Why Does Chrome Sometimes Refuse to Let Me Input?

I have this problem where Chrome sometimes doesn't let me enter a new
URL or type in any text box. Everything else works like clicking on a
link or opening up a new tab. Just waiting a few minutes seems to
solve the problem. Could this be due to some setting that could be
remedied? TIA

Ricardo Jimenez wrote on 2015/12/26:

I have this problem where Chrome sometimes doesn't let me enter a new
URL or type in any text box. Everything else works like clicking on a
link or opening up a new tab. Just waiting a few minutes seems to
solve the problem. Could this be due to some setting that could be
remedied? TIA

Google Chrome does not has a safe mode like other web browsers. Instead
you have to load it in its Incognito mode. That will disable all of the
add-ons you installed into Google Chrome. Add the --incognito
command-line switch (yes, TWO leading dashes), as in:

path\chrome.exe --incognito

You might even want to create a shortcut that loads Google Chrome in
Incognito mode on-demand. That is, create the shortcut with the command
line switch and use it whenever you want to start Google Chrome in its
Incognito mode (rather than starting Google Chrome in normal mode and
then using that instance to start another instance of chrome.exe in the
Incognito mode).

Then use the Incognito instance of Google Chrome to test is the problem
still exists. If it goes away, one of the add-ons you installed is the
culprit.

On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 23:36:44 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

Google Chrome does not has a safe mode like other web browsers. Instead
you have to load it in its Incognito mode. That will disable all of the
add-ons you installed into Google Chrome. Add the --incognito
command-line switch (yes, TWO leading dashes), as in:

path\chrome.exe --incognito

You might even want to create a shortcut that loads Google Chrome in
Incognito mode on-demand. That is, create the shortcut with the command
line switch and use it whenever you want to start Google Chrome in its
Incognito mode (rather than starting Google Chrome in normal mode and
then using that instance to start another instance of chrome.exe in the
Incognito mode).

Then use the Incognito instance of Google Chrome to test is the problem
still exists. If it goes away, one of the add-ons you installed is the
culprit.

You're confusing the poor guy. You said Incognito will disable all addons,
but later you said it doesn't.

The latter one is the one that's correct. Incognito mode simply doesn't
store cookies and local storage data into disk.

Disabling all addons (in one go) requires the --disable-extensions switch.

JJ wrote on 2015/12/27:

On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 23:36:44 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

Google Chrome does not has a safe mode like other web browsers. Instead
you have to load it in its Incognito mode. That will disable all of the
add-ons you installed into Google Chrome. Add the --incognito
command-line switch (yes, TWO leading dashes), as in:

path\chrome.exe --incognito

You might even want to create a shortcut that loads Google Chrome in
Incognito mode on-demand. That is, create the shortcut with the command
line switch and use it whenever you want to start Google Chrome in its
Incognito mode (rather than starting Google Chrome in normal mode and
then using that instance to start another instance of chrome.exe in the
Incognito mode).

Then use the Incognito instance of Google Chrome to test is the problem
still exists. If it goes away, one of the add-ons you installed is the
culprit.

You're confusing the poor guy. You said Incognito will disable all addons,
but later you said it doesn't.

The latter one is the one that's correct. Incognito mode simply doesn't
store cookies and local storage data into disk.

Disabling all addons (in one go) requires the --disable-extensions switch.

Correct. Should've been "... test if the problem went away. If so, ..."

I thought Chrome disabled add-ons in its Incognito mode. Nope.
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464?hl=en and you say
otherwise. Thanks for the update. I forgot about that switch as I
rarely use Chrome which has its own web-based product forum over at
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/chrome, and other places,
like http://www.chromeplugins.org/google/).

So, to modify my original statement, and with your correction, use the
--disable-extensions command-line switch to not load any add-ons. Then
test if the problem still exists. If it (the problem) goes away, one of
the add-ons you (the OP) installed is the culprit.

