Chrome – Why Does It Work Only Outside of Sandbox on Windows 7?

google-chromemalwareviruswindows 7

I have been trying to solve this problem for a long time. I have been using Chrome for more than 4 years, it is the best browser for me.

Suddenly, Chrome stopped working. I tried uninstalling it and reinstalling it more than 20 times, but it's still not working. By not working I mean I can't open pages, I can't open settings, I can't open plugin's, etc.

I have searched a lot on the Internet and I have installed many programs to remove trojans, worms, malware. But Chrome is still only working outside of sandbox.

From the Run prompt;

  • This works: chrome –no-sandbox
  • Doesn't work: chrome

My operating system is Windows 7 64-bit.

Update 1

Screenshot per user request.

chrome blank window

Update 2

When I open the Task Manager in Chrome, I see something called GigaAuthExtension. I didn't install this. Could this be the problem?

chrome task manager

Update 3

I found that I am unable to start Google Services on Windows.

Update 4

When I run chrome, I noticed this strange process:
conhost.exe and the path of it starts with ??. I just see it when I run chrome the first time after restarting windows

is this a maleware?

Update 4

When I open a chrome page, I found these processes

Update 5

I found that I have a process named csrss.exe, I read that this could be either a system process or a maleware with the same system process name. I tried to right click on it and go to location, but no location open. I mean nothing opened. is that the problem?

Best Answer

NOTE: This is not a permanent solution.

You can try installing an older version of Google Chrome and see if that works.

If this problem is introduced by a new version of Google Chrome, then it could mean there's a software conflict with something on your computer.

It might even help to read the changelogs and see what was introduced/removed/modified between the last working version of Google Chrome and the one after it. That might help pinpoint the problem.

As @harrymc suggested, you should try filing a bug report. You can do that from Chrome itself:
Chrome button → Help → Report and Issue. Or use the shortcut combination, LAlt+LShift+I

EDIT: It looks like this is a known issue. It seems very likely that the problem might be related to old software causing conflicts on your computer (as previously suggested)

You can check if a software conflict is present by visiting this page: chrome://conflicts
If you see outdated software listed there, you should update them and hopefully, that'll fix the problem.

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