# Reinstalling Browser



## officerripley (Jan 8, 2022)

Has anyone here on SF reinstalled the Chrome (or any other) browser? I'm having freezes happen while using Chrome--sometimes hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL gets it going again; sometimes not--and I've tried several times doing the Reset-&-Clean-Up thing but still get the freezes. You lose your bookmarks if you uninstall and reinstall but I *think* I've got it figured out how to save the bookmarks and get 'em back after the reinstall but am still nervous. Anybody ever done this?


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## Chet (Jan 8, 2022)

I get freezes but it's the HP PC itself. I unfreeze by clicking on a blank area.
You can transfer your bookmarks to a different browser from their menu.
Have you installed FF or MS Edge and does it freeze there?


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## RFW (Jan 8, 2022)

If you've already tried reset and clean up, I don't know if uninstalling will help much but might be worth a try. If you have Sync on, it backups your settings and bookmarks automatically but you can also export them locally.

I would suggest you disable all extensions and see if it freezes again. If so, it might be due to a conflict with other software. If it's started happening only recently, look at what you last installed before that and try uninstalling it as well.

It could also be hardware related. While browsing with Chrome, open Task Manager, click Performance tab, keep an eye on CPU, Memory, and all disk drives and see if they ever go above 90% for more than 5 seconds. Report back to me and I'll see what I can do.


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## Chris P Bacon (Jan 8, 2022)

If you have a Gmail account, your bookmarks and such should be saved to the cloud. I don't think that you'd lose them. You can try this site - *https://ninite.com/  *to get a new browser or a new version of Chrome. Just check the boxes of what you want and they will download into an EXE file that you can run and it will install them automatically for you without any junk or spyware. Easy peasy! That way you could also try Firefox or another browser as well to see if the problem only happens with Chrome. Does the freezing seem to happen randomly or only on a certain site? I'm just curious. This link - *https://www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-export-save-import-bookmarks-in-chrome*  will tell you how to export your bookmarks and import them into a new browser. It's not hard but it can be intimidating the first time you do it.


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## JustinCase (Jan 8, 2022)

Compatibility issues!!!


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## Irwin (Jan 8, 2022)

Try clearing your cache and browsing history. That can improve performance if there's a lot of data.


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## IFortuna (Jan 8, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Has anyone here on SF reinstalled the Chrome (or any other) browser? I'm having freezes happen while using Chrome--sometimes hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL gets it going again; sometimes not--and I've tried several times doing the Reset-&-Clean-Up thing but still get the freezes. You lose your bookmarks if you uninstall and reinstall but I *think* I've got it figured out how to save the bookmarks and get 'em back after the reinstall but am still nervous. Anybody ever done this?


No.  But this is a common problem with Chrome I have heard.  I use Opera Browser from Norway.  This is a great browser and I have had it for years with no problems in case you want to switch.  Someone here should be able to help you though.     If you have a thumb drive I think you can save the bookmarks on it.


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## JustinCase (Jan 8, 2022)

Don't know.

Got Linux?


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## kburra (Jan 8, 2022)

Do end task as you have before,then

Clear Browsing Data​This issue can also occur if you open too many tabs at once and Google Chrome is sort of overloaded. The best way to remove the excess data that can bog down Chrome is to clear the browsing data regularly. Follow these simple steps to do it;

*Step 1:* Open Chrome on your computer and then click on the three dots at the top right corner.

*Step 2:* Click on "More" and then click "Clear Browsing Data". You can also use the "Ctrl + Shift + Delete" keyboard shortcut

*Step 3:* Click on the "Advanced" tab and then select the items you would like to remove and click on "Clear Data."


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## officerripley (Jan 8, 2022)

Chet said:


> I get freezes but it's the HP PC itself. I unfreeze by clicking on a blank area.
> You can transfer your bookmarks to a different browser from their menu.
> Have you installed FF or MS Edge and does it freeze there?


Yeah, I have both Ff and Edge; don't use Edge much at all but do use Ff a lot but never have any freezes with either one.


