Need help troubleshooting problem with Google Chrome on Windows 7

[Jamin2112]

I need some help with this problem. My housemate, a computer-illiterate lady who uses her daughter's old laptop solely to browse the internet, last evening wanted me to help her figure out how to (illegally) stream the Academy Awards Ceremony. I found a link but it wouldn't play on her Google Chrome, which was an older version. I downloaded and installed the newest version of Chrome for her, but it ran incredibly slow on her machine (2009 generic 64-bit laptop running Windows 7) and the adblock wasn't working correctly and a million other problems. I didn't want to tick her off by trying cluttering her already-cluttered disc space with additional drivers and such to get the new Chrome working properly. Also, she was being pissy about not liking how the new Chrome looked "different" (just because the top of the window was semi-transparent whereas it used to be solid). Basically, she's mad at me and wants her old version of Chrome back. I'm not sure how to get it back. First of all, I'm not sure which version it was or where to find a download site for it (I tried several sites and none of them worked). Second of all, I'm not sure how to replace a current version of Chrome with an older one. If I download the older one and try to open it, then the new version will be opened anyways. I can delete the new version, but then I can't download the older version because the only other browser she has is IE and it's broke as **** and can't download anything from the internet. I tried downloading the new Firefox but it also doesn't run properly on her computer. Any idea why nothing new won't run on her computer? I'm a Mac guy, so I'm used to having to troubleshoot.

 

[adjacent]

Basically, she's mad at me and wants her old version of Chrome back. I'm not sure how to get it back. First of all, I'm not sure which version it was or where to find a download site for it (I tried several sites and none of them worked)

Did she have a 2009 chrome?If she is computer-illiterate, she wouldn't mind with the version.Simply download an old(Standalone) version of chrome with your computer.
-Copy it to her laptop
-Uninstall the New chrome(Go to computer/Uninstall or change a program)
-Open .exe file and install it and you are done.

Any idea why nothing new won't run on her computer?

( I am using a 2007 laptop and everything works fine )

Try installing the latest Adobe flash Player

 

[Borek]

Tell her slow computer is a punishment for illegal streaming and feds are already out to get her.

 

[Jamin2112]

Did she have a 2009 chrome?If she is computer-illiterate, she wouldn't mind with the version.Simply download an old(Standalone) version of chrome with your computer.
-Copy it to her laptop
-Uninstall the New chrome(Go to computer/Uninstall or change a program)
-Open .exe file and install it and you are done.

That's what I was trying to to, but I screwed up somehow. Does the new Chrome need formally uninstalled or can all the files associated with simply be dragged to the recycle bin? Cause that's what I did.

 

[SteamKing]

That's what I was trying to to, but I screwed up somehow. Does the new Chrome need formally uninstalled or can all the files associated with simply be dragged to the recycle bin? Cause that's what I did.

Yes, you need to uninstall Chrome. When you install a program under Windows, certain changes are made to Windows files to accommodate the new program. Dumping the program files into the waste bin won't undo the changes made to the Windows files.

 

[Jamin2112]

Yes, you need to uninstall Chrome. When you install a program under Windows, certain changes are made to Windows files to accommodate the new program. Dumping the program files into the waste bin won't undo the changes made to the Windows files.

Ok. That's important to know lol.

 

[Bill Simpson]

Since you are already knee deep in dealing with an unhappy customer, if she had a bunch of bookmarks in the old version then those might have been pulled into the new version. If they are still there you might export those before you uninstall the new version and then try to install the old version. If all that works then there is a chance you can import the exported bookmarks and hopefully a little more completely restore what she had. If you just uninstall and blow away all her bookmarks she may be even more unhappy with you.

This looks like a source for ALL the old chrome versions, but I'm not positive how trustworthy this is.
http://www.oldapps.com/google_chrome.php

If you were local I'd cringe, but MIGHT offer to come install her old chrome if you would offer to come fix what looks like a DNS problem on a G5 Tiger that I'm unfortunately "trying to help with and have no idea which end of a Mac is up."

More and more, trying to help people with their computers seems like a questionable idea. There is even a book titled "I Don't Have To Make Everything All Better" which tries to explain that what we think is helping may not be a good idea.

 

[Jamin2112]

Update:

(Remember that I'm not great with PCs because I'm a Mac guy ...)

I figured out what was going on. The page on which I had tried to stream the Oscars -- which worked fine on my computer and browser but not hers -- had prompted me on her computer to install some video player, which I did without second thought. Apparently it was a scam that loaded her computer up with like 20 viruses including this BuenoSearch one (http://malwaretips.com/blogs/buenosearch-com-virus-removal/). The viruses were causing a ton of advertisement programs to run. They did things like randomly bring up new advertisement windows on her browsers. But the main problem was that they were crowding out CPU usage and slowing things down. So that's why the new Chrome I downloaded didn't seem to be working properly. It was super slow and randomly bringing up new windows because of these virus programs that were running. The task manager didn't show them as applications that were running, but CPU usage was at 100% and the processes showed these programs currently crowding out the CPU. I'm having to go and individually uninstall all these programs. I uninstalled half of them last night and everything is already starting to go faster.

I've never had to deal with viruses on my Mac. Nor do I need to download a million drivers to make a program work. Switching to a Windows machine feels very different to me.

 

[AlephZero]

If you didn't make a backup of her system before you started messing with it, then
(1) more fool you, and
(2) you just learned why backups are important.

 

[Jamin2112]

If you didn't make a backup of her system before you started messing with it, then
(1) more fool you, and
(2) you just learned why backups are important.

I seriously had no idea that people live in fear of installing viruses. It was my mistake for thinking that downloading some video player extension for a browser was a safe activity. I sort of instinctually click "Yes, Install" whenever prompted on my Mac. And like I said, I seem to rarely need to install ad-ons, drivers, etc.

 

[Jamin2112]

More and more, trying to help people with their computers seems like a questionable idea.

Yea, I'm never going to do it again, especially not with people who are completely computer-illiterate. Ever tried to help an old person out with their computer problems? It's so frustrating. As I mentioned, this lady had been using her daughter's computer for nothing besides browsing Facebook, Craig's List and Hulu; and she had never ever exited out of her browser or so much as un-maximized it. So her full-screen 2010 Google Chrome was her world of existence and she got upset at everything being "different" (things like the border being semi-transparent) when I installed the new one. The viruses were a separate issue and I feel stupid for installing some weird video player that I had never heard of, but then again I feel like I was bound to disappoint even if that hadn't happened.

 

[Borg]

I seriously had no idea that people live in fear of installing viruses. It was my mistake for thinking that downloading some video player extension for a browser was a safe activity. I sort of instinctually click "Yes, Install" whenever prompted on my Mac. And like I said, I seem to rarely need to install ad-ons, drivers, etc.

Your instincts need to be the opposite. Assume that anything that you click on has the potential for problems no matter what system you are using.

Never install programs from a website that isn't the official website. I.E. if you're on a streaming website and it says that you need a new version of Chrome, open a new page and get it from the Chrome website. If it still doesn't work, find another streaming website because there are only two possiblities at that point - their site iis broken or they are trying to get you to install something only from them.

Welcome to the world of customer service.

 

[Psinter]

Yea, I'm never going to do it again, especially not with people who are completely computer-illiterate. Ever tried to help an old person out with their computer problems? It's so frustrating.

Yes. I share your pain.

Welcome to the world of customer service.

LOL! I remember fixing many not so savvy computer users' computers and them telling me it was still broken. Even after all the hours I spent polishing their computers! It wasn't broken... It was Vista.

But they didn't get it.