Windows component store and manually rebuilding the catalog.
Step 1: Uninstall COM+ (if it's partially installed)
Run this in an elevated command prompt:
dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:COMPlus /Remove /NoRestartRestart the server after it finishes.
Step 2: Reinstall COM+
dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:COMPlus /AllThis re-enables COM+ with all its subfeatures. Restart again.
Step 3: Rebuild the COM+ catalog
Open an elevated Command Prompt and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Com. Run:
comreset.exe /cThe /c flag tells it to recreate the COM+ catalog from scratch. This deletes any custom COM+ applications you had, so note that before you run it. If you have custom apps (like a third-party COM+ library), you'll need to re-export them first from another healthy machine.
After this, start the COM+ Event System service manually if it's still stopped.
One more thing — check your DAT files
If none of this works, I've seen a corrupt C:\Windows\System32\Com\*.dat file cause this. The COM+ catalog stores its data in files like ClbCat.dat and TransDB.dat. If they're 0 bytes or unreadable, delete them (after backing up) and restart the service. Windows will recreate them as long as the service can start.
I know this error is infuriating — it feels like the OS is missing a limb. But in my experience, one of these three steps gets you back online in under 20 minutes.
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