Peter, thanks the message but WHICH component? In my case I can't create databases on the same server as tools but it WILL create databases on a remote server. I've tried enababling all sorts of things in DCOM, default/launch etc. One of the things I'm considering is that I don't run on a Domain (when it's local) and some of the DCOM stuff I've found seems to suggest that you need a domain user. Perhaps that's the issue, but I've no idea how to solve it since I don't have a domain controller on my own network. The other avenue is the COM SQLDOM objects, but I would imagine they'd be used to talk to a remote server.