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Google chrome not opening?

Google chrome not opening?

Problem 1

You are trying to open up Google Chrome, but Google Chrome says that it is already running or that user profile has been corrupted.

If chrome is not opening at all and does not say anything about already running or corruption go to Problem 2 below.

Cause

This is due to Google Chrome not closing out properly (Due to a crash, Power Outage, network dropping etc...or simply forgetting to log out if you are on a mounted home directory).

Google Chrome creates 'lock' files to make sure there is only one Google Chrome application running

Solution

To fix this, you will need to do the following based on which OS you are on:

For Linux

if you simply forgot to log out, Chrome will usually ask if you wish to unlock a locked profile, if that does not work, try the following steps:

  • Open up a terminal window (Using Terminal or Terminator)

  • In your home directory, there is a .config directory, type 'cd ~/.config/google-chrome'

  • Copy the uncommented lines, lines beginning with # are comments and do not need to be copied. press enter after each line.

# fixes files from a crash or bookmarking after a login to encrypted websites. does not fix in depth corruption. This is for Linux Only. # Find instances of Singleton lock and remove them. rm -r Singleton* #try opening Google Chrome now, if that does not open, there is likely something else wrong besides a simple lock file. # 9 times out of ten, moving Defaut to Default_bak, then copying back to Default will resolve permissions and bookmark corruption errors # if problems persist, saved settings, bookmarks and passwords are too corrupted to reimport safely. rm -r Default_bak mv Default Default_bak cp -r Default_bak Default
For Mac (Managed by ECI)

  • Make sure you are closed out of Chrome (Command-Q)

  • Go to Spotlight (The magnifying glass icon in the upper right hand corner)

  • Type the following: fixchrome.command

  • Follow the commands in the window

  • Start up Chrome

For Mac (Not Managed by ECI)

  • Make sure you are closed out of Chrome (Command-Q)

  • Go to Spotlight (The magnifying glass icon in the upper right hand corner)

  • type terminal.app

  • Open up a terminal window

  • Copy the uncommented lines, lines beginning with # are comments and do not need to be copied. press enter after each line.

# fixes files from a crash or bookmarking after a login to encrypted websites. does not fix in depth corruption. This is for MacOS X Only. # Find instances of Singleton lock and remove them. find ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome -name \._Singleton* -exec rm {} \; find ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome -name \Singleton* -exec rm {} \; # copies corrupted or locked profile out of the way rm -Rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default_bak mv ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default_bak # 9 times out of ten, moving Defaut to Default_bak, then copying back to Default will resolve permissions and bookmark corruption errors # if problems persist, saved settings, bookmarks and passwords are too corrupted to reimport safely cp -Rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default_bak ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default cd /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS ./Google\ Chrome

Problem 2

You are trying to open up Google Chrome, but Google Chrome is not opening at all. If chrome does open briefly and gives a warning about locked profiles or corruption go to Problem 1 above.

Cause

Similar to Problem 1, this can be caused by Google Chrome not closing out properly (Due to a crash, Power Outage, network dropping etc...or simply forgetting to log out on days Jamf managed computers are doing updates).

Unlike Problem 1, this is not a deliberate locking of the profile by Google Chrome, but a full loss of permissions, where Google Chrome resets its folder permissions to factory settings. Unfortunately that means a user does not have read and write permissions to folders under their own account.

Solution

For Linux

  • Open up a terminal window (Using Terminal or Terminator)

  • In your home directory, go to ~/.config/google-chrome or ~/.config/chromium

  • type ls -al to see who owns the files/folders inside the chrome folder

  • If the owner is not you, such as root, you can use the chown command to reset ownership to you

For Mac (if you have admin rights and want to use terminal)

  • Open up a terminal window (Using Terminal or Terminator)

  • In your home directory, go to ~/Library/Application\ Support

  • type ls -al to see who owns the Google folder

  • If the owner is not you, such as root, you can use the chown command to reset ownership to you

For Mac (if you have admin rights and want to use the GUI)

  • go to finder (person looking icon)

  • in the top menu go to “Go” then click “Go to folder…”

  • go to ~/Library/Application\ Support

  • right click on the Google folder and then click “get info”

  • click the lock icon to unlock the permissions window, it will ask for administrator credentials

  • If you do not see yourself as having “Read & Write” permissions click the permissions you do have to edit

  • If you do not see yourself as having any permissions click the plus button, select yourself, then for permissions pick “Read & Write”

  • click the down arrow icon and then click “apply to enclosed items”

  • click the lock icon again to lock and save changes

 

Google_chrome_lock_location.png
Google_chrome_permissions0.png
Google_chrome_permissions.png

Prevention

Since both versions of the issue are caused by Google Chrome shutting down improperly, the best way to prevent the issue is to shut down Google Chrome properly.

Some causes of improper shutdown are beyond individual control, such as campus wide power outages or network disruptions, however, by taking these simple steps you can vastly reduce the chances of the above problems from happening:

  1. Use a surge protector that can handle all your equipment. If you are using a cheap “residential” grade surge protector that is rated for 300J power surges, you really should consider upgrading to a “commercial” or “enterprise” grade version. For example the Belkin line of surge protectors is available at Target, Best Buys, Home Depot and many UCSB procurement punch-outs like CDWG and Office Depot. https://www.cdwg.com/product/belkin-8-outlet-home-office-surge-protector-w-telephone-line-12ft-cord/1068879 It may cost twice as much as a cheap one, but its surge rating is 3550J, literally an order of magnitude more protection.

  2. Do not overload your surge protector if you are using one, not only is it a fire hazard, but putting too much equipment on a single surge protector greatly increases your risk of power abnormalities, aka the exact thing that causes the above software issues.

  3. Do not daisy chain your surge protectors by plugging one surge protector into another. This can cause unsafe power drops which converts electricity into heat. It is worth mentioning that while residential grade surge protectors are often limited to 2 meters or 6 feet, “commercial” grade surge protectors can have 10 to 15 foot or 3 to 4 meter cable lengths to reach distant locations. No need to use extension cords that provide no surge protection.

  4. Fully quit Google Chrome when you leave for the day. If you have a Apple or Mac computer, hitting the red x only minimizes the program, it does not quit i completely. You need to right click on the chrome icon or regular click the “Chrome” name at the top left and then click “quit”. Chrome. especially if you are using the regular, non enterprise version, has updates multiple times a week and depending on your settings can self update when “Chrome is not in use”.

  5. On UCSB Jamf managed computers, departments often have set days when Jamf applies updates when it is recommended to fully log out of the computer, but not shut down, as shutting down will turn off your network connection. Leaving Chrome open on said days increase the risk of an update not being applied correctly. Most departments have their update days set to either Wednesdays or Fridays, so when leaving work on those days, remember to log out.

  6. If you have a laptop, remember to turn the laptop fully off before putting it in your bag and moving it. While most laptops no longer have spinning disk drives that can easily be damaged by motion, leaving your laptop on and connected to the wireless network as you move about on campus is still a bad idea. Wireless networks often only cover specific buildings, so if you are moving between buildings when Google Chrome is trying to apply updates and you lose network connectivity, it can mess up the update.

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