# Google Chrome



## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

Google chrome is now available for download. I've downloaded it, and first impressions are good. 

*QUICK and dirty review*
I'm writing this post in Chrome. It's surprising how simple the browser interface is; no clutter + lots of "screen real estate" for the websites. I like the tab method. It is very intuitive and is a better implementation than other browsers I've tested. Far better than IE7. The "shift+click link" works to open a new browser, just like IE6.  The "install plug-in" worked very smoothly, needing Adobe flash plug-in for TPU to run normally. I think Google is on to a winner with this. _Chrome_ is a bit of a naff name, but the programming and design is good. Also seems to be working fast and bugfree for "beta". So far, impressions are +ve.  ++RECOMMENDED++

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://www.google.com/chrome/index...._source=en-hpp&utm_medium=hpp&utm_campaign=en

PS. I'm running Chrome on 2K3, and it has one of the best skins for windows XP/2K3 I've seen to date. Screenshot below. Not sure how it will look on Vista.







When you open a new tab, it gives you this screen, ie. no need to type in your favourite website, it automatically shows you the websites you visit the most frequently! (Oh, that could get peeps into a LOT OF TROUBLE at work! )






I found this hilarious.  The icon worthy of an avatar:


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## Urbklr (Sep 2, 2008)

Trying it now on the laptop, and wow...the skin looks soooo awesome with aero. The inactive tabs are transparent, and the colors match so well with Vista...best skin I have seen to date.

Edit: It seems really "snappy" as well, faster than Firefox for me.

Edit2: Lots of screen real-estate too, very little clutter, and very pleasing layout...Me like!


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Sep 2, 2008)

I am amazed at the size of the program.  Very nice.  I need to use it a little more though.


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## mon74 (Sep 2, 2008)

Not exactly a fresh browser, i mean, it borrows bits from firefox, opera and ie, but so far so good, will play more with it to see if it grows on me.


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Sep 2, 2008)

mon74 said:


> Not exactly a fresh browser, i mean, it borrows bits from firefox, opera and ie, but so far so good, will play more with it to see if it grows on me.



So far, I have to say, it is much better than Firefox in all respects except extensions.  Otherwise, I think I may have found my new favourite browser.


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

> Not exactly a fresh browser, i mean, it borrows bits from firefox, opera and IE...


 if it takes the best of each, and puts it into one, lean, clean, browser, then IMO, it's a winner.

A couple of bugs so far:

1./ Misbehaves on multiple monitor setups
2./ Close window closes down the whole browser even if there are other open tabs with, potentially, unfinished work.
3./ The neat skin is incompatible with window feature extension buttons, e.g. ultramon. (same issue with Safari)

Feature omissions:
1./ Seems a bit simplistic on browser security/privacy settings. I like the way you can lock down security and only allow approved websites under IE6


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## Evo85 (Sep 2, 2008)

I am going to try this tonight. But it will take ALOT to drag me away from Firefox......


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)




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## MRCL (Sep 2, 2008)

It is indeed very fast compared to Opera for example now, and it underlines every word I am writing here atm, because its not german  xD

Very sleek design too, I like that. Gonna test it a few days, lets see if I leave Opera or not.


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## pbmaster (Sep 2, 2008)

Trying it out now, and using it to type this. Seems pretty cool so far. I just wish it had a dark theme, but what can I expect, it's in beta lol..gonna have to test is out some more, but so far I'm liking it.


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## Castiel (Sep 2, 2008)

I really like it. I will be using this and Firefox. 10/10 for a simple browser!


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## Fastmix (Sep 2, 2008)

All the nice comments..make me want to try it..I will.


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## francis511 (Sep 2, 2008)

No smooth scrolling yet ? EARLY beta methinks..


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## Silverel (Sep 2, 2008)

WOW.

The few minutes I've been running this and EVERYTHING is very snappy so far. Lost my center mouse button functionality though...


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## mon74 (Sep 2, 2008)

Well... at the moment the only bug i have found, i can not reach the taskbar when chrome is maximized (i have the auto hide feature on), so i switch to other window with alt-tab or the start key... 

But all in all, it seems faster than opera and as fast as firefox3, and keeping in mind this is a BETA, i think it's a keeper.


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## mrhuggles (Sep 2, 2008)

MRCL said:


> It is indeed very fast compared to Opera for example now, and it underlines every word I am writing here atm, because its not german  xD
> 
> Very sleek design too, I like that. Gonna test it a few days, lets see if I leave Opera or not.



i think you can set it to german?


arrg i hate smooth scrolling!


