Cannot Re-Enable DCOM...Machine Hanging

I have messed up a Windows 2003 Web Edition server by turning off DCOM.
Apparently IIS uses it heavily and after a reboot the machine is hanging and
the desktop does not draw for any user including administrator.

I disabled DCOM by using DCOMCNFG and unchecking the enable DCOM on this
computer checkbox.

I cannot reenable DCOM by the same application because upon reboot it
behaves abnormally and crashes in many places. I tried to enabled DCOM
manually changing the following registry to the value Y:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\OLE\EnableDCOM

On reboot, the problem does not go away. Further, the DCOMCNFG application
still does not have the enabled checkbox showing as enabled, so apparently
more steps are required.

What is the most reliable way to guarantee re-initialization of the DCOM
environment?

--
Will

David
Sat Feb 17 03:55:25 CST 2007

Can you go into Safe Mode to do what you need?

FYI:

IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
for compatibility.

Also, Windows Server 2003 runs without DCOM enabled.

However, you may be running other 3rd party software on the server
with NT Services that require DCOM. These services would be running on
reboot, before and during your user login, so they may be breaking/
hanging and causing your issues.



//David
http://w3-4u.blogspot.com
http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang
//



On Feb 17, 12:34 am, "Will" <westes-...@noemail.nospam> wrote:
> I have messed up a Windows 2003 Web Edition server by turning off DCOM.
> Apparently IIS uses it heavily and after a reboot the machine is hanging and
> the desktop does not draw for any user including administrator.
>
> I disabled DCOM by using DCOMCNFG and unchecking the enable DCOM on this
> computer checkbox.
>
> I cannot reenable DCOM by the same application because upon reboot it
> behaves abnormally and crashes in many places. I tried to enabled DCOM
> manually changing the following registry to the value Y:
>
> HKLM\Software\Microsoft\OLE\EnableDCOM
>
> On reboot, the problem does not go away. Further, the DCOMCNFG application
> still does not have the enabled checkbox showing as enabled, so apparently
> more steps are required.
>
> What is the most reliable way to guarantee re-initialization of the DCOM
> environment?
>
> --
> Will

Will
Sat Feb 17 20:25:00 CST 2007

"David Wang" <w3.4you@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1171706125.392056.84070@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
> Can you go into Safe Mode to do what you need?

I guess my question was what do I need to do to reinitialize DCOM. It's
not clear that safe mode helps here since it's not about stopping some rogue
service (for example). I already enabled the registry option (per my
original post) that is required to "enable" DCOM, and yet DCOMCNFG doesn't
show DCOM enabled after a reboot.


> IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
> into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
> for compatibility.

Okay, I sense an educational moment coming on. :) First it appears our
developers had inadvertently installed IIS 5 when they installed an older
Visual Interdev. At least when I start IIS admin on the affected machine
it shows version 5.0. So it looks like this is involved somehow with
this problem, although even then I am unclear on why turning off DCOM broke
the entire computer, not just IIS 5.0.


> Also, Windows Server 2003 runs without DCOM enabled.

Just to be more elaborated on this point, every Windows 2003 standard and
web edition server I have installed leaves DCOM on. I trust your point is
that it is safe to turn it off, and that makes sense, which is why the
result I got is all the more puzzling.


> However, you may be running other 3rd party software on the server
> with NT Services that require DCOM. These services would be running on
> reboot, before and during your user login, so they may be breaking/
> hanging and causing your issues.

It really appears to involve the core desktop functionality, as the desktop
takes a very long time to draw on startup (maybe 10 minutes), and some
applications take a while to startup. Perhaps Interdev overwrote some key
functionality for the desktop?

--
Will

Will
Sat Feb 17 23:29:21 CST 2007

"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
news:xcSdnZ8aBtNhJUrYnZ2dnUVZ_ompnZ2d@giganews.com...
> > IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
> > into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
> > for compatibility.
>
> Okay, I sense an educational moment coming on. :) First it appears our
> developers had inadvertently installed IIS 5 when they installed an older
> Visual Interdev. At least when I start IIS admin on the affected
machine
> it shows version 5.0. So it looks like this is involved somehow with
> this problem, although even then I am unclear on why turning off DCOM
broke
> the entire computer, not just IIS 5.0.

I spoke too soon. IIS 6.0 is installed on the computer that is hanging
after DCOM was enabled. If you start IIS Admin as a non administrative
user, it (incorrectly) reports that it is running IIS 5.0. I guess that is
a bug. Running it as administrative user reports IIS 6.0.

So, since IIS 6.0 and W2K3 do not depend on DCOM, it's a mystery why
disabling DCOM and rebooting broke the computer.

