# Windows Photo Viewer - COM Surrogate



## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

Hello. I am experiencing a problem with this COM Surrogate while viewing some (!) of my pictures. I tried to search for the solutions through different forums, but none helps me with that. Windows Photo Viewer works fine with the photos that were already for quite a long time on, but newer, downloaded or created via paint - it seems this doesn't work properly there. It works really slow and 95% chances are that it will freeze eventually. The strange thing is that I restored my system on 5-6 days back, and after it has done its restoration, I checked all the photos that were having trouble to be opened. They worked fine .. until the following day though.. I did not install any update and started to check, whether it works ok or not. 

Solutions:
Delete adobe InDesign, Version Cue and OnLocation - failed. (CS5 and had no Version Cue.. could not find it there).
Update KIS with certain patch - is not for me. I am using ESETNod32.
System restore - failed as well (but i ll try once more).
Have no Nero or DivX - installed.
turning off Data Execution Prevention on dllhost - haven't tried yet, but I read it makes the security or protection at some point less effective.. would like to avoid doing this then.. 

I am running W7...


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

Check Reliability Monitor - see what installed on your system prior to the problems starting -
START | type *perfmon /rel*

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

`


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

jcgriff2,

Thank you for your post.
I, now, have tried to turn off Data Execution Prevention on dllhost. After it has done restarting, it seemed to work fine... for a while.. If "X1.jpg" was the one on which COM Surrogate stopped working, then now it is "X2.jpg". Paint seems to be working from time to time.. (e.g. after an appropriate attempt to solve the problem was undertaken). I set everything back as it was before with Data Execution Prevention.

This COM Surrogate, to put it simply, started to appear all of sudden. :4-dontkno No serious updates or drives were installed.. The pictures I attached to this post are the proof.
This kind of problem is the first time for me.

I believe that the re-installation of OS will fix it, but I just can't do it now, since I'm having assignments to do, and doing that will consume a lot of my time to set everything back as it was.. and it is not guaranteed that I will not face with that problem ever again. 

Any other solution to this problem, excluding the one I mentioned of course..?..:normal:

=============
these pictures I made using paint as to help me export from memory screenshots I made. They can be viewed and switched between without any problem. Why it does not do the same for other specific picture? Might it mean that the sector on HDD is damaged and that file is just there?


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## jenae (Jun 17, 2008)

Hi, usually caused by a codec's problem I do not recommend playing with DEP as a solution. Try the latest K lite pack:-

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_codec_pack.htm


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

Hi jenae,

Thank you for the solution provided.

I thought, I had the latest codec and it is why I didn't come to such solution.
I had K-Lite_Codec_Pack_620_Basic installed..
---
Downloaded and installed: K-Lite_Codec_Pack_660_Full

After the installation, I did a restart and currently, it seems to be working without freezing. (Except for the first time).

Nevertheless, an interesting thing started to happen just like it did after I played once with DEP..:
Windows Photo Viewer opens (attempts to) not just photos.. but web-links also while browsing files... 

It is a good news to me that things started to work as they used to, but how do I fix this (see the picture)?

It won't be much convenient to browse images as well as unopenable (with WPViewer) web-links.

(I can't say that my problem with COM Surrogate is fixed. Since I tried other methods of fixing it and they did solve my problem, but only for few moments. In case of the problem still exists, I will let you know..)

================== ... emmm...
and yes, during of writing this post, I checked it once again whether it works fine or not... and.. it's the same again. Freezes..

+ I had some links on the desktop - which are directly to the image stored in the internet. Some of them it could open (Untitled1.jpg).. and other ones not (like Untitled.jpg).

It is a persistent challenge... _-_
I hope there are still some solutions to this.. :normal:

(One more detail I think which may be of a help. I can browse pictures (and links like those) and after I reached certain picture, I press arrow to see the next one - and it stops there. I also tried to go different way to view pictures. If previously I used to push "right arrow" then now I picked up the opposite direction (e.g. left arrow), having opened a different image - stops at the certain place also. Pictures were on the desktop).
---------------------------------
I made another experiment:
I put all pictures in the folder which is on the desktop.
I could browse all the images without a problem.
It seems it has something to deal with the desktop.
I'll try to put some links in the folder and see what happens...
---------------------------------
Okay, I think I found the problem and its causing thing and possibly a BUG in Windows Photo Viewer.

First of all, I'll tell you stuff I had on the desktop (or in folder - it actually plays no role there):
some pictures, some web-links to the images and a link on the youtube video file.

*The problem is that - WPV tries to OPEN web-link, because (do not take it as a strong statement - it has to have some tests, which I - unfortunately can't do anymore, since it has already followed my version of "why and how". E.g. : I mentioned a word saying about that I can open a picture and the following file will be a link to the youtube.. since it tries to open it.. it gets freezed instantly) they are set up directly to the jpg or png file extensions? And seeing such format of the file (a known to it one), it attempts to open it. But if the file is on the internet and the file big or i-connection is slow, the file doesn't pop-up in there, because it hasn't finished downloading it. I almost had no problem with COM Surrogate*_ (and ONE THING IS STILL UNCLEAR: I m not sure, but I cannot recall (maybe it wasn't at all)_* I opened a picture and it got freezed right away (after it was opened and seeable).

