Adobe Flash Player Uninstall killed Chrome and Edge

[KingWhiskers]

Hi All,


I restarted my laptop and got a message to uninstall Adobe Flash Player as it is now past End Of Life.


I clicked on the Uninstall Tab on this message and this is what I got.


This caused Chrome to hang and it would not close even using Task Manager.


It has also caused Microsoft Edge to fail. As it did the same thing and I had to restart my machine to get any where at all.


I uninstalled Chrome and deleted all the App Data as well.


Cleared all the prefetch files, and reinstalled Chrome with a standalone installer.


I now get these error messages on trying to close Chrome and Edge.


When restarting Chrome or Edge the message it was not closed correctly appears and it will not restore.


This is on a W7 Ultimate 64 Asus N56VM Laptop 8 Gb memory 4 core i7-3610QM @2.3Ghz which boosts up to 3.3Ghz.


Error Messages


A problem caused this program to stop interacting with Windows.
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: AppHangB1
Application Name: chrome.exe
Application Version: 87.0.4280.141
Application Timestamp: 5ff502f4
Hang Signature: 795a
Hang Type: 0
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Hang Signature 1: 795aa826a82d3567cc09dc0ed761d493
Additional Hang Signature 2: b677
Additional Hang Signature 3: b677b810c933f474931f1646ac4b867b
Additional Hang Signature 4: 795a
Additional Hang Signature 5: 795aa826a82d3567cc09dc0ed761d493
Additional Hang Signature 6: b677
Additional Hang Signature 7: b677b810c933f474931f1646ac4b867b

A problem caused this program to stop interacting with Windows.
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: AppHangB1
Application Name: msedge.exe
Application Version: 87.0.664.75
Application Timestamp: 5ff68c35
Hang Signature: 4c2e
Hang Type: 0
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Hang Signature 1: 4c2ea287bfc221a0d9b20e04061883fb
Additional Hang Signature 2: 3e52
Additional Hang Signature 3: 3e521b1b65ef8ba54ed029cb439ef25e
Additional Hang Signature 4: 4c2e
Additional Hang Signature 5: 4c2ea287bfc221a0d9b20e04061883fb
Additional Hang Signature 6: 3e52
Additional Hang Signature 7: 3e521b1b65ef8ba54ed029cb439ef25e




Not sure what else I can try.


I am not adverse to registry editing or any other methods that anyone could suggest.


Many thanks for looking at this, any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[iko22]

Hello,

It is not that clear from your description or error messages what might have gone wrong with your system. Nevertheless, I have some ideas that you may want to try.

I know you said you have already uninstalled Flash Player, but have you also checked your browser(s) own settings to see if the browsers are still configured to accept Flash Player? In Edge, Use Adobe Flash Player option can be found under Advanced Settings > View advanced settings Tab. Might be worth having a look to see if this is setting is still Enabled.

If that does not resolve your issue, then maybe consider doing a System Restore. This will allow you to choose a point in time where you can revert the Systems Settings. Doing a System Restore to the time before you uninstalled the Flash Player, may well help.

If System Restore does not repair the issue, then I would consider that you now try a System File Check (SFC) on the operating system. System File Check can be accomplished by typing SFC /SCANNOW in an Administrators Command Prompt Window.

Hope that helps.

 

[KingWhiskers]

Unfortunately System restore has no restore points, it was on but there was no space allocated to it. Bit of a bummer. I didn't realize that there was no space allocated to it and had no idea it was not working.
I can try SFC but I think it is looking like a reinstall. I can't get into any settings on any browser, Chrome or edge. The browsers are blocked as soon as they come on. Getting the message to restore as they did not shut down properly.
There must be somewhere that settings are stored that I don't know about as a full uninstall of chrome and all the data and browsing history seems to make no difference as after a reinstall the same fault is still there.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[flavallee]

Was Adobe Flash Player installed and listed in "Programs And Features" before you received that message?

I'm wondering if you received a pop-up message containing malicious code that trashed your browsers after you clicked its "Uninstall" button.

Hopefully, there's no damage to the Windows operating system and/or some of your other apps.

 

[KingWhiskers]

Was Adobe Flash Player installed and listed in "Programs And Features" before you received that message?

I'm wondering if you received a pop-up message containing malicious code that trashed your browsers after you clicked its "Uninstall" button.

Hopefully, there's no damage to the Windows operating system and/or some of your other apps.

Flash player was installed before and it was expected. It was the End of life on the 12th of January I believe.

Chrome and edge are both useless now, can't do anything in them.
Other things are working but it is a bloody nuisance not having Chrome.

 

[flavallee]

I uninstalled the Adobe Flash Player activeX and plug-in apps in the "Programs And Features" list about a week before the end of 2020.
I use the Internet Explorer 11.0.220 and Mozilla Firefox 84.0.2 browsers, and both still work fine.
I never liked the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, so neither of them are installed.

 

[KingWhiskers]

I uninstalled the Adobe Flash Player activeX and plug-in apps in the "Programs And Features" list about a week before the end of 2020.
I use the Internet Explorer 11.0.220 and Mozilla Firefox 84.0.2 browsers, and both still work fine.
I never liked the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, so neither of them are installed.

Not really a lot of use for my problem I'm afraid, but thanks anyway.

 

[RolandJS]

Did you already try what I call the black-screen boot menu's start windows with last known good configuration? I think it has a "rotating" System Restore hidden somewhere.

 

[KingWhiskers]

Run the Laptop in safe mode and I was able to get into Chrome and Edge.
So they both worked in safe mode but not when I reverted back to normal, still got the error messages in Chrome.
I had run SFC and there were no problems there.
There were quite a few warnings in event viewer in the applications tab, mostly about user profile not shutting down and multiple instances running, most was something like 42.

