This page is all about Google Chrome, Google's browser. There are Google Forums that deal with this browser, and many people believe Google employees actually pay attention to these forums, but they have no cash incentive to do that, so the forums are basically conversations between members of the user community. That's not working very well now, because Google has been moving Chrome toward a "one size fits all" model for the past couple of years. By that I mean it has tried to create a browser that "works" for both touch-screen devices, and non-touch-screen devices. Bookmarks were the first to experience this shift, and many people complained about "tiles" on a mouse-controlled desktop computer. They, at least, added a flag-option that let you retain the old bookmark format. Then came a "new format" for forum pages, and again there was a way to switch back to the old format, but that has now gone away.
OK, so where are we now? Well, basically, newer versions of Chrome are now getting "Aw, Snap!" and "He's Dead Jim!" errors, or Chrome simply crashed their system. It has gotten so bad that people can't get anything done in these newer versions of Chrome. So, why not backup to an older version? Good question, but Google has "auto-update" going, and anytime an older version of Chrome is running, it gets updated to the latest version, and you're right back to getting those errors again.
What can be done about it? You can do the following things: 1) Switch to a different browser, like Firefox, OR 2) Disable auto-update, AND 3) install an older version of Chrome that "works" for you. Here's how I tackled those last two tasks.
2) Disable auto-update of Chrome. What you need to do varies by your operating system. I'm basically a Macintosh desktop computer person, and disabling auto-update on my systems was fairly easy. I used Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app). There's a single command that will STOP auto-update, and it's this simple:
defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0 ### use 1 instead of 0 to reinstate auto-update.
You must do this command for every user on your machine who has their own version of "~/Library/Preferences/com.google.Keystore.Agent.plist", otherwise when they use any Google product, like Chrome or Earth, the Keystone Agent will auto-update Chrome. When you're done changing the Keystone.Agent plist, RESTART your machine. Skip to 3) below.
OK, so what about Windows machines? Unfortunately, that's not so easy. The problem here is that there are many versions of Windows. I'm NOT a Windows person. but I do have a 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium machine, so I installed Chrome, and used it enough to get the auto-update to happen. I then figured out how to STOP auto-update. (OK, now I have your attention.)
I started by searching for this web-page: How to remove annoying GoogleUpdate.exe
That took me to a search result that contained one from www.askvg.com, and I printed the first six pages so I had a hard copy for reference. I skipped the "Task Manager" stuff on the first page, and went directly to "Method B" and its STEP 3 on page 6. You should read those first 6 pages to determine where your files are located. I found no need to disable anything via programs, I just MOVED the necessary files into an archive folder. I created a folder in My Documents folder which I called "auto_update", and moved source files from three other folders into that folder. This is how:
Hold down your "Windows" key (between Ctrl and Alt, with four window panes logo) and type E. This opens an Explorer window that lets you navigate through your directories. Now, double-click your C: drive, and navigate to your "My Documents" folder. I had to double-click "Users", then my "username", then "My Documents". That's where I used the File menu and New->Folder to create my "auto_update" folder. Do that, if you haven't already. Now, hold down your "Windows" key again, and type E. This gives you a second Explorer window. Move this new window so the underlying window shows your new folder. In the new window, navigate to "C:\Windows\System32\Tasks". That's where you'll find two files with names which begin with "GoogleUpdate..". Select the pair and drag those files to the other window and drop them on your "auto_update" folder. Do that again from the new window for "C:\Windows\Tasks", and move the "GoogleUpdate" files there into your "auto-update" folder. Now start again in your new window for "C:\Program Files\Google\Update", and there you'll find "GoogleUpdate.exe". Click and drag that file to the other window and drop in on your "auto_update" folder. NOTE: You can re-instate auto-update by copying all these files back to their original folders. Now, you're almost done.
Close your Explorer windows, and from "Start" (in the lower left corner), either do a "Restart" or "Shutdown". I simply did "Restart". When you log back in, you'll find you've disabled auto-update.
This is true for both Macs and Windows, depending upon which instructions you followed.
3) How to get a version of Chrome that will work for you. This step is a matter of taste. You're going to have to decide how far back you need to go, but don't despair, because you can always do this same thing over again with another version. I've found two web sites that provide good selections of older versions of Chrome, both for Macs and Windows. I simply did searches in a browser that works for whichever applies:
older versions of chrome for mac
older versions of chrome for windows
I used the UpToDown site to get V43.0.2357.134 for my Snow Leopard and Yosemite Macs. V48.0.2564.82 might also work on Yosemite, but I'm unwilling to try it. For Windows, I looked for "...windows 7", and used OldApps.com to get v34. Be sure to pick the proper 32-bit or 64-bit version, and get a "standalone" version if possible. There's a lot of information available. WARNING: DON'T USE "About Chrome" or enter "chrome::/about" or "chrome::/chrome" because all of these will attempt an auto-update. I'm not sure what would happen on Windows if the required "GoogleUpdate.exe" wasn't in the Program Files, but I'm unwilling to try it. You can check your version with "chrome::/version". If you need a newer version, download it yourself, and install it. On Windows systems, do NOT launch Chrome. Be forewarned, anytime you download and install ANY Google product, you run the risk of re-enabling "auto-update". You may have to go back to step 2) if "C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe" exists again. Once it's gone, you can launch Chrome.
Lastly, if all you have for a browser is the Chrome that's failing, I recommend a search for "How to download and install Firefox on [Mac or Windows]". That's a Catch-22, so you may have to use a browser on a friend's internet device. Good Luck!
NOTE: The UpToDown link is http://google-chrome.en.uptodown.com/mac/download/263261
ALSO: The latest version of Firefox is "Firefox 46.0.1" which runs on Mac OS X from 10.6 through 10.11.