RFW said:


> If you've already tried reset and clean up, I don't know if uninstalling will help much but might be worth a try. If you have Sync on, it backups your settings and bookmarks automatically but you can also export them locally.
> 
> I would suggest you disable all extensions and see if it freezes again. If so, it might be due to a conflict with other software. If it's started happening only recently, look at what you last installed before that and try uninstalling it as well.
> 
> It could also be hardware related. While browsing with Chrome, open Task Manager, click Performance tab, keep an eye on CPU, Memory, and all disk drives and see if they ever go above 90% for more than 5 seconds. Report back to me and I'll see what I can do.


Okay, I'll try that & report back, thanks.


Chris P Bacon said:


> If you have a Gmail account, your bookmarks and such should be saved to the cloud. I don't think that you'd lose them. You can try this site - *https://ninite.com/  *to get a new browser or a new version of Chrome. Just check the boxes of what you want and they will download into an EXE file that you can run and it will install them automatically for you without any junk or spyware. Easy peasy! That way you could also try Firefox or another browser as well to see if the problem only happens with Chrome. Does the freezing seem to happen randomly or only on a certain site? I'm just curious. This link - *https://www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-export-save-import-bookmarks-in-chrome*  will tell you how to export your bookmarks and import them into a new browser. It's not hard but it can be intimidating the first time you do it.


I'll try that too, thanks. And the freezing does happen randomly. (Avast has been freezing once in a while too when I'm running a virus scan.)


JustinCase said:


> Are you using 10 or 11?  If 10 you may be trying to use an upgraded version of Chrome.   Google may want to be ahead of the rush for compatibility with 11.  You're going to see more problems as you go along.  Sorry no help, then again I'm a Linux/Firefox advocate.


I'm running 10. And the latest (I think?) version of Chrome (97.0.4692.71-64 bit); just recently updated Chr but I was getting the freezes before too. Maybe I'll switch over to Edge & Ff only.


Irwin said:


> Try clearing your cache and browsing history. That can improve performance if there's a lot of data.


Is that the same as cookies? I do clear almost all cookies once a week.


IFortuna said:


> No.  But this is a common problem with Chrome I have heard.  I use Opera Browser from Norway.  This is a great browser and I have had it for years with no problems in case you want to switch.  Someone here should be able to help you though.     If you have a thumb drive I think you can save the bookmarks on it.


Thanks, maybe I'll try Opera; according to Google I can import Chr bkmarks to Opera...more and more it's starting to sound like it's maybe time to say buh-bye to Chrome. I know I can use gmail in Ff and Edge. Can you use gmail in Opera too, IFortuna? (Google doesn't list it as one you can but maybe?)


kburra said:


> Do end task as you have before,then
> 
> Clear Browsing Data​This issue can also occur if you open too many tabs at once and Google Chrome is sort of overloaded. The best way to remove the excess data that can bog down Chrome is to clear the browsing data regularly. Follow these simple steps to do it;
> 
> ...


Is this the same as clearing cookies? Because some cookies I like to keep. (I know, it's not a good idea but...I'm lazy .)


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## officerripley (Jan 8, 2022)

RFW said:


> If you've already tried reset and clean up, I don't know if uninstalling will help much but might be worth a try. If you have Sync on, it backups your settings and bookmarks automatically but you can also export them locally.
> 
> I would suggest you disable all extensions and see if it freezes again. If so, it might be due to a conflict with other software. If it's started happening only recently, look at what you last installed before that and try uninstalling it as well.
> 
> It could also be hardware related. While browsing with Chrome, open Task Manager, click Performance tab, keep an eye on CPU, Memory, and all disk drives and see if they ever go above 90% for more than 5 seconds. Report back to me and I'll see what I can do.


Okay, I just disabled all Chrome extensions--they were about 5 extensions 4 of which I didn't even know were enabled and an old Win7 scrollbar ext I had forgotten about. So maybe that'll help getting rid of them. Also I checked the performance in Task Mgr and the highest percentage was Memory which was 63%; does that sound ok?


