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Question

Problem that only seems to affect certain programs

Aug 19, 2017 9:28AM PDT

I have a problem that only seems to affect certain programs: my web browsers, the Youtube Downloader part of Ninja Download Manager, and MEGAsync. The affected programs crash. A lot. Since it's only one process, when this happens in Waterfox, the entire program crashes, making it unusual.

For the Youtube Downloader part of Ninja Download Manager, this just makes it not recognize Youtube videos unless I get lucky or try again a bunch of times. For MEGAsync, on occasion it will reach the end of a download, scrap it, and try downloading it again.

And for Chrome, my extensions crash constantly and I get a LOT of "Aw, Snap!" and "Can't open this page" errors, as well as pages that only half load, all which are often only solved with a great deal of hard refreshes or cache emptying. Also, a lot of the time, both images and videos get graphical glitches, and images also sometimes don't finish loading and, again, must be given a hard refresh. In addition, specific websites get additional errors. Mega often gives out errors, the Youtube player crashes, often when hitting an unloaded section of the video, and the Discord website often just gives me a blank page. Note that it's only Youtube that this happens with; other video websites play fine, other than the aformentioned graphical errors and the entire page crashing.

This doesn't seem to be a network issue, since Vuze and Ninja Download Manager (once it's started a download) can still download files fine. Also, this problem has occasionally stopped at random after copious restarting, only to come back the next time the computer is turned off.

My operating system is Windows 7, by the way.

I would appreciate any help that could be provided, this is getting really annoying.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
When bad apps go bad.
Aug 19, 2017 9:50AM PDT

In the list of apps you listed most are trying to "get around" YouTube policy so you should see them crash and fail. This is not a sign there is something wrong with your PC.

If you feel the apps/addons/etc should not fail, you have to take this up with the app authors.

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Did you answer the wrong question, or not read my post?
Aug 19, 2017 10:00AM PDT

...What the heck are you talking about? I'm sorry about any hostility, but this has nothing to do with "getting around" Youtube. The only program here that has anything to do with Youtube is Ninja Downloader's Youtube component, which I'm only using enough to notice because the Youtube website crashes constantly. And I'm pretty sure that both of my web browsers and two download managers aren't all failing in the same way at the same time by coincidence.

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The apps do indeed try to get around YouTube rules.
Aug 19, 2017 10:11AM PDT

Here it is. I understand many never knew this.
https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms

Scroll down to "5. Your Use of Content" and there it is.
"You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content"

This means that these addons violate this agreement and are in a constant state of war between Google (owns YouTube) and the app authors.

Toss in that Chrome is from Google and you see a recipe for failure.

Once in a while a new to this person will flame on about this or that but once you know what's going on, you can see it's rarely your PC that has the issue.

Post was last edited on August 19, 2017 10:12 AM PDT

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Okay, let me say this again without blowing a gasket.
Aug 19, 2017 10:22AM PDT

Ninja Downloader is a standalone program that is in no way connected to Chrome. MEGA downloader is ALSO a standalone program that has nothing to do with Youtube, and in fact can only download files hosted on the Mega website. Waterfox is a browser that itself has nothing to do with Google OR youtube, and is a build of Firefox that fully utilizes multiple threads. Furthermore, if this only had to do with youtube, please explain to me why EVERY website I visit, INCLUDING THIS ONE, constantly crashes or only half loads, unless you're implying that Google decided to infect my computer with a virus that none of my antiviruses, shields, or immunizations caught for installing a program related to Youtube.

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That being said.
Aug 19, 2017 11:05AM PDT

Google (which owns and runs YouTube) is known to change YouTube and break downloader apps and add ons.

I hope we are not getting mired in the detail of if it's an app or addon. Both can break as Google changes and I find folk trying to fix their PC needlessly. If the app is broken you take that back to the author for a fix.

If there is something else in the brew such as internet protection suites, the author will likely know that Kaspesrky, McAfee or such is incompatible.

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I don't care.
Aug 19, 2017 11:16AM PDT

Listen. I don't care about Youtube because I already know that it wouldn't cause a problem with my ENTIRE COMPUTER. If you want, I can remove any reference to Youtube in my original post because the only reason I put them there to begin with is because I know that the way Youtube buffers videos is different from most other websites and may provide a clue.

Let me restate.
I. Don't. Want. To Download. Youtube. Videos.

