Please note the next behavior (Apache 2.2.8, W2K, WXP)
If Apache runs as a service, com_get_active_object() always returns MK_E_UNAVAILABLE, even when it is definitely sure that the Running Object Table contains a reference to the required object.
If Apache runs in a console, com_get_active_object() returns the object handle as required.
This apparently is a Windows issue.