Equally a mystery is why DCOM cannot now be re-enabled in a straightforward
way, by the usual registry change.

--
Will

Roger
Sun Feb 18 00:30:40 CST 2007

Will,

With IIS 6 (the only IIS one can install on W2k3) one has the
option on installing the IIS5 mgmt interface in order to manage
IIS5 elsewhere. There is also ability to run in IIS5 compatibility
mode. Make sure you are not confusion either of these.

The reg key you mention,
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\OLE\EnableDCOM
is the only thing in the reg that I am seeing altered when one
toggles that checkbox in the properties of the My Computer
node in Component services.

Have you attempted inventorying of what all else is installed
on the machine? It is quite unlikely the an Interdev install did
what you hypothesize, but then, it has been many, many years
since I had an install of Interdev around.

Roger


"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
news:SeudnUphr9GseUrYnZ2dnUVZ_sKunZ2d@giganews.com...
> "Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
> news:xcSdnZ8aBtNhJUrYnZ2dnUVZ_ompnZ2d@giganews.com...
>> > IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
>> > into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
>> > for compatibility.
>>
>> Okay, I sense an educational moment coming on. :) First it appears our
>> developers had inadvertently installed IIS 5 when they installed an older
>> Visual Interdev. At least when I start IIS admin on the affected
> machine
>> it shows version 5.0. So it looks like this is involved somehow with
>> this problem, although even then I am unclear on why turning off DCOM
> broke
>> the entire computer, not just IIS 5.0.
>
> I spoke too soon. IIS 6.0 is installed on the computer that is hanging
> after DCOM was enabled. If you start IIS Admin as a non administrative
> user, it (incorrectly) reports that it is running IIS 5.0. I guess that
> is
> a bug. Running it as administrative user reports IIS 6.0.
>
> So, since IIS 6.0 and W2K3 do not depend on DCOM, it's a mystery why
> disabling DCOM and rebooting broke the computer.
>
> Equally a mystery is why DCOM cannot now be re-enabled in a
> straightforward
> way, by the usual registry change.
>
> --
> Will
>
>

David
Mon Feb 19 13:40:24 CST 2007

What happens if you go into SafeMode to run dcomcnfg to re-enable
DCOM.

I suspect it is some auto-start NT Service that requires DCOM and is
now "hanging" and preventing you from fixing the situation. If so, you
want to run in safe-mode to not have those extraneous services start,
so that you can re-enable DCOM without their hinderance.

Yes, Windows Server 2003 defaults with DCOM enabled, but it can be
installed with DCOM disabled, and it is also user-configurable.

> It really appears to involve the core
> desktop functionality, as the desktop
> takes a very long time to draw on startup

What you can observe is very different from what is going on. I tend
to agree with Roger about your hypothesis.


//David
http://w3-4u.blogspot.com
http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang
//




On Feb 17, 6:24 pm, "Will" <westes-...@noemail.nospam> wrote:
> "David Wang" <w3.4...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1171706125.392056.84070@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Can you go into Safe Mode to do what you need?
>
> I guess my question was what do I need to do to reinitialize DCOM. It's
> not clear that safe mode helps here since it's not about stopping some rogue
> service (for example). I already enabled the registry option (per my
> original post) that is required to "enable" DCOM, and yet DCOMCNFG doesn't
> show DCOM enabled after a reboot.
>
> > IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
> > into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
> > for compatibility.
>
> Okay, I sense an educational moment coming on. :) First it appears our
> developers had inadvertently installed IIS 5 when they installed an older
> Visual Interdev. At least when I start IIS admin on the affected machine
> it shows version 5.0. So it looks like this is involved somehow with
> this problem, although even then I am unclear on why turning off DCOM broke
> the entire computer, not just IIS 5.0.
>
> > Also, Windows Server 2003 runs without DCOM enabled.
>
> Just to be more elaborated on this point, every Windows 2003 standard and
> web edition server I have installed leaves DCOM on. I trust your point is
> that it is safe to turn it off, and that makes sense, which is why the
> result I got is all the more puzzling.
>
> > However, you may be running other 3rd party software on the server
> > with NT Services that require DCOM. These services would be running on
> > reboot, before and during your user login, so they may be breaking/
> > hanging and causing your issues.
>
> It really appears to involve the core desktop functionality, as the desktop
> takes a very long time to draw on startup (maybe 10 minutes), and some
> applications take a while to startup. Perhaps Interdev overwrote some key
> functionality for the desktop?
>
> --
> Will

Roger
Tue Feb 20 19:34:41 CST 2007

I suppose it is possible that use of the dcomcnfg interface does
touch some settings other than the reg key, such as in the comadmin
catalog, so this recommendation to try safe mode is very good idea.

