In the last few weeks, I have experienced multiple incidents of Google Chrome “not responding”. If left, it will return within a few minutes.
Internet advice:
Even though there is no one guaranteed solution to the various problems that cause Chrome to stop responding, try these steps, in the order presented, to get the browser running again. There’s a good chance Chrome will be as good as new by the end.
Update to the latest version of Chrome.
Clear the history and cache.
Reboot the device.
Disable extensions.
Clear the DNS cache.
Make sure your firewall isn’t blocking Chrome.
Reset Chrome to default.
Reinstall Chrome.
Contact Google Chrome support.
I have checked the steps that I have tried without success.
However, users should remember that the hardware acceleration feature on their apps and computers can sometimes be counterproductive. In Google Chrome, for instance, it can occasionally cause issues such as Chrome stalling or stopping, and to resolve these problems, you might have to deactivate hardware acceleration.
This might well be the cause - Video meetings permit a virtual “backdrop” but hardware acceleration is required - I’ll make sure that I switch it off when not required.
Could that be the problem? I have a bunch of script blockers in Firefox. I suspect they fight with each other and slow down the process, but I’m adamant about them.
What happens if you take off some of the integrations?
ETA I’ve just tried it and it seems to be just a web page access method so no additional functions to impede use. I have no idea whether different parameters apply but response was as fast as normal.
I’m not using Chrome but all Chrome-based browsers are the same as Firefox in one respect. They come in two halves. The main program part in ‘C:\Program Files’ and the Profile Folder located in ‘App Data’ where extensions, customisations, bookmarks etc. are stored.
I haven’t looked in detail but I’m fairly sure that when you reinstall the browser, It doesn’t touch the Profile, it only reinstalls the part in Program Files. The Profiles folder is kept intact so that it maintains all the settings and extensions once the reinstallation is complete.
It is the Profile folder where most problems arise in Firefox and I’m also fairly sure it will be the same in Chrome, especially since reinstalling hasn’t done any good. That’s why trying the Guest profile was suggested. You could create a second Profile and try setting that up with all that you want to see how that goes.
Since I turned hardware acceleration off, I’ve not had any problems.
Even Google admit h/a can cause problems:
Open the page in another browser
To figure out whether this is a problem with the web page or with Chrome, try opening the page in another browser. For example, try using Firefox or Safari to load the page.
If it works in another browser, try the steps below:
**Uninstall and reinstall Chrome:There could be something wrong with your Chrome profile that’s causing problems. Uninstall Chrome and make sure to check the box to delete browsing data. Then reinstall Chrome.
**Uninstall and reinstall extensions:**One of your Chrome extensions could be causing a problem. Uninstall all extensions, then add them back one by one.
**Fix hardware acceleration issues:There could be a problem with how your computer’s hardware works with Chrome:
Open More > Settings
At the bottom, click System.
Turn off Use hardware acceleration when available.
Restart Chrome.
If it doesn’t work in another browser, it could be a problem with your network or the website itself.
Since, AFAIK, only ZOOM and MEET on my PCs use hardware acceleration I’ll continue to monitor the response from those.
