Windows 7 32 bit (up to date)
Chrome 71.0.3578.80 (which has been installed since 5-Dec-2018 and running fine)
Avast Free AV 18.7.2354 (build 18.7.4041.389) and also tried 18.8.2356 (see below)
Comodo Free FW 10.2.0.6526
Yesterday, after Avast Virus Definitions 181210-6 were automatically downloaded and applied, Chrome has serious issues.
Firstly, on starting Chrome all extensions crash.
Secondly, all web pages (with some rare exceptions) fail to load. The rare exceptions seem to much more basic web pages (e.g.
http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Libr/MIs/MIsBrenzett/01.htm ) which probably do not use more advanced / recent web page coding support etc..
Thirdly, cannot access any of Chrome's settings (I guess as these are accessed via newer web type technology). If I try to go to Chrome's settings , apart from the tabs / bookmarks bar, I just get a blue banner across the top of the page but no other content.
This whole issue became apparent yesterday (10-Dec-2018) evening (note, all times are UTC+00:00 aka GMT). I had not browsed Internet since some time in the late afternoon (when all was OK). When attempted to browse c.20:00 immediately got the afore-mentioned symptoms.
After provisionally discounting malware, I booted up another PC (a laptop with same software and versions as above). Immediately got same problems.
So set about restoring this second PC using a system image from 9-Dec-2018. Once again the same problem arose.
So my subsequent investigations/results were:
- Disable WiFi on laptop (to stop things automatically updating).
- Restore system image again.
- Disable Avast automatic definitions update
- Turn WiFi on again
- Leave laptop a while to do whatever other updates it might want to do.
Then all was still OK with Chrome
- Run Avast Definition update manually (this being 181210-6 - I had also noted this version when the issue first arose).
Immediately the Chrome issues struck again.
So as was using a slightly older version of Avast, repeated the above steps (including a further restore of teh system image), but instead of a manual Definition update, I updated Avast program (which pulled in the same latest definitions as well). Again the Chrome issues occurred immediately after the Avast update. At the time of writing this definitions are now 181211-0 and problems persist.
I also tried disabling hardware acceleration in Chrome (as I know this has interfered with things before), but to no avail.
As a short term workaround I have installed the latest stable Opera browser which works fine.
It seems to me that something in the Avast Definitions since 181210-6 (or maybe very slightly earlier) is interfering / blocking something in Chrome.