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## Murrmurr (Jan 8, 2022)

RFW said:


> If you've already tried reset and clean up, I don't know if uninstalling will help much but might be worth a try. If you have Sync on, it backups your settings and bookmarks automatically but you can also export them locally.
> 
> I would suggest you disable all extensions and see if it freezes again. If so, it might be due to a conflict with other software. If it's started happening only recently, look at what you last installed before that and try uninstalling it as well.
> 
> It could also be hardware related. While browsing with Chrome, open Task Manager, click Performance tab, keep an eye on CPU, Memory, and all disk drives and see if they ever go above 90% for more than 5 seconds. Report back to me and I'll see what I can do.


Yes!

(oh. never-mind. And good!)


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## Irwin (Jan 8, 2022)

officerripley said:


> YIs this the same as clearing cookies? Because some cookies I like to keep.


No, you can clear browsing history and cached images and files in addition to clearing Cookies.

Left click three dots in upper right corner
Select: More tools -> Clear browsing data

Select 
[X] Browsing history

[X]Cached images and files

[Clear data]


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## RFW (Jan 8, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Okay, I just disabled all Chrome extensions--they were about 5 extensions 4 of which I didn't even know were enabled and an old Win7 scrollbar ext I had forgotten about. So maybe that'll help getting rid of them. Also I checked the performance in Task Mgr and the highest percentage was Memory which was 63%; does that sound ok?


That's perfectly fine. I think we can rule out hardware as the cause.


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## officerripley (Jan 9, 2022)

Irwin said:


> No, you can clear browsing history and cached images and files in addition to clearing Cookies.
> 
> Left click three dots in upper right corner
> Select: More tools -> Clear browsing data
> ...


Okay, I just tried that and restarted Chrome; let's see what happens. (So far, disabling all the extensions didn't fix the problem)

BTW, thanks to all for all this help!


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## RFW (Jan 9, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Okay, I just tried that and restarted Chrome; let's see what happens. (So far, disabling all the extensions didn't fix the problem)
> 
> BTW, thanks to all for all this help!


When was the last time you formatted and reinstalled Windows?


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## officerripley (Jan 9, 2022)

RFW said:


> When was the last time you formatted and reinstalled Windows?


Um, never. Don't know how to do that.


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## RFW (Jan 9, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Um, never. Don't know how to do that.


It's a nuclear option and the last resort for when you've tried everything and the issue still persists.


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## Devi (Jan 9, 2022)

Are you sure the browser is causing the freezes?


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## officerripley (Jan 9, 2022)

Devi said:


> Are you sure the browser is causing the freezes?


Well, I think so, although it does happen sometimes when trying to run an Avast anti-virus scan, not as often though as with Chrome.


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## RFW (Jan 9, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Well, I think so, although it does happen sometimes when trying to run an Avast anti-virus scan, not as often though as with Chrome.


Out of curiosity, what's your computer's specs? Now that you mention Avast, it seems to indicate that the computer has a hard time operating while an intensive task is running in the background.


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## officerripley (Jan 9, 2022)

By specs, do you mean: it's a Dell Laptop XPS 13 7390 running Win10 (64 bit), installed RAM 8.00 gig (7.79 usable); Processor is Intel i5.


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## RFW (Jan 9, 2022)

officerripley said:


> By specs, do you mean: it's a Dell Laptop XPS 13 7390 running Win10 (64 bit), installed RAM 8.00 gig (7.79 usable); Processor is Intel i5.


Yes, although not the complete specs, I was able to look it up and find all of the specs. Could you look in the Task Manager, under Startup tab, and let me know how many programs are enabled and how many are under high startup impact?


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## oldpop (Jan 9, 2022)

I use Firefox but I have Chrome and Opera installed to use for issue comparisons. If Chrome has had a recent update it could cause issues on your computer. You could try the previous version to see if that clears it up. The first thing I do when trouble shooting is do a system reboot.


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## JustinCase (Jan 10, 2022)

oldpop said:


> I use Firefox but I have Chrome and Opera installed to use for issue comparisons. If Chrome has had a recent update it could cause issues on your computer. You could try the previous version to see if that clears it up. The first thing I do when trouble shooting is do a system reboot.


I think you're going to see a lot of compatibility problems going forward as MS forces the software vendors to upgrade to 11.  They need to generate a reason for upgrading both hardware & software, *it's all about money*! Chromebooks with the Linux OS have probably hammered their bottom line.