I want my computer to work again.
I want the tab for this forum to not constantly crash so I have to type this in Notepad and try to copy/paste it before the tab breaks again.
I do not want to be told from someone that obviously isn't reading my posts that Youtube is the source of all my ills.

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These apps are often installing malware.
Aug 19, 2017 12:22PM PDT

I hear you, read what you wrote but there is only one known "fixes it everytime" answer. Reset the PC to factory condition.

This is not my first choice. I like to uninstall any iffy apps (you listed a few) then use what Grif writes about at http://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/how-to-remove-pup-option-603542/#post-f742c795-5881-433b-a29b-6d758efe5cd3

If that doesn't nail it then we look at a Speccy report to see if more clues are found. Here's how to share that here.
Read https://www.piriform.com/docs/speccy/using-speccy/publishing-a-speccy-profile-to-the-web

Again, I do read what folk write but there is only one way to get back to a working machine that doesn't entail uninstalls, scans and more inspection. I find most folk are not ready for the nuclear option.

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Alright, now we're getting somewhere.
Aug 19, 2017 12:44PM PDT

I've done plenty of scans with my antivirus/anti*ware programs, and besides, one of the download managers is a lightweight commonly used program I've had for years and the other is another well used program I only installed after this problem started.

I'll run AdwCleaner anyway, but in the meantime, I already have a Speccy report.

Speccy: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/4rNtFoz5WVjO8NChjaJrP1G

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I can't see if your PC is supported on Windows 7.
Aug 19, 2017 1:02PM PDT
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It doesn't have a manufacturer as such.
Aug 19, 2017 1:08PM PDT

My computer was custom built about five or so years ago, and I replaced the motherboard and processor in it a year or two ago.

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While it runs, you are having issues.
Aug 19, 2017 1:21PM PDT

I read through the Speccy and there are nuggets beyond the Skylake issue.

If it's self made, the motherboard maker has to rule if they support Windows 7 on this. The BIOS notes at F21 and F22a would have me install latest given the troubles and the CPU installed.

The mix of protection is well, sometimes a problem. I can't know since versions change and the mix is one of those 2^N combination problems that it may work then not.

Bleepingcomputer has other tools they use to peek inside a PC.

-> Takeaway? I don't think a nuke is needed yet.
-> There are some that hate the W10 system, but I'll share last week we had two W7 Pro laptops come back from the world and we moved them up to W10 without a hitch. Our office is all in on W10. For us, it's a win.

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AdwCleaner's done.
Aug 19, 2017 7:00PM PDT

All it did was get rid of some traces of old programs and what I think what was an old IE or Firefox vanilla toolbar. Notably, neither of my download managers showed up.

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Answer
A Speccy reading. It's not a happy one.
Aug 19, 2017 1:16PM PDT

1. Right off the bat I see a Skylake and can't find a match to the few supported systems noted at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/11675/windows-7-windows-8-1-skylake-systems-supported

That's trouble.

2. MULTIPLE PROTECTION SOFTWARE TITLES. I see Avast, SAS, Spybot and maybe more. There are folk that argue if this is OK. My view is it is not OK.

3. BIOS versions F21 and F22a note two things that look to apply to your CPU. Talk to this PC's maker about this. My view? Must be latest or you can't yelp at odd BSODs.

4. Temps, HDD health and other stuff looks fine.

But items 1 to 3 need answers from this PC's maker.

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Answer
Speccy
Aug 19, 2017 2:55PM PDT

Just to cross it off the list.

Don't overclock the ram.....set it back to stock.
Set your hdd to turn off never.

Why do you have sas, spybot, mbam on the machine?
Are those scanners real time?

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Hmm.
Aug 19, 2017 6:16PM PDT

Alright. I've tried switching XMP off (and replacing my ram with older ram) and it didn't help, but I'll try it again.
Huh, I didn't know that was even a thing, thanks.

The first two try to cover my bases. MalwareBytes was from cleaning up an virus a few years ago, and I just never bothered to remove it. My only active scanning program AFAICT is Avast. Spybot is kind-of sort-of, in that its browser immunizations are sort of like active scanning though not really.

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Crashes
Aug 19, 2017 8:58PM PDT

Until you get this sorted I'd try limiting my anti products just in case there's a fight going on.

Uninstall sas, ss+d, mbam.
Check each one to see if there is a cleanup tool.

Which avast shields are you using?

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The item that will nag us forever
Aug 19, 2017 10:40PM PDT

Is Skylake and W7. There are plenty of articles on this so I'll share that the W10 free upgrade worked last week.