A fix for the COM surrogate problem in Vista has stopped working. Microsoft has not released a new update for the software since late 2009, and it is not known how to fix the issue. Some users have reported that they have had to uninstall Vista and install a new version in order to fix the problem.
Here’s the error message:
There are a number of possible solutions to this problem, and the right solution depends greatly on what software is actually causing the problem. Some of the most well-known problem causing softwares are DivX and Nero, but there are others that cause the problem as well.
Possible Solutions
Alan McC wrote in with this fix that might solve the problem in a much easier way. Essentially, turning off Data Execution Prevention on dllhost (the COM surrogate) can fix this problem for some people. This solution is detailed below.
Right click on Computer, and choose Properties
Click on Advanced System Settings, and then under Advanced, click Settings
Select the “Data Execution Protection” tab, and then click “Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select
