Baffling Chrome issue: almost all EXE's cannot be downloaded

[rseiler]

This problem has me utterly and completely baffled. I first turned to the Chrome forum, but it's tumbleweeds there. Still, here's the thread:
I can't download anything with Google Chrome redux - Google Chrome Help

I'll adapt that for this forum in the hope that someone can help me "think different" about this problem. Perhaps Chrome uses the Registry for this and something's wrong with it in the same way on two systems?

Google Chrome version (15.0.874.121 then 16.0.192.41)
Operating System: Win7 x64 and another with x86. Both SP1. Even in Safe Mode.
Error Message: none
Extensions installed: none (new profile used)

There's a previous thread on this (though he has a broader problem), but no answer:
I can't download anything with Google Chrome - Google Chrome Help

In short, a few days ago (on one system; perhaps longer on the other), I stopped being able to download anything in Chrome (later found to be just EXEs). What happens instead is nothing at all.

Rebooting, no change.

Adjusting download settings in Options, no change.

Uninstalling/reinstalling Stable Chrome, no change.

Then I found the Chrome profile folder and renamed it, thereby resetting Chrome totally to defaults. No change.

Figuring that it might be a problem with the new Stable Release from a few days ago, which roughly (I don't know exactly) coincides with the problem (on one system), I tried moving to the Beta release. No change.

Further developments: downloading EXEs on a very few sites does work (actually only one site that I've found thus far), but all other test sites don't. Also confirmed with someone else. Does Chrome's back-end malware filter get involved with downloads? I thought it just blocked sites entirely or not. If it's not involved, I can't imagine what it could be.

Works:
Download: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats - Microsoft Download Center - Confirmation

Doesn't:
CutePDF - Convert to PDF for free, Free PDF Utilities, Save PDF Forms, Edit PDF easily.
Skype for Windows - Now with Facebook chat & new emoticons - Skype
Mozilla Firefox Web Browser
PocketKnife Peek Download
etc
etc
etc

Further clues: The problem is with downloading EXE files; zip files and others work. The one exception I've found so far is the Microsoft site above. It would make more sense if there were no exceptions, but there are.

How this could happen on two completely unrelated systems (in different countries) is a puzzler. How a new profile doesn't help is also puzzling.

Normally, Chrome displays a warning when downloading EXE files. Somehow that's being suppressed in most cases, making downloading such files impossible.

 

[Darryl Licht]

What happens with IE or other browsers?

 

[rseiler]

No problems in IE, FF, and Opera.

 

[Darryl Licht]

You said that you tried uninstall and reinstall of Chrome, but did you reboot after the uninstall (prior to reinstall)?

 

[rseiler]

I couldn't recall if I did or not (probably not), but I tried it just now and it didn't change anything.

 

[Darryl Licht]

Ummmm, start using the most secure browser created to date (IE9)???

Internet Explorer 9 Takes the Browser Security Crown - Forbes

 

[Faceofjoe421]

Ummmm, start using the most secure browser created to date (IE9)???

Internet Explorer 9 Takes the Browser Security Crown - Forbes

IE, most secure, cannot be.

 

[stve]

Ummmm, start using the most secure browser created to date (IE9)???

Internet Explorer 9 Takes the Browser Security Crown - Forbes

IE, most secure, cannot be.

You are right to be skeptical NSS Labs are funded by Microsoft & peddle the same bs every year.
Can you trust the NSS Labs report touting the benefits of IE8? - Security
IE8 best at blocking malware sites, says study - Computerworld
Haavard - Yet another unscientific report on browser security from NSS Labs

 

[stve]

Finding help on Chrome for any problems is never easy.
Maybe this link will help shed some light on your problem.
Issue 79147 - chromium - Google chrome downloading corrupt .exe files - An open-source browser project to help move the web forward. - Google Project Hosting

 

[Darryl Licht]

Ummmm, start using the most secure browser created to date (IE9)???

Internet Explorer 9 Takes the Browser Security Crown - Forbes

IE, most secure, cannot be.

You are right to be skeptical NSS Labs are funded by Microsoft & peddle the same bs every year.
Can you trust the NSS Labs report touting the benefits of IE8? - Security
IE8 best at blocking malware sites, says study - Computerworld
Haavard - Yet another unscientific report on browser security from NSS Labs

As we are a site devoted to a MS OS, I dont think its appropriate to bash a MS product such as IE9. I also dont think the useage here of the word b.s. is appropriate either... no matter what your feelings!

I have several browsers installed JIK (just in case). But my preference is still IE!

As long as you have a good up to date AV, update java and adobe regularly, I think you are as safe with IE as any other browser. IMHO!

 

[stve]

As we are a site devoted to a MS OS, I dont think its appropriate to bash a MS product such as IE9. I also dont think the useage here of the word b.s. is appropriate either... no matter what your feelings!

I am not a big fan of IE9 its not a bad browser & security wise its pretty solid unless a user changes the security defaults in Internet options.
What i was attacking was Microsoft's use of FUD
Fear, uncertainty and doubt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .

 

[DBone]

What about uninstalling Chrome with an uninstaller like Revo? Maybe Revo can dig a little deeper during the uninstall process then the standard Chrome uninstaller.

 

[stve]

I had a problem not being able to install Chrome last year it was downloading OK but when I attempted to run the .Exe nothing was happening. It turned out i had to right click the file & extract the contents first I was using 7zip at the time.

 

[rseiler]

Sorry for the delay, as I didn't get notice of any of the newer messages here.

As it happens, I did try Revo yesterday. Separately, I also tried the manual uninstall below. Between all those, I really don't think it's possible that this relates to some kind of a lingering Chrome setting. It must be something in Windows on these two systems that is somehow, and quite suddenly, pertinent to Chrome. Since it also happens in Safe Mode, that eliminates a tremendous number of things.
Manually uninstall Google Chrome in Windows - Google Chrome Help

stve, that link was interesting, but I don't quite see anything there to help. I'm certainly glad I don't have that problem though: I'd rather have no EXE downloads than randomly corrupted ones.

 

[randomguest]

just wanted to add a helpful, working work-around. i noticed if you change the extension of the executable file [add an xtra extension] such as ".exe.jpg" to the end of the filename during saving, it WILL save your exe file. when you open it up in file explorer, simply delete the .jpg extension and now you have a fully working and downloaded exe file. .....happy downloading again. at least till we figure out the actual sollution

 

[randomguest]

Please let everyone know if this trick works for you, or does not work for your experience....and on which platforms/Browsers.... its now several months later with no fixes in sight, but this 'hack' does still continue to work for me.

it also works in other web browsers that are experiencing the same issues (on my machine... Opera acts up like chrome, but IExplorer downloads files without the need to use this 'hack'.)