It's a Win/Win for Linux users though.  Any units manufactured before the release of 11 will be a dime a dozen on EBAY,,,etc.  *FOMO!!!*


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## officerripley (Jan 10, 2022)

RFW said:


> Yes, although not the complete specs, I was able to look it up and find all of the specs. Could you look in the Task Manager, under Startup tab, and let me know how many programs are enabled and how many are under high startup impact?


Ok, finally getting back to you (tried to upload scrn shot of the startups in Tsk Mgr but the site here kept saying "Security Error"), so here's a list of the 1s under high startup imp:

Amazon Music Helper
Avast Avlaunch component

There are a few other startups but they medium or low impact.


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## Chris P Bacon (Jan 10, 2022)

Have you tried using a different browser? MS Explorer or Edge is probably on your computer already. Or in the link I posted in this thread earlier, you can get Firefox or Opera, for free and try them to see if the problem persists. It's possible too that Avast or some other program that you may not even be aware of, somehow made its way onto your computer without you even knowing so. I doubt that it's anything major but I understand how aggravating those intermittent things can be. Good luck.

See message #4, the ninite.com link, if you're interested in trying a different browser.


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## officerripley (Jan 10, 2022)

Chris P Bacon said:


> Have you tried using a different browser? MS Explorer or Edge is probably on your computer already. Or in the link I posted in this thread earlier, you can get Firefox or Opera, for free and try them to see if the problem persists. It's possible too that Avast or some other program that you may not even be aware of, somehow made its way onto your computer without you even knowing so. I doubt that it's anything major but I understand how aggravating those intermittent things can be. Good luck.
> 
> See message #4, the ninite.com link, if you're interested in trying a different browser.


Thanks, Chris; Avast actually is my AV program. The more I think about it, I'm kinda leaning toward not bothering to reinstall Chrome since most other reliable browsers will import my Chr bkmrks. And since this is a Win comp, Edge is already installed.


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## Nathan (Jan 10, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Has anyone here on SF reinstalled the Chrome (or any other) browser? I'm having freezes happen while using Chrome--sometimes hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL gets it going again; sometimes not--and I've tried several times doing the Reset-&-Clean-Up thing but still get the freezes. You lose your bookmarks if you uninstall and reinstall but I *think* I've got it figured out how to save the bookmarks and get 'em back after the reinstall but am still nervous. Anybody ever done this?


I don't recall having freeze ups with Chrome, but on a couple occasions with Firefox.  I found that FF needed updating and once done the freeze-ups went away.


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## Chris P Bacon (Jan 10, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Thanks, Chris; Avast actually is my AV program. The more I think about it, I'm kinda leaning toward not bothering to reinstall Chrome since most other reliable browsers will import my Chr bkmrks. And since this is a Win comp, Edge is already installed.


Yes, that's what I was thinking but I myself had problems years ago, with Avast, free version, being my AV program. I just have relied on Windows defender ever since and have had no problems with viruses. But if you feel safer with Avast on there, then by all means, keep it. But you could try disabling it for a day or two just to see if it might be causing your problems.


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## oldpop (Jan 10, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> I think you're going to see a lot of compatibility problems going forward as MS forces the software vendors to upgrade to 11.  They need to generate a reason for upgrading both hardware & software, *it's all about money*! Chromebooks with the Linux OS have probably hammered their bottom line.
> 
> It's a Win/Win for Linux users though.  Any units manufactured before the release of 11 will be a dime a dozen on EBAY,,,etc.  *FOMO!!!*


I am working on changing over to Linux full time.


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## JustinCase (Jan 10, 2022)

oldpop said:


> I am working on changing over to Linux full time.


I hadn't heard of where your location was, so I called on duckduckgo to show me, funny!!!


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## RFW (Jan 10, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Thanks, Chris; Avast actually is my AV program. The more I think about it, I'm kinda leaning toward not bothering to reinstall Chrome since most other reliable browsers will import my Chr bkmrks. And since this is a Win comp, Edge is already installed.