* *But why did it freeze?* That's because by some reason (probably because of JPG extension) it has applied web-links as a file WPV knows. And that is why even after I opened firstly a picture on my computer it freezed once I got to the web-link which would lead me to the youtube video page. Since it cannot open it in there... it's getting stabbed right away. 

To check it I guess you could do the next thing:
_find X picture on the web. Open the picture link and follow that link. The page in the internet browser should be like - everything is white expect for the picture you got there. So its purely an address of the picture.

Once you got this link, in the address field (where you type link to X website), next to it there is an icon. Drag and drop it on your desktop. I guess you could do few more web-links like these. 

Add some pictures to the desktop (located on your computer).

Eventually, open youtube and find any video you would like to see.

Drag and drop its link also (like you did to the pictures' links). 

That's all about it. Start trying to open a picture located on your computer. Browse it there. Then it should open a direct link to the picture which is on the internet (if not, then some aspects of this story or statement were busted). You might see it takes some time to open it. Browse files... until you reach a link leading to the youtube page. If everything happens then you have just now confirmed my thinking._ 

It's a bug and don't take all credits of finding it to yourself when reporting ^^ . I would grateful if you mentioned the real finder such as me in comments. (*If in case my thinking is totally untrue about the way it works (WPV) - then skip this last paragraph*  ) 


And I got a feeling like if what I have just said was a nonsense =.= ...

But at least I could find out that it does stop working and the approximate way of how I did come to it to be like that..


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

How do I prevent WPV from opening the web-links now? :normal:


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

:4-dontkno It works for now.. even if I got the shortcuts to these web pictures and it skips a youtube weblimk. .:upset: why does it work? I did nothing of special..(just put all the stuff again back to the folder and tested)

But one of my friends has checked my theory. And it came out that it doesn't show in the WPV the content of the youtube video page (e.g. shows something like to Untitled.jpg image) .

(The untitled2.jpg I created earlier than writing this post - lazy to change the text in the picture, but do have a look at it if in case you wish to know the exact details of how I "created" such links.

I guess the question is closed..but I will let you know of more problems if I encounter with COM Surrogate and will write in this thread again..


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

No - the problem is still exist. I am sorry for posting replies like this, but I would be grateful if someone could tell me how do I stop WPV to browse the shortcuts to the certain website. I had on my* desktop *(maybe the problem is to deal something with COM Surrogate and desktop... ), a shortcut to this forum - this topic, only one, and could not browse pictures after it had reached this link....

There is a solution, to not browse pictures with the web-links together (e.g. not to have them together) but this won't be much convenient..

 :1angel:


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

*and it does stop working when I try to open a picture - WPV - freezes without even trying to browse*. 

What can I do? (came back to where I was from the start) :embarased


========
Another experiment:

That picture was on my desktop (which did freeze WPV just after Opening it) - I moved to the folder, and opened it there - it worked... 

for the reference - I got quite a lot of stuff on desktop. Can it happen because of I got a lot of files on my desktop sorted in the folders? Some of them are hidden and shown as a toolbar.

I, of course, will try to figure it out, but your ideas or possible solutions to my problem would help me at least mentally... :normal:


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

Your screenshots of the Reliability Monitor show WPV and CS-5 crashing.

Please provide system info files. They may yield a clue.

Run - http://jcgriff2.com/0x2/Windows_NT6_BSOD_v3.03_jcgriff2_.exe

When the app completes, Windows Explorer will open to your Documents folder and a newly created folder named *Windows_NT6_BSOD_jcgriff2* will be hilighted. Zip the entire new folder up and attach to your next post.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

`


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

*jcgriff2*, thank you for your post.

What part of the report are you interested in as there is private information that I may not wish to share ...?the report I will probably send directly to your e-mail (secondary one), sharing on the forum - doesn't seem to be a wise decision considering the report contains a thorough info about my system.


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

There is nothing contained in those files of a personal nature. If you look around this forum, you'll find 10,000++ have provided the same or more. TSF + other forums ~ 5 or 10x that number.

The instructions for the TSF version - http://www.techsupportforum.com/f217/blue-screen-of-death-bsod-posting-instructions-452654.html

I provided you with a lighter version I wrote that can be found - http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

All of the files are needed. I won't know what I am looking for until I see it. There are a handful of others here that comb through the files as well and their input is valuable.

Please attach the zip file. If you wish to password protect it - that's fine. Send me a PM with p/w.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

`


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## Segara (Nov 25, 2010)

How will my report be used?
Will it be shared with other companies other than Microsoft?
If yes, what is the bases for that?

Sorry to ask you that, just I am with this character - doesn't like to share a lot, and this is the case when I must share almost everything, though there are no personal information. And I don't like to think that thanks to such information my location can be found, while I didn't want to say a thing about it. So, may I regard this report as the one, which is totally private?
Or there is still some information that can be used in order to locate me?

You never know who may search for you and for what reasons, and since it is unknown to me, I wish not to share such helpful information as my location. Otherwise I will be worried for the whole my life, unless I move to the different place. :embarased


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