Hello everyone,
just ran into a "little snag"- probably just something stupid.
I have 4 separate portable Chrome profiles, in different folders, for different purposes (keeping the amount of add ons to a minimum). They have been working for years side by side. I just updated them once a year to he latest version.
After the latest Win10 upgrade they stopped working. When I try to open any of them, nothing at all happens.
Updated again to the latest stable version. Now the first profile I updated works again- the other 3 not. Same thing, nothing happens when I try to start them. Not even a blink in task manager.
I tried to upgrade in two ways: choose the path to the correct profile root folder during setup.
Rename the profiles root folder to default, upgrade, rename it back.
In both cases the upgrade seems fine, no errors. When I click "Open..." from the setup menue, the Chrome installation opens fine. After I close it, and then try to oepn t again- nothing happens.
As said, only one profile works, the first I upgraded.
Am I using Chrome portable wrong to start with, or is there a trick I am missing? 
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Chrome Portable is designed to run with a single built-in profile. I'm not sure what 'setup' you are referring to.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Hi John
Sorry, looks like I was not very clear in my explanations. My setup looks like this:
I have 4 separate folders, in each a full Chrome Portable installation. The folders are named e.g. "GoogleChromePortable_Music", etc. I start the version of Chrome Portable via a shortcut to the "GoogleChromePortable.exe" in that folder. That's what I mean with 'profile'.
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(I would send you a screenshot if I could add attachments
So far this setup worked perfectly. I could open each Chrome "version", could open all of them at the same time, multiple instances/windows of each, etc.
After the latest Win10 update none does open anymore. The effects are rather weird, the whole thing has me scratching my head:
1) When I run an upgrade with the installation file of latest stable build on the first 'version'/folder, and choose at the end of the setup routine "Open...", tat 'verision' of Chrome opens fine. Its specific theme (I use different themes to distinguish between the versions), bookmarks, extensions, all as it should be.
2) When I run the setup on another version', it also opens right after the setup.
3) After I close all the versions, and try to re-open them, only the first one I upgraded still opens- the other(s) not.
4) After restarting the computer, again none of them opens- unless I run the upgrade/reinstall again.
What is different right after the setup finishes? Why does Chrome Portable open right after the setup routine, but later not anymore? Is there something I can tweak to make things work as before?
I had each "profile" for years, and they have "grown" into their current state. All bookmarks, history, set of extensions, etc. are exactly as I want them for the purpose it is made for. It would be nice to:
1) be able to use multiple Chrome portable instances simultaneously
2) ideally keep my existing ones
Is at least the first point doable?
Or did i use Chrome Portable all these years in a way that was not supposed to work like that anyways?
Personally, I recommend against simultaneous instances as Chrome is not designed to do that properly. Let's avoid doing this while we troubleshoot. As for the shortcuts, avoid them for now and run the launchers directly. The shortcuts may have the wrong working directory set or similar.
Ensure that no instances of chrome.exe are running in task manager and run the first GoogleChromePortable.exe. Once it starts, click into settings, scroll to the bottom, click Advanced, scroll to the bottom, and ensure that "Continue running background apps..." is turned off. Then close your first copy of Chrome. Now repeat this for the other 3 copies.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks for the suggestions.
I keep the setting regarding background apps always off for security reasons. Also otherwise my Chrome settings are "maximum paranoid"
I did what you asked: tried to start Chrome from the exe in the folder. The process shows up in task manager for half a second, and disappears. No other "Chrome" processes is created.
When I run the setup (doesn't matter which version, I tried several), and then tick the box "Launch...", the browser opens fine- with the profile settings, theme and all. I can close it and reopen it, until I reboot. Then it does not open anymore until I run the setup again.
Naturally I am not going to do that every time.
This seems like an unsolvable problem to me. The Chrome crash leaves zero traces in the Windows event logs, or any logs in the Chrome folder.
I probably have to accept defeat here, and try another portable browser