COM Surrogate dllhost.exe Process HangUp

[dallas7]

VLC 2.0.4 Portable
Windows 7 HP SP1 x64
i7-3770K; Z77; 8 GB RAM; AMD HD 7770

For reference:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=100456
excessive CPU utilization (>25%) by the Windows 7 process "dllhost.exe"
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=99509
excessive CPU utilization (~50%) by a Windows7 process "dllhost.exe"
http://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/6562
"When I am recording... I can still see video, but on windows 7 turn on dllhost.exe (COM surrogate service) and it takes 25% CPU."
Just a quick picking for just the videolan domain from a plethora of google returns on variious combos of vlc, dllhost.exe and com surrogate.

However, here's my situation:
I'll open a video file (mpeg, wmv, whatever) and while it's playing hit the record to start then again to stop the recording.

In the default directory will be the file vlc-record-DateTimeStamp-SourceFileName.extension-.asf.

ANY use of this file, including merely SELECTING it (left clicking on it once) in Explorer, there'll be started a process dllhost.exe as a COM Surrogate evoked by C:\Windows\System32\Dllhost.exe /Processid:{a long GUID}

The process will use 13% CPU at full 3.9 GHz Turbo. This kicks my proc temp from 31° to 46°C rather quickly.

Selecting the file for deletion will popup the usual Recycling window which will sit there forever "Discovering items..." More details shows "Calculating..." for Time remaining, Items remaining and Speed. One must hit Cancel (which doesn't cancel) then the X to close the Recycling window. The file is not deleted. This boogered up deletion behavior happens in Safe mode, too. That is, the file can't be deleted (It would seem I'll have to boot up a Linux live CD to do that.)

Task Manager's "End Process" or "End Process Tree" doesn't stop it.
Process Explorer's "Kill" doesn't stop it (nor does it "say anything about the situation.")
Emsisoft's HiJackFree's "Kill process" stops it.
A system Restart will stop it, too.
I haven't tried a taskkill /F from the command line, tho.

Serious bug?? Me using the wrong mouse pad?? What gives?

Cheers.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

The file cannot be deleted while VLC runs, this is expected. The rest is really weird.

[dallas7]

Thanks for the reply, but...

Seriously? After all that expert detail you thought I was trying to delete a file running in VLC - in Safe mode?!

You really didn't pay much attention to my posting, did you?

So much for "just be specific and precise."

OK. How's this? VLC breaks the COM Surrogate dllhost.exe process. Trust me, Google it.

No reply expected.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Seriously? After all that expert detail you thought I was trying to delete a file running in VLC - in Safe mode?!

Noone said that.

You really didn't pay much attention to my posting, did you?

I did. You just confuse 2 problems in one.

OK. How's this? VLC breaks the COM Surrogate dllhost.exe process. Trust me, Google it.

Or just try to understand what you read from Google.
VLC, in your case (and the ticket), creates some files that Windows Media Player cannot read, and the thumbnailers tries, in vain, to thumbnail it. Which is why you see the Windows services to use a lot of CPU, probably because it loops over and over on it.

When VLC is writing the file, it is very likely that you cannot delete it.

[simonB2010]

Same problem here.
I get my .3gp and convert it to WMV using VLC.
Any time that new wmv is exposed in windows explorer ... my whole machine clogs up with com surrogate running at 50%.

The only exit, is to initiate a delete of the wmv, and while Explorer is 'discovering items', you kill Com Surrogate in TaskMan, Explorer will be able to delete the wmv.

WLMM will play the wmv, but if you try to save your movie ... it's task manager time to kill WLMM and then Com Surrogate.

VLC 'was' my app of choice, and I would even pay for it.
However, given the responses over this issue, it seems the team are simply trying to blame windows, or simply don't care about addressing it.
Come on guys ... this is a blatant flaw one that really screws our machines up.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

There is no response because none of the people who care about this particular bug get their hands dirty and fix the WMV muxer. Seriously, the few volunteers answering on this forum cannot possibly solve every bug. That is wishful thinking. If you care, go and hire a FFmpeg/libav developer to rectify the libavformat WMV muxer or encoder so that it does not make Windows crash anymore. This hobbyist forum is really not the place to get this bug resolved timely.

In any case, this is a bug in Microsoft code. No matter how you look at it. Microsoft's dllhost.exe crashes on some files. Even if VLC were changed, dllhost.exe would still crash on older files. That is a Microsoft bug and that is all there is to it. You can finger point at Google search all you want, it won't change the reality.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

In any case, this is a bug in Microsoft code. No matter how you look at it. Microsoft's dllhost.exe crashes on some files. Even if VLC were changed, dllhost.exe would still crash on older files. That is a Microsoft bug and that is all there is to it. You can finger point at Google search all you want, it won't change the reality.

Thank you!