The only thing I suspect being a problem is your Chrome freezing up only when something heavy is running in the background. Does your AV have scheduled scans or is it set to only scan when the computer is idle or does it only scan when you tell it to?
Your CPU is more than adequate for web browsing. Memory can be an issue since you only have 8GB of RAM and Chrome is probably the most RAM intensive of all browsers.

Is there a pattern to how/when it freezes? For example, only when you have more than 5 tabs open or only when you access a certain website or it freezes in a way that you can't interact or scroll up and down a web page but other buttons within Chrome still function normally.


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## RFW (Jan 10, 2022)

Chris P Bacon said:


> Have you tried using a different browser? MS Explorer or Edge is probably on your computer already. Or in the link I posted in this thread earlier, you can get Firefox or Opera, for free and try them to see if the problem persists. It's possible too that Avast or some other program that you may not even be aware of, somehow made its way onto your computer without you even knowing so. I doubt that it's anything major but I understand how aggravating those intermittent things can be. Good luck.
> 
> See message #4, the ninite.com link, if you're interested in trying a different browser.


Edge is pretty much just an offshoot of Chrome (same technology), whether that's for the better or worse I do not know.


oldpop said:


> I am working on changing over to Linux full time.


The majority of programs I use still reply on Windows so it's still not my daily driver. It sure works wonders on older hardware though.


officerripley said:


> Ok, finally getting back to you (tried to upload scrn shot of the startups in Tsk Mgr but the site here kept saying "Security Error"), so here's a list of the 1s under high startup imp:
> 
> Amazon Music Helper
> Avast Avlaunch component
> ...


I don't see them being a problem at all if they're only running in the background on standby. Avast scans can cause slowdowns but you should not disable its startup component.

If you don't have any patience left to troubleshoot, I'd suggest you use a different browser as there's a high chance that it is Chrome messing with something in Windows that it doesn't like or it's other software or even Windows messing with it. Windows updates can and are known to cause issues with other software. Fixes suggested by me and other people here are the most common ones but it looks like we have now reached the unknown. So many variables to eliminate, most people (including me) just do a clean install of the whole system instead but I understand it is not an easy option for you.

If you want a different browser that has the same feel as Chrome but runs much better, try Brave. It's based on Chromium which is an open source version of Chrome. It's privacy focus so no telemetry and such. Bookmarks from other browsers can be imported and it is compatible with Chrome extensions as well.


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## Chris P Bacon (Jan 10, 2022)

Or, you could be like Eve and get yourself an 
But that’s a pretty drastic step and I speak with
my  firmly planted in my cheek.


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## officerripley (Jan 10, 2022)

RFW said:


> The only thing I suspect being a problem is your Chrome freezing up only when something heavy is running in the background. Does your AV have scheduled scans or is it set to only scan when the computer is idle or does it only scan when you tell it to?
> Your CPU is more than adequate for web browsing. Memory can be an issue since you only have 8GB of RAM and Chrome is probably the most RAM intensive of all browsers.
> 
> Is there a pattern to how/when it freezes? For example, only when you have more than 5 tabs open or only when you access a certain website or it freezes in a way that you can't interact or scroll up and down a web page but other buttons within Chrome still function normally.


Chrome freezes up with even just one tab open and does it on a lot of different websites and it's just as you said: "it freezes in a way that I can't interact or scroll up and down a web page but other buttons within Chrome still function normally."

I think tomorrow I'll give the Brave browser you suggested a try, sounds good.

Thanks again to all for all the immense help; you all here on SF rock!


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## officerripley (Jan 10, 2022)

Chris P Bacon said:


> Or, you could be like Eve and get yourself an
> But that’s a pretty drastic step and I speak with
> my  firmly planted in my cheek.


I do have an iPhone. When we made the step up to smart phones, I wanted an Android and kept telling the saleskid that I had an android tablet but the saleskid said "Oh, I think you'll find the iPhone much easier to use" and he wore me down and that's what I got. (As someone told me later, "The commision that day for the Apple products was probably higher than for the android phones."  ) Oh, well, we've been getting along okay with the iPhones; I'm too lazy to change.


