It is one of the most popular and reliable browsers today, but it still pays to know how to repair Google Chrome as you’ll never know when an error will pop up. Here are some of the problems you may encounter and how to resolve them.
Restart the Browser
Browsers can crash for different reasons, and sometimes the problem is due to the website. Often the solution is to just close the browser and open it again. If it doesn’t work, restart your computer and launch the browser.
Reinstall or Update the Browser
If you’re sure that your computer isn’t the problem, reinstall the browser or better yet, download the latest version. Doing so will fix any corrupted files within the browser. Make sure that you uninstall the browser, and not just delete its icon or its folder.
You should also remove any extensions that you added; one of them could be the reason why the browser isn’t running properly.
If the installation suddenly fails or times out, you might be behind a firewall. This happens because Google Update will look for an update during installation, and your firewall might block it. You can get around it by skipping the update check using this parameter:
msiexec /i GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise.msi NOGOOGLEUPDATING=1 /l*v log.txt
Problems Syncing Profiles on Network Drives
The user profiles for this browser are not backwards compatible. You might experience data loss or crashes if you try and use profiles that are mismatched and browser versions. Mismatching usually happens if you sync a profile to a network drive or roaming profile across multiple systems that have different browser versions.
You can avoid this by using Google Chrome Sync; instead of renaming profiles, it keeps the user settings across different computers.
MSI Install Error Messages
When studying how to repair Google Chrome, you will also come across solutions to MSI installation problems. Sometimes when you try and install the MSI over your current MSI, the message “More recent version exists” appears.
This can happen if auto update is on; there is probably a newer version of the MSI you are trying to install. The solution is to simply download the latest stable version of the browser.
Unable to Repair during Installation
The most likely reason is the auto updates have been left on and it has already updated to a newer version. The repair error appears because it is a newer version that the MSI. You should download the Newest MSI instead.
You might also get an MSI error message like the following:
“There is a problem with the Windows installer package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.”
This error message usually appears when you install using the /f flag parameter. Use the /i flag instead so the browser knows the upgrade is major. Note: only the latest versions are available online.
Other Information
Most of the problems that you will encounter with Google Chrome can be fixed by downloading the latest update. You should also do the same thing for any extensions or plug-ins you use. Most extensions for this browser work only with the latest version.
The information above concerning how to repair Google Chrome shows how easy it can be. Unlike other browsers, it is stable and works without fuss. Even so, it pays to know how to fix it in case it doesn’t work.
Charlie is a free lancer writer.
