Windows 7 Possible solution to the COM Surrogate problem

Introduction​

I've been struggling with the COM Surrogate dllhost.exe error messages for a while now. These errors always appeared in a window that had thumbnails (NOT video thumbnails, just the thumbnail view, with icons, e.g., Control Panel).

Investigation and Findings​

I think I have it all figured out. I found a million results stating it was a codec issue, but that is not the case for me because I have none installed, plus there’s no Windows icon codec.

So, I did my own messing around and uninstalled Adobe CS3 Master Suite. After that, I opened Control Panel and voila, no error. However, as a web designer, I use CS3 frequently, so that’s not the most suitable fix.

Testing with CS4​

To see if the problem didn't exist with a newer version, I tried CS4. After it was finished, I opened Control Panel, and sure enough, it errored again.

So, I went into the Programs and Features from the Control Panel and removed the following programs from CS4:

• Version Cue
• OnLocation
• InDesign

That seemed to completely stop any and all COM Surrogate errors I have had.

Conclusion​

Let me know if this does/doesn't work for anyone else.