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## RFW (Jan 10, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Chrome freezes up with even just one tab open and does it on a lot of different websites and it's just as you said: "it freezes in a way that I can't interact or scroll up and down a web page but other buttons within Chrome still function normally."
> 
> I think tomorrow I'll give the Brave browser you suggested a try, sounds good.
> 
> Thanks again to all for all the immense help; you all here on SF rock!


Hope it works out for you!

Oh, and just for fun. Try this method under _How to increase virtual memory using Settings_.


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## officerripley (Jan 10, 2022)

RFW said:


> Hope it works out for you!
> 
> Oh, and just for fun. Try this method under _How to increase virtual memory using Settings_.


Thanks, I'll try that tomorrow too.


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## Mr. Ed (Jan 11, 2022)

Last I checked Chrome had a virus so I deleted it from my computer. 
Some alternative browsers to Chrome include. Brave browser is a good alternative to Chrome,  Firefox, Opera browser, Vivaldi, Safari (Mac)


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## JustinCase (Jan 11, 2022)

Pros & Cons of the 'Brave' browser, I'll stick with 'Firefox' & 'Duckduckgo' search engine.
https://www.profolus.com/topics/pros-and-cons-of-brave-browser-a-review/


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## RFW (Jan 11, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> Pros & Cons of the 'Brave' browser, I'll stick with 'Firefox' & 'Duckduckgo' search engine.
> https://www.profolus.com/topics/pros-and-cons-of-brave-browser-a-review/


I suggested Brave to officerripley because it is the most Chrome-like. No one browser is perfect. Overall, I see Brave and Firefox up there as the top two. I'd choose Brave over Fiirefox though due to how little telemetry data it collects.


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## JustinCase (Jan 11, 2022)

RFW said:


> I'd choose Brave over Fiirefox though due to how little telemetry data it collects.


You'll have to explain what you just posted to us dolts and what it means to seniors.  Other reviews I read gave it a thumbs down because of the promises that didn't make grade.  Firefox/duckduckgo does everything I need.  I have very, very few ads,  no pop-ups & had only one issue back in 2015 that taught me to not use the same password with 2 applications.  I adhere to the KISS approach.


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## Irwin (Jan 11, 2022)

I use Chrome because I'm lazy. My Android phone came with it. My bookmarks and other data are automatically stored in the cloud, so any device where I use Chrome has access to them without having to do anything extra. If I had any problems with it freezing, like the OP, I might switch, though. There are occasions when I'm doing something in the browser and the computer crashes. I wonder if it's the same issue @officerripley is having but just a different reaction or consequence by the OS. I suspect it has something to do with my audio interface, but I can't seem to pin down the problem since it occurs so sporadically.


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## RFW (Jan 11, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> You'll have to explain what you just posted to us dolts and what it means to seniors.  Other reviews I read gave it a thumbs down because of the promises that didn't make grade.  Firefox/duckduckgo does everything I need.  I have very, very few ads,  no pop-ups & had only one issue back in 2015 that taught me to not use the same password with 2 applications.  I adhere to the KISS approach.


There are researches done on popular browsers regarding how much telemetry they use, in layman's terms, how often a browser "phone home" to the browser developer, whether it's to keep itself up to date and tell the user when a new update is available, collect browser settings for troubleshooting/improvements, etc and they've found that Brave does it the least. The problem is you never exactly know what data is being sent and what it contains, with or without your knowledge. It could be just user settings and some basic hardware specs, or it could be an entire list of websites you've ever visited. Internet Explorer/Edge, Chrome and Safari are the biggest culprits.

What seems to be the consensus of Brave and Firefox users is: 
Brave does privacy protection better than Firefox out-of-the-box, meaning you don't need to adjust or change anything. Great for people who are used to Chrome but want a safer browser and novice users in general.
Firefox doesn't do privacy protection as well out-of-the-box but with some tinkering, it can have stronger security and better privacy protection.

Both options are great so you can't go wrong with either of them. But I feel I have to point out that both browser developers have been embroiled in some controversies (unrelated to their browsers) in the past that may or may not have affected the direction their browsers are heading and their future.


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## JustinCase (Jan 11, 2022)

Thanks


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