Will? have you discovered anything? found a way ?

Roger

"David Wang" <w3.4you@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1171914024.127903.211040@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> What happens if you go into SafeMode to run dcomcnfg to re-enable
> DCOM.
>
> I suspect it is some auto-start NT Service that requires DCOM and is
> now "hanging" and preventing you from fixing the situation. If so, you
> want to run in safe-mode to not have those extraneous services start,
> so that you can re-enable DCOM without their hinderance.
>
> Yes, Windows Server 2003 defaults with DCOM enabled, but it can be
> installed with DCOM disabled, and it is also user-configurable.
>
>> It really appears to involve the core
>> desktop functionality, as the desktop
>> takes a very long time to draw on startup
>
> What you can observe is very different from what is going on. I tend
> to agree with Roger about your hypothesis.
>
>
> //David
> http://w3-4u.blogspot.com
> http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang
> //
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 17, 6:24 pm, "Will" <westes-...@noemail.nospam> wrote:
>> "David Wang" <w3.4...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:1171706125.392056.84070@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > Can you go into Safe Mode to do what you need?
>>
>> I guess my question was what do I need to do to reinitialize DCOM. It's
>> not clear that safe mode helps here since it's not about stopping some
>> rogue
>> service (for example). I already enabled the registry option (per my
>> original post) that is required to "enable" DCOM, and yet DCOMCNFG
>> doesn't
>> show DCOM enabled after a reboot.
>>
>> > IIS6 on Windows Server 2003 does not use DCOM. Only if you switch it
>> > into IIS5 Compatibility Mode since by definition that must use DCOM
>> > for compatibility.
>>
>> Okay, I sense an educational moment coming on. :) First it appears our
>> developers had inadvertently installed IIS 5 when they installed an older
>> Visual Interdev. At least when I start IIS admin on the affected
>> machine
>> it shows version 5.0. So it looks like this is involved somehow with
>> this problem, although even then I am unclear on why turning off DCOM
>> broke
>> the entire computer, not just IIS 5.0.
>>
>> > Also, Windows Server 2003 runs without DCOM enabled.
>>
>> Just to be more elaborated on this point, every Windows 2003 standard and
>> web edition server I have installed leaves DCOM on. I trust your point
>> is
>> that it is safe to turn it off, and that makes sense, which is why the
>> result I got is all the more puzzling.
>>
>> > However, you may be running other 3rd party software on the server
>> > with NT Services that require DCOM. These services would be running on
>> > reboot, before and during your user login, so they may be breaking/
>> > hanging and causing your issues.
>>
>> It really appears to involve the core desktop functionality, as the
>> desktop
>> takes a very long time to draw on startup (maybe 10 minutes), and some
>> applications take a while to startup. Perhaps Interdev overwrote some
>> key
>> functionality for the desktop?
>>
>> --
>> Will
>

Will
Tue Feb 20 22:02:22 CST 2007

"Roger Abell [MVP]" <mvpNoSpam@asu.edu> wrote in message
news:u5nL3hVVHHA.972@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> I suppose it is possible that use of the dcomcnfg interface does
> touch some settings other than the reg key, such as in the comadmin
> catalog, so this recommendation to try safe mode is very good idea.
>
> Will? have you discovered anything? found a way ?

Unfortunately, even in safe mode, DCOMCNFG is throwing a null pointer error
when you try to re-enable DCOM using that application (it does look like
that much is a Microsoft bug).

So guess it's time to pay a visit to Microsoft Shanghai again. We'll open
up a ticket.

--
Will

Roger
Thu Feb 22 02:49:42 CST 2007


"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message
news:v8OdndO_ws7TWUbYnZ2dnUVZ_vqpnZ2d@giganews.com...
> "Roger Abell [MVP]" <mvpNoSpam@asu.edu> wrote in message
> news:u5nL3hVVHHA.972@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> I suppose it is possible that use of the dcomcnfg interface does
>> touch some settings other than the reg key, such as in the comadmin
>> catalog, so this recommendation to try safe mode is very good idea.
>>
>> Will? have you discovered anything? found a way ?
>
> Unfortunately, even in safe mode, DCOMCNFG is throwing a null pointer
> error
> when you try to re-enable DCOM using that application (it does look like
> that much is a Microsoft bug).
>
> So guess it's time to pay a visit to Microsoft Shanghai again. We'll
> open
> up a ticket.
>

Thanks for the info/post-back.

It must be due to some interaction with another latch-down in
effect on the box, or a peculiarity of the web sku of Windows,
as I have toggled that many times on W2k3 servers without
running into what you have happening.

Roger