Also run Malware bytes, no problems found there at all.
Now running a disc check to see if that will make a difference,
0 bad file records, 2EA records processed, 47 reparse records processed.
Going to go back to safe mode and uninstall the extensions to see if that will cure it.
I didn't try Edge yet, lots of notifications about it updating but nothing serious but it did restore in safe mode.
A really strange one this.
Still error messages on trying to close it but all different numbers each time.
I haven't got much hair left as it is, probably won't have any after I fix this!!!

 

[KingWhiskers]

Did you already try what I call the black-screen boot menu's start windows with last known good configuration? I think it has a "rotating" System Restore hidden somewhere.

You are referring to safe mode and there are no System restore points as I had not fully configured it by allocating space for restore points. System restore was "On", but with no space to save restore points it hadn't made any which is a bit of a bummer.

Windows starts and runs, the old explorer will run but not Chrome or Edge.

On 7 you go into administrative tools and then System Configuration and select Safe boot from there, no need to tap hell out of the keyboard on F8 to select Safe mode. You can also select the various options like Networking and active Directory repair.

Then there are the tools but as I said I have not got any System Restore points.

Thanks for the interest though.

I think there was a bug int the Adobe Uninstall Window that buggered things up.

 

[iko22]

I think there was a bug int the Adobe Uninstall Window that buggered things up.

You could try a re-install of Flash Player. That might allow you to put the correct files back in place. Then you could create a restore point, and then re-uninstall Flash Player (properly, hopefully). That kind of procedure can correct orphaned programs.

There might be a difficulty in obtaining an installable copy of Flash Player since the program itself is now EOL (End of Line). You could try sites like CNET or Softpedia. Adobe wont recommend it, but you only want to install and uninstall the program - you do not need to actually use it.

Otherwise you might have to do a Repair Install. See this Forum tutorial about Repair Install .

 

[KingWhiskers]

I don't think a repair install will do it as Windows is working fine. It is chrome and Edge that is buggered.
I have run a disc check and SFC and no problems, too tired now to carry on.
I will have a look again tomorrow.
I might go for a clean reinstall and update from WSUS

 

[KingWhiskers]

Partly working again

Windows edge is now working again after the scan for errors and disc check, so that is looking hopeful.
Another go in safe mode in which I will check out Chrome again and clean it up might do the trick.
Here's hoping.

 

[KingWhiskers]

Edge not now working and Chrome not working at all. Really teed off with it. :devil:


One more try in safe mode then reinstall.

 

[RolandJS]

Before doing a Windows reinstall, I might have missed it, have you already uninstalled Edge and Chrome, and reinstalled same from scratch? By the way, if you do a Windows reinstall, I think SIW2 and others in here can point you to SiMPLeX zipfile that will make Windows Update process smoother for you. However, please make a full image backup just before invoking SiMPLeX, then if everything looks good, do another full image backup. Finally, reinstall Edge and Chrome and hope for the best.

 

[KingWhiskers]

Hi Roland,Chrome has been uninstalled and reinstalled to no avail.
Edge you can't uninstall as it was installed by Windows update and is Chrome based.
I have bought a new shdd of 1GB capacity with 8 Gb nand flash in it. I am going to put that in it and reinstall W7 and use WSUS Offline Update - Update Microsoft Windows and Office without an Internet connection to do the updates.
I have various Usb sticks and cards that I can use to transfer my files over with.
In my mind because of the fact that an uninstall and reinstall does not work I am dubious about whether a reinstall of the OS will work. There must be somewhere else that the information that keeps corrupting Chrome is stored that is not known.
Chrome has all my passwords stored for all sorts of sites that I use but important ones are not stored at all.
WSUS is a great update site and quite painless. It does involve a number of restarts for permissions but it is pretty fast.
The other thing that concerns me is the number of registry leaks that are occourring for some reason, what I don't know, but there was something like 42 registry profiles in use when chrome crashed. There was also a site that Chrome was waiting for that never connected that was also stopping it.
I will run a memory diagnostic on it before reinstalling.

Thanks for replying though.

 

[RolandJS]

I hope you were able to export out of Google Chrome your bookmarks and passwords, I often sync my local settings to the Google server, so that my two laptops' Google Chrome have the same bookmarks and passwords at the very least. One geekish way to maybe start is to have Edge and Chrome with the same bookmarks and passwords, then fix one browser, import, fix the other browser. No joke, much easier said than done, my experiences have taught me browser troubles can be very problematic!

 

[KingWhiskers]

I have multiple laptops and desktop systems, all synced to chrome so no fear of losing anything.
Edge got installed on W7 by Windows update and I had not really used it.
so all my bookmark and password data is safe.
It sounds like it might be an idea to copy to Edge as well then you would have double redundancy.
I used to like fire fox but they bolloxed that up a few years back when yahoo stopped saving all the bookmarks.
They lost a hell of a lot on that one.
New SHDD arrived yesterday, very quick through Amazon.
All my stuff is here on my old laptop so I haven't lost anything.

You don't need to export anything if you have sync turned on, it is on Googles servers all of your information.

 

[KingWhiskers]

I do not believe it, both Edge and Chrome are now working and I have done nothing to fix them since last trying and not even been into safe mode again.
What on earth fixed them I don't know.

This is one of the strangest experiences I have had with a PC of any kind.
Totally baffled as to why it has resolved itself.

 

[KingWhiskers]

To all who commented, thank you for trying to help.

I am only sorry that I can't really throw any light on as to why it cured itself.



If I do throw some light on it I will comment again.

Uploaded a couple of files wit fault codes etc.