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## ShadowFold (Sep 2, 2008)

No scrolling, no favorites.. wtf is this? and its alot slower than FF3 for me


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## Silverel (Sep 2, 2008)

For all the sites I frequent, this is amazingly faster. o.o

I'm almost scared!


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## mon74 (Sep 2, 2008)

Silverel said:


> For all the sites I frequent, this is amazingly faster. o.o
> 
> I'm almost scared!



 You crackme up!


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## MRCL (Sep 2, 2008)

mrhuggles said:


> i think you can set it to german?
> 
> 
> arrg i hate smooth scrolling!



No, I mean the english words right here on this post at TPU get underlined xD The language of my Chrome is german so far.


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## mrhuggles (Sep 2, 2008)

hmm i think i found a bug, in the options under basic, startup, i set it to load pages that were open but when i close it and re-open it, it loads that basic home page instead of the tabs i had open


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## mrhuggles (Sep 2, 2008)

MRCL said:


> No, I mean the english words right here on this post at TPU get underlined xD The language of my Chrome is german so far.



ohhh, too bad you cant add both


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## Castiel (Sep 2, 2008)

This is a very nice browser. It is fast when going to my websites and bookmarking for the pages are awesome. When you open up another tab, it shows you the websites you have visited and shows you a picture of the site. It is nice that It takes up the whole screen, and the scrolling is very fast. And it seems faster than FF3.


What is there to complain about?


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## InnocentCriminal (Sep 2, 2008)

mrhuggles said:


> hmm i think i found a bug, in the options under basic, startup, i set it to load pages that were open but when i close it and re-open it, it loads that basic home page instead of the tabs i had open



Works for me, with one or more tabs.


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## mlee49 (Sep 2, 2008)

Likes: 
You can set to open multiple websites/tabs upon start
Seeing recent pages actual web page when opening a new tab

Dislikes:
Scrolling; no center click and pulls page.  Very nice for reviewing lengthy threads.
It's new and not really developed for full applications or certain sites.

Overall it meets my needs and brings a few nice touches to my surfing experience.  I'll def play a bit more to determine if it's a keeper.  
9.1


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## lepra24 (Sep 2, 2008)

xtrem fast,very nice 9/10


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)




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## btarunr (Sep 2, 2008)

bta likes this bta 

This browser has all it takes to crush everything else in the market under its (light) weight. I've never seen so much viewable page space in any browser. 






But I think this has a pinch of Gecko in it. It uses all Netscape-compatible plugins (type " aboutlugins " in the address bar to see a plugin inventory similar to those of Mozilla's browsers.

Here's a shocker:






^ click on the lower right of a text box and drag to enlarge it. Awesome!

I have spell-check and all my Firefox settings.  This software is multi-threaded (not that browsers need truck-loads of CPU power but its a good novelty anyway (perhaps it helps with those "sandbox" MYOB tab system for stability) or that different threads crunch different elements of the page quickly:






^this was with an instance of Gmail, a YouTube video loading (for the first time), a tab with the Crickinfo Java-based live cricket score applet loading, along with loading a locally stored 8 MB (large size) .jpeg file.

Thumbs up for Google!


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## -1nf1n1ty- (Sep 2, 2008)

I kinda like it, its really simple..... and everything loads faster.....wish I can change what it looks like though hate the sky blue feel


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## btarunr (Sep 2, 2008)

^lol stats for nerds






The browser addresses itself, talks to you instead of the crappy Microsoft suit way of telling "We apologize for this crash....we apologize for blah blah ....we...we..."


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

MRCL said:


> No, I mean the english words right here on this post at TPU get underlined xD The language of my Chrome is german so far.



options/minor tweaks/languages


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 2, 2008)

i love it !   looks like its a winner.


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 2, 2008)

how can you get the skins and apply them?


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## -1nf1n1ty- (Sep 2, 2008)

WarEagleAU said:


> how can you get the skins and apply them?



thats what im wondering


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 2, 2008)

Good, Im not the only one. Im using it now and I still dont see the skins!


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## MRCL (Sep 2, 2008)

lemonadesoda said:


> options/minor tweaks/languages



Heh, thanks, but I live in a german speaking environment, so... xD


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

MRCL said:


> Heh, thanks, but I live in a german speaking environment, so... xD


YAWN


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 2, 2008)

Ok, now answer the skins questions.


