How To Fix “COM Surrogate Has Stopped Working” error?

When you’re browsing the web, it is quite common to bump into an error. Errors are just normal things which suggest that something is going wrong in the PC. One such error in Windows is “COM Surrogate has Stopped Working” error.

When you browse folders related to media or video files or try printing files on your PC, you may get this error message. So, are you facing this error issue on your PC? No need to worry because many Windows users have faced this error.

Looking to solve the COM Surrogate error? In this post, we will give you some solutions on how to deal with the error. With the help of the solutions, you can fix the COM surrogate has stopped working error on your PC.

COM Surrogate

COM Surrogate is a legal process which is used to host DLL files, display thumbnails. Also, it helps to get file explorer to work.

When does the COM Surrogate has stopped working error will occur?

The executable files like Dllhost.exe are usually essential for the applications. This is because they define the ways how the PC carries out specific functions. In case, if the dllhost.exe file is crashed or in trouble, the COM Surrogate error may occur to prevent you from opening any apps.

Main Cause for COM Surrogate error

• Uninstalled Windows Update.
• Invalid registry entry.
• Crashed/corrupted/deleted dllhost.exe files.

In addition, if your device is harmed by a virus, the COM Surrogate may fail.

Warnings that suggest COM Surrogate error in Windows

• Cannot find dllhost.exe.
• exe is not running/not found/application error/failed.
• Error starting program: dllhost.exe.
• exe is not a valid Win32 application.
• Faulting application path: dllhost.exe.
• exe has encountered a problem and need to close.

Ways to Fix COM Surrogate Has Stopped Working in Windows

When running the media or video files on your Windows PC, you may see the error message like “COM Surrogate has stopped working”. How to fix this error when it appears? Just follow the solutions given below.

Method 1: Uninstall Recently Installed Drives from PC

1. Search for “Control Panel” in the search bar.
2. In the Control Panel window, click on “Device Manager” option.
3. Look for the recently installed drivers.
4. Right-click on the drive and choose Uninstall device option.
5. On the following screen click on the “uninstall” option.
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 to uninstall the recently installed device from your PC.

Method 2: Roll back the Video Driver

1. Open Device Manager from the Control Panel.
2. Navigate to the Display Adapters and expand it.
3. Right-click on any of the display adapters and navigate to Properties.
4. Shift to the Driver tab from the General tab.
5. Now Click on the Roll Back Driver option.
6. On the following screen, click Yes to confirm.

Method 3: Add Dllhost.exe to the DEP Exception

1. Right-click on the PC icon from the desktop and click on Properties.
2. Choose the Advanced System Settings option.
3. In the Advanced Tab, Click on the Settings option under the Performance field.
4. Under DATA Execution Prevention, click on Turn on DEP for all program and services except those I select.
5. Now, browse the folder list and choose “dllhost” which is located in C:\Windows\SysWOW32 or C:\Windows\System64.
6. Click on Open > Apply > OK.

Method 4: Close COM Surrogate in Task Manager

1. Press “Ctrl+Shift+Esc” and open “Task Manager“.
2. Look under processes for COM Surrogate, right-click on the “End Task“.

Method 5: Check Disk for Errors

There are two ways to check the disk for error.

I. Check Disk in File Explorer

1. Connect the USB drive to your PC.
2. Open File Explorer and choose the USB drive, right-click on it and navigate to the “Properties“.
3. Shift to the Tools tab.
4. Click Check option in the Error-checking field.
5. Scan the drive and wait until the scanning process ends.
6. If any error occurs, your Windows PC will give you the solution to resolve it.

II. Check disk using Command Prompt

1. Press “Windows+R” key on your keyboard and type “cmd”.
2. Now, the command prompt window will open.
3. In the Command Prompt Window, type chkdsk*:/r and press Enter.
4. Wait for the command to complete.

Method 6: Reset the Internet Explorer Settings

1. Press “Windows+R” key on your keyboard and type “cpl“.
2. Click on the Advanced tab.
3. Go to Reset Internet Explorer Settings.
4. Click on the Reset option.
5. Go to Delete Personal Settings in the following screen.
6. Reset and Wait.
7. Restart your PC.

Hope you might have resolved the “COM Surrogate has stopped working” error using any of the above-mentioned methods. All these methods are tested one. So, don’t panic to try it out!