Apart from that, the Data Execution Prevention might also conflict with the said process and could prove to be the culprit behind the underlying issue. So in this guide, we will be addressing all these concerns which in turn should fix the “The action cannot be completed because the file is open in COM Surrogate” error. Follow along.

Fix The action cannot be completed because the file is open in COM Surrogate

It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. So with that in mind, let’s get started.

FIX 1: Kill COM Surrogate Process

The biggest reason why you are currently facing this issue is the fact that the concerned file has been taken control over by the COM Surrogate process. So you will have to kill this process so as to free your file from its restriction. Here’s how it could be done:

Fix 2: End Task of dllhost.exe

Similar ‘hijack’ behavior has been noticed with the dllhost.exe process as well. Therefore, you should end this process as well and then test out the results.

FIX 3: Disable DEP for dllhost.exe

Data Execution Prevention is a handy protection mechanism built into the OS which could sometimes act a little bit overprotective and in turn conflict with the normal functioning of the PC. Therefore, you should consider disbalig DEP for the dll.exe process. Here’s how it could be done:

FIX 4: Perform a Clean Boot

Sometimes, a third-party app’s background service might conflict with the OS’s normal functionality. In such cases, the only way out is to disable those non-Microsoft services and then check out the results. Here’s how it could be done:

FIX 5: Boot to Safe Mode

In some instances, a third-party app might conflict with the file deletion/edit process. The best way to verify and hence rectify this issue is to boot your PC to Safe Mode. Doing so will disable all the third-party apps and give you the stock environment with just the system apps. If you are able to delete the file in that mode, then the culprit is an app or software. Therefore, you should consider uninstalling the recently installed apps after which the issue first came to light. Here’s how it could be done:

FIX 6: Disable Hardware Acceleration

When Hardware Acceleration is enabled and you are carrying out graphics-intensive tasks, such as using a rendering program or playing high-end games, then the CPU might shift some of its workloads to the GPU. This is done so that your CPU will now be able to focus on the efficient running of the core system processes. However, this functionality has also been known to conflict with the proper running of a few backend system services. Therefore, you should consider disabling it and then check out the results. Given here are the steps to do so via the Settings menu. If you wish to take a more technical route, then you could also disable Hardware Acceleration via Registry Editor. Check out the linked guide to know more. That’s it. These were the six methods that shall help you fix the “The action cannot be completed because the file is open in COM Surrogate” error. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

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