Error messages are logged in the SQL Server error log when you use SQL Server 2000 on a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 or Windows Server 2003 (917405)

Bug #: 473999 (SQL Server 8.0)
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SYMPTOMS

Consider the following scenario. You use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 on a computer that is running one of the following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 (SP4)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003

In this scenario, SQL Server may stop responding when you start the operating system. Additionally, the following error messages are logged in the SQL Server error log:

Error message 1

2004-12-09 00:01:11.20 server Failed to Initialize COM (CoInitializeEx returned 800706ba)

Error message 2

2004-12-09 00:01:11.20 server Heterogeneous Queries and Remote RPC will be disabled.

Note Error messages are different based on every SQL Server component that tries to use the Microsoft Remote Procedure Call Server Service (RPCSS) service. The problem does not occur if the SQL Server service is stopped and then restarted.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods to modify the SQL Server 2000 service to depend on the RPCSS service.

Method 1: Run the scm command

Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command line, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
scm -Action 7 -Service MSSQLServer -Dependencies RPCSS
Note MSSQLServer represents the SQL Server 2000 service name. To determine the service name, run the net start command. By default, the instance name is MSSQLServer.

Method 2: Change a registry subkey

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSSQLServer
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Multi-String Value.
Type DependOnService, and then press ENTER.
Right-click DependOnService, and then click Modify.
In the Value data field, type RPCSS, and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor.

For more information about how to delay loading of specific services, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

193888 How to delay loading of specific services

We do not recommend that you add the RPC dependency on a computer that is running SQL Server 2000 when that computer is clustered as a Microsoft failover cluster instance. The Cluster service already has a dependency on the RPCSS service. The following registry entry for clusters verifies this dependency:

[Cluster.Service] 
DisplayName = %Cluster.SvcDesc% 
ServiceType = 0x10 
StartType = 2 
ErrorControl = 1 
ServiceBinary = %CLUSTERTARGETDIR%\clusprxy.exe 
Dependencies = ClusNet,RpcSs,NtLmSsp