What is COM Surrogate?
COM Surrogate is a process of Windows 10 which runs in the background and shows thumbnails and similar information. The location of this process is “System32folder” in Task Manager. It functions when the user is navigating between multiple files and folders.
Generally, the process dllhost.exe.32 is known as COM Surrogate. In case of any crash, it sends an error message on the screen. Sometimes the user is unable to edit and rename the files. It shows a message “The action cannot be completed because the file is open in COM Surrogate”.
The system asks the user to close the file and try again, even if it is not open anywhere. You can learn more about Com Surrogate here.
Problems of COM Surrogate?
The common problems associated with COM Surrogate is given below:
1). Uses a lot of memory
The process has a high CPU and disk usage compared to other processes. A lot of memory is used by this process. As a result, it can become unresponsive and freeze the system. Sometimes, it can be mistaken as a virus or a malware, because of its memory usage. In case of any doubt, it is recommended to run a full scan of the system.
2). Always running
Sometimes, the process can keep running in the background, thus negatively affecting the performance of the device. A lot of users also complain that the process can stop working suddenly.
3). Opens automatically
COM Surrogate has the tendency to keep crashing and opening up automatically. Thus, it can interfere with the performance of the device and causing a problem for the user.
How to fix this problem?
The dialog box prompts the user to close the file and try renaming or editing them again. If the problem is solved by doing that, then it’s good. Otherwise, these following steps can be used to solve the problem:
1). Use updated antivirus and system
The system should be updated regularly to avoid the problem of COM Surrogate. Sometimes, the problem can arise while using a previous version of an antivirus. Therefore it is important to use updated antivirus to scan the system.
2). Restart the system
If the problem exists for a long time, and nothing else works, the user can consider restarting the system.
3). Boot the system
If all else fails, then the user has to manually troubleshoot the mentioned problem. They must boot the system in Clean Boot State. Booting the system in this state isolates the performance problem and manually troubleshoot it.
4). Uninstall third-party applications
The user must check if the problem is happening after the installation of third-party applications. Sometimes these applications can contain malware or virus in it.
This virus can cause the problem of COM Surrogate. So it is recommended to uninstall such programs to solve the issue.
5). Close the process by using Task Manager
The process can run in the background without even showing in the taskbar. It becomes difficult to separate and isolate the program.
The user must open the Task Manager and locate the specific program. In this case, it is COM Surrogate process. The user can also locate for the dllhost.exe.32 process. Right-clicking on it and selecting ‘End Task’ will troubleshoot the problem.
6). Turn on DEP
This system can be used to troubleshoot the problem without resetting the system. The user should open the Run dialog box and type “sysdm.cpl” in the box and click “OK”. This would open the System Properties tab, click the “Advanced” section.
Then click “Settings” option located under the Performance section. This will open a list of Performance options on the computer. Choose “Data Execution Prevention” from the list.
Then select the option to enable “Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select” and then click on Add button.
In the next window navigate to the System32\ folder or to the SysWOW64\ folder and locate the dllhost.exe file. Select this file and click the Open button. Next, a prompt box will pop up, click on the OK button. Select Apply option and once again click OK. This will restart and reboot the computer and troubleshoot the problem.
7). Use Command Prompt/ Powershell
The user must open Command Prompt or Powershell as an administrator. Press Windows key and the “X” key simultaneously.
It will redirect the user to ‘Win + X menu where they should select Command Prompt Admin and open it. After the program starts, type “regsvr32 vbscript.dll” in the prompt. Press Enter after each line. In the next line, type “regsvr32 jscript.dll” to solve the problem.
8). Fix hardware
Faulty hardware can also cause the problem of COM Surrogate in the system. So it is recommended to run a full scan of the hard drives, especially the removable ones like USB’s etc.
To protect other hardware, the user must open This PC and find the required drive. Then right click on it and choose Properties. Then click on the Tools tab and finally click the Check button.