diff --git a/ee/watchdog/controller_windows.go b/ee/watchdog/controller_windows.go
index f318ef393..3c04129c2 100644
--- a/ee/watchdog/controller_windows.go
+++ b/ee/watchdog/controller_windows.go
@@ -228,9 +228,9 @@ func installWatchdogTask(identifier, configFilePath string) error {
 	}
 
 	taskName := launcher.TaskName(identifier, watchdogTaskType)
-	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitialize because it
+	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitializeEx because it
 	// harmlessly returns S_FALSE if we call it more than once
-	ole.CoInitialize(0)
+	ole.CoInitializeEx(0, ole.COINIT_MULTITHREADED)
 	defer ole.CoUninitialize()
 
 	// create our scheduler object
@@ -504,9 +504,9 @@ func RemoveWatchdogTask(identifier string) error {
 	}
 
 	taskName := launcher.TaskName(identifier, watchdogTaskType)
-	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitialize because it
+	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitializeEx because it
 	// harmlessly returns S_FALSE if we call it more than once
-	ole.CoInitialize(0)
+	ole.CoInitializeEx(0, ole.COINIT_MULTITHREADED)
 	defer ole.CoUninitialize()
 
 	// create our scheduler object
@@ -555,9 +555,9 @@ func watchdogTaskExists(identifier string) (bool, error) {
 	}
 
 	taskName := launcher.TaskName(identifier, watchdogTaskType)
-	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitialize because it
+	// init COM - we discard the error returned by CoInitializeEx because it
 	// harmlessly returns S_FALSE if we call it more than once
-	ole.CoInitialize(0)
+	ole.CoInitializeEx(0, ole.COINIT_MULTITHREADED)
 	defer ole.CoUninitialize()
 
 	// create our scheduler object