Note: Testing if the problem "still exists" is how you would detect a
change in behavior. That the problem "went away" under a different
environment does not necessarily mean the suggested solution fixed the
problem. I did not bother to add the other condition "If the problem
remains, add-ons were not at fault."

On Sun, 27 Dec 2015 16:43:17 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

JJ wrote on 2015/12/27:

On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 23:36:44 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

Google Chrome does not has a safe mode like other web browsers. Instead
you have to load it in its Incognito mode. That will disable all of the
add-ons you installed into Google Chrome. Add the --incognito
command-line switch (yes, TWO leading dashes), as in:

path\chrome.exe --incognito

You might even want to create a shortcut that loads Google Chrome in
Incognito mode on-demand. That is, create the shortcut with the command
line switch and use it whenever you want to start Google Chrome in its
Incognito mode (rather than starting Google Chrome in normal mode and
then using that instance to start another instance of chrome.exe in the
Incognito mode).

Then use the Incognito instance of Google Chrome to test is the problem
still exists. If it goes away, one of the add-ons you installed is the
culprit.

You're confusing the poor guy. You said Incognito will disable all addons,
but later you said it doesn't.

The latter one is the one that's correct. Incognito mode simply doesn't
store cookies and local storage data into disk.

Disabling all addons (in one go) requires the --disable-extensions switch.

Correct. Should've been "... test if the problem went away. If so, ..."

I thought Chrome disabled add-ons in its Incognito mode. Nope.
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464?hl=en and you say
otherwise. Thanks for the update. I forgot about that switch as I
rarely use Chrome which has its own web-based product forum over at
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/chrome, and other places,
like http://www.chromeplugins.org/google/).

So, to modify my original statement, and with your correction, use the
--disable-extensions command-line switch to not load any add-ons. Then
test if the problem still exists. If it (the problem) goes away, one of
the add-ons you (the OP) installed is the culprit.

Note: Testing if the problem "still exists" is how you would detect a
change in behavior. That the problem "went away" under a different
environment does not necessarily mean the suggested solution fixed the
problem. I did not bother to add the other condition "If the problem
remains, add-ons were not at fault."

I do notice that when I open up an incognito window, it doesn't have
the problem that the original window has. Then eventually the problem
disappears from the original window. I could just keep doing that
instead of trying to find out what add-on is the culprit. But does
somebody have an idea on which ones cause such behavior?

Ricardo Jimenez wrote on 2015/12/28:

I do notice that when I open up an incognito window, it doesn't have
the problem that the original window has. Then eventually the problem
disappears from the original window. I could just keep doing that
instead of trying to find out what add-on is the culprit. But does
somebody have an idea on which ones cause such behavior?

Doesn't Chrome let you individually disable its add-ons? I was wrong
that extensions do not get disabled in Incognito mode but read:

http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/18/...nito-mode.html

It says the plug-ins are disabled in Incognito mode. "Now, one of the
things that Google Chrome does in Incognito mode is that it disables all
the plugins as well." So add-ons don't get disabled in Incognito mode
but plug-ins do. I erred on which type of add-on got disabled in
Incognito mode. Not all "add-ons" are extensions. Some are plug-ins,
like Adobe Flash Player, Silverlight, and Java (not Javascript which is
an interpreter built into the web browser).

While --disable-extensions disables the typical "add-ons" (extensions)
when you load Google Chrome, the --disable-plugins command-line switch
is how you would disable just the plug-ins. Alas, that will disable all
of them but would still be a good starting point to determine if a
plug-in is causing the problem. Disable all of them and retest. To be
safe, I would exit all instances of chrome.exe and then test using the
command-line switch.

To see plug-ins, enter "aboutlugins" in the addressbar. As I recall
(JJ will correct me if I'm wrong), you can disable individual plug-ins
in that internal page. If --disable-plugins gets rid of the problems,
restart Chrome without that command-line switch and go into the
aboutlugins page to disable all of them. Then reenable one at a time,
retest, and when the problem returns then the last reenabled plug-in is
probably the culprit.