What Is “COM Surrogate” (dllhost.exe) Is it a Virus? How to Kill?

COM Surrogate. What is COM Surrogate and how to handle this running service? Is COM Surrogate or dllhost.exe? Well, find all the details about the windows service “dllhost.exe” and “COM Surrogate”. Can you kill this process?

Com-surrogate
COM Surrogate(dllhost.exe)

COM Surrogate(dllhost.exe)

COM Surrogate is a process running on the Windows operating system. When you open the task manager you can find a process running named “COM Surrogate”.

COM or Component Object Model is an interface used by Microsoft to allow developers to create a “COM objects” for different programming languages. In short, COM objects processing images, videos, and other files to generate the thumbnails.

COM Surrogate is associated with the executable files “dllhost.exe”. The service is associated with other applications to extend them. The process is usually temporarily opened and closed automatically.

But, some anomalies in the executed program may cause the COM Surrogate to run permanently which can end up eating the CPU and RAM.

COM Surrogate has Stopped Working

As we learned above the COM Surrogate is used by the Windows operating system to help other programs run smoothly by helping them to create the thumbnail temporarily for multimedia files including images, videos, and graphics.

COM Surrogate or dllhost.exe helps the executed programs to open smoothly by helping them to create UI and windows or tab in the Windows operating system.

Due to some anomalies in dllhost.exe execution or a crashed COM Surrogate may cause to display the pop-up error message COM Surrogate has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working properly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available”. 

How to Fix COM Surrogate has stopped working?

If you are facing a system lag and notice a huge number of dllhost files running in the process window. This might be a signal of malware attack or virus infection.

There is not a certain method to fix the “COM Surrogate has stopped working”. But still, we have listed some working methods to fix an unresponsive COM Surrogate.

Methods to Fix COM Surrogate has stopped working.

  1. Scan the computer with effective antivirus
  2. Roll Back Video Driver
  3. Disable DEP (Data Execution Prevention) for “dllhost” file
  4. Reregister the DLL file
  5. Close the COM Surrogate File Manually
  6. Check System Files using the command prompt
  7. Fix Internet Explorer
  8. Update Windows Operating System
  9. Uninstall heavy Graphics Software
  10. Update media Players like VLC and Windows media player
  11. uninstall the recently installed software

Is COM Surrogate a virus?

COM Surrogate is a normal helping tool for executable programs on Windows operating systems to run them smoothly.

It’s not considered as a virus but still, a crashed COM Surrogate can cause your operating system to lag and end up hanging the Windows.

If you notice a huge amount or number of dllhost.exe processes running in the task manager, this may be a bell ringing situation. As several numbers of running processes can eat more CPU and memory which can slow the Windows.

RELATED: Windows running slow? Speed up with these 6 Methods

Can I end COM Surrogate?

The COM Surrogate itself is not a program or service. It’s a helping tool for programs running on the Windows platform.

No, it is not possible to disable or kill the COM Surrogate process using the task manager. The process is executed by numerous programs on Windows like explorers and others. So, in order to run these programs smoothly, Windows needs dllhost.exe to keep running.

How do I get rid of com surrogate virus?

The process is not a virus itself but still, a huge number of dllhost.exe processes is a signal of virus infection. Some malware keeps executing the process in order to run in the background.

If you notice any anomalies in the system behaviors or a huge number of processes, it’s always a better idea to scan Windows with antivirus.

READ ALSO: Best Antivirus for Windows 10 | Is Expensive Antivirus always GOOD?

“COM Surrogate” (dllhost.exe)- Conclussion

COM or Component Object Model is an interface used by Microsoft to allow developers to create a “COM objects” for different programming languages. In short, COM objects processing images, videos, and other files to generate the thumbnails. But, a huge number of dllhost.exe process running might be a signal of malware or virus infection.

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