RPC_E_DISCONNECTED (0X80010108) - Object disconnected from its clients

Quick answer for pros

Restart the COM Surrogate service (dllhost.exe). Then check for broken COM references in Component Services (dcomcnfg)—especially any scanner or virtual drive software that registered bad CLSIDs. If that doesn't stick, reinstall the offending app.

Why you're seeing this

This error pops up when an app—say Excel, Outlook, or a scanner driver—tries to talk to a COM object that already died. The object might have timed out, crashed, or been unregistered by an update. I had a client last month whose Epson scanner threw this every time they tried to scan a multi-page PDF. Turned out the scanner's COM surrogate was crashing because of a bad driver update from Windows Update.

The number 0X80010108 translates to "object invoked has disconnected from its clients." It's not a hardware problem. It's a software handshake that broke.

Fix steps

1. Restart the COM Surrogate service
   Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Find COM Surrogate or dllhost.exe processes. Right-click and end them. They'll restart automatically. This clears stuck connections.
2. Check Component Services
   Press Win+R, type dcomcnfg, hit Enter. Expand Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM Config. Look for entries with a yellow warning icon or a broken reference (like a scanner or virtual drive). Right-click and unregister or delete the bad entry.
3. Reinstall the app that triggers the error
   Uninstall the app. Reboot. Reinstall fresh. This rewrites the COM registration. For scanner or printer errors, also uninstall the driver from Device Manager (check "Delete the driver software for this device") and let Windows re-detect the hardware.
4. Fix DCOM permissions
   In dcomcnfg, right-click My Computer > Properties > COM Security tab. Under Launch and Activation Permissions, click Edit Limit. Make sure Everyone has Local Launch and Local Activation allowed. This is rare but fixes some tricky cases.
5. Run SFC and DISM
   Open Command Prompt as admin. Run sfc /scannow. Then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This fixes corrupt system files that might break COM registration.

Alternative fixes if the main one fails

• Kill hanging processes with Taskkill
  Run as admin: taskkill /f /im dllhost.exe. Then restart the app. Sometimes COM Surrogate processes get stuck in a bad state.
• Reset Windows Store cache
  If the error comes from a Store app (like Photos or Office Mobile), run wsreset.exe. I've seen this fix Outlook's COM errors after a Windows update.
• Disable third-party firewalls temporarily
  Some firewalls block RPC traffic. Turn off the firewall for 30 seconds. If the error goes away, add an exception for the app.
• Check for conflicting virtual drive software
  Daemon Tools, Virtual CloneDrive, or similar can register fake COM objects that conflict. Uninstall them one by one to test.

Prevention tip

Keep your drivers and Windows updated, but don't let Windows Update push optional driver updates automatically. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates and manually check driver updates every few weeks. That stops a bad scanner or printer driver from breaking your COM objects. Also—uninstall any software you don't use anymore. Every extra COM registration is a chance for a conflict.

Real-world example: A client's QuickBooks kept showing this error every Tuesday. Turned out their backup software (Acronis True Image) was registering a COM object that conflicted with QuickBooks' COM calls on schedule. Uninstalled Acronis, error gone for good.

If you've tried all this and still get 0X80010108, you might have a deep corruption. Back up your data, then do a repair install of Windows 10 or 11 using the Media Creation Tool. That fixes the system without wiping your files. I've only needed to go that far twice in ten years.

That's it. No magic. Just practical steps from someone who's cleaned up hundreds of broken COM registrations.