Error: An unexpected DCOM error occurred trying to contact the remote computer. Access is denied

This error usually indicates that security settings have been misconfigured so that the two remote debugging transports (DCOM and Named Pipes) connect to the remote computer as different users. One possible cause is having credentials stored in the Control Panel. To fix this problem, remove credentials from the Windows Control Panel .of the host computer.

A less common cause is a known Windows bug that prevents remote debugging through DCOM between older versions of Microsoft Windows (prior to Windows 2000 SP4, Windows SP1, or Windows Server 2003) and newer versions of Windows that have a Server 2003 domain controller.

To avoid this problem, upgrade all computers to meet the following minimum criteria:

  • Windows 2000 SP4

  • Windows XP SP1

    — or —

  • Windows Server 2003

To remove credentials from the Windows Control Panel

  1. In the Start menu, click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click User Accouts.

  3. In Control Panel-> User Accounts, click User Accouts again.

  4. In Control Panel-> User Accounts-> User Accounts, click Manage Your Network Passwords.

  5. In the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog box, select any stored passwords and click Remove.

  6. Click Close to close the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog box.

See Also

Tasks

Remote Debugging Errors and Troubleshooting

Other Resources

Remote Debugging Setup