Images -Unable to complete operation because file is openend in COM surrogate. SOLVED

[il88pp]

Solved.

Just in case it helps someone.

 

Today I was working in Windows 10, Win10. (64bit, Home)

 

I was working with an image. A photo I had taken with my phone.

I tried to remove the personal info from the image-file.

Normally this is easy. (in win 7 I never had a problem with it.)

Right click te file,

Click properties,

Click the 'Details' tab,

Click 'Remove properties and personal details'

Select what to remove,

and click ok.

 

Not this time. I tried, but as I clicked OK, Windows 10 gave the message:

"Unable to complete operation because file is openend in COM surrogate."

 

I googled around for a while, and the MS sites gave no solution.

On other sites I found the advice to kill the process "COM Surrogate" from task manager. but as I did that the Window where I wanted to click OK disappeared as well. Hmmpf.

 

I found another advice to kill the process: "dllhost.exe" from task manager. But again, the "Remove properties" window disappeared, and clicking OK was of course not possible.

 

Then I found some advice that COM Sutrrogate might be infected, and a 20 step solution to repair it. I didn't quite trust that Site/Advice. (Wasn't in the mood for 20 steps either really.)

 

 

Then I found the solution. By trial and error. (mostly trial:) Worked first try really.)

 

I decided to open the file in Windows "Paint", and save as a different File Type.

That did the trick!! :)

I opened the file (was a .jpg file) in Paint, and saved as .png under a new filename.

That had none of the personal info (camera it was taken with, date, etc. All gone.)

Then I opened the .png in "Paint" again, and saved as .jpg file.

The info was still gone.

 

Happy days.

It's a long way round. And there may be better solutions. But it works.

 

Hope this helps someone,

Regards,

il88pp.