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

? There are no skin options that I see. It's just blue on blue, with "Vista effect window and window-control-boxes" on 2K3/XP





...compared to...


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## MRCL (Sep 2, 2008)

lemonadesoda said:


> YAWN



Ok maybe I should add that most of the sites i visit are german, I speak german, and a "german" browser is most convenient for me...

lets close that case^^

PS: Sweet Mama, Facebook got turbo-boosted


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## oli_ramsay (Sep 2, 2008)

Like it's appearance so far.  A lot of viewing space for web pages and looks awesome with aero.  I find it to be a tad slower than Opera 9.52 and they've stole the speed dial idea too.  I don't think it's enough to win me over, but it's still an early beta.  Lot's of potential, will defo get it when it's released.


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## btarunr (Sep 2, 2008)

The About box shows it uses KHTML rendering, what Apple Safari uses.


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## Edito (Sep 2, 2008)

Im using it now and its nice but its not much faster than firefox and till now for me firefox still a little bit faster than the new one but i liked the features like attach and d attach the tabs from the tool bar its nice...


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 2, 2008)

You said on the first page about skins and such. Ask Infinity


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Sep 2, 2008)

I can't believe it won all of us over this fast.  It is still in beta!


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 2, 2008)

> ...it has one of the best skins for windows XP/2K3 I've seen to date


A misunderstanding there, WarEagle. My comment isnt that there are a lot of skinning options, but that the Chrome window skin on regular XP/2K3 is one of the best ones I've seen on any XP/2K3 application. Sorry for the confusion.


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## btarunr (Sep 2, 2008)

oli_ramsay said:


> I find it to be a tad slower than Opera 9.52 and they've stole the speed dial idea too.



That's not exactly speed dial, the browser places shortcuts to pages you often visit.


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 3, 2008)

Id like a home button. I hate keyboard shortcuts when my mouse works just as well.
Thanks Lemonade, I see what you are saying now. It'd be nice if it did offer a skinning option though. Cubs and Auburn Tigers for me


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Sep 3, 2008)

WarEagleAU said:


> Id like a home button. I hate keyboard shortcuts when my mouse works just as well.
> Thanks Lemonade, I see what you are saying now. It'd be nice if it did offer a skinning option though. Cubs and Auburn Tigers for me



There is an option for the home button!


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## MRCL (Sep 3, 2008)

WarEagleAU said:


> Id like a home button. I hate keyboard shortcuts when my mouse works just as well.
> Thanks Lemonade, I see what you are saying now. It'd be nice if it did offer a skinning option though. Cubs and Auburn Tigers for me



Edit: Dammit PVTC, you were faster


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 3, 2008)

Haha, Im such a blind idiot. Ill do that. I was on that page but I guess I didnt select that!


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Sep 3, 2008)

WarEagleAU said:


> Haha, Im such a blind idiot. Ill do that. I was on that page but I guess I didnt select that!



Trust me, your not blind.  I did not see it either until I sat staring for 10 seconds.


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## spud107 (Sep 3, 2008)

looks good so far, i think my order of preference is now opera > chrome > ff > ie
only cos opera had inbuilt email and irc


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## Urbklr (Sep 3, 2008)

I am loving this browser. Needs the middle-mouse button function fixed, and smoother scrolling before I us it full-time thou...but it is a keeper for me.


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## Apocolypse007 (Sep 3, 2008)

Im writing this in chrome. I like it's crash resistance (if chrome chrashes, you only lose a tab). And it is very speedy as well. Theme goes VERY well with aero (especially w/dreamscene).

Since it is a beta, i will ignore the middle mouse functionality and lack of smooth scrolling.

I see there is an option to clear browser data, but is there a way that I can have chrome do this automatically like you can with Firefox?


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## wolf2009 (Sep 3, 2008)

WOW , this is so fast . 

Love the tabs up in the heaven idea, gives so much desk space .

This thing also installed something called Google Gears .

http://gears.google.com/



*EDIT : uninstall dialog is hilarious !!!!!!! Legendary *








This thing is strange too with process manager, everytime a new tab is opened a new chrome.exe process starts up . Like this RAM usage may be same or more than Firefox .

This only with 2 youtube videos playing in 2 tabs and a blank tab





This is how it prevents a tab from crashing the whole system .


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## Wile E (Sep 3, 2008)

I've been trying it all day. Just don't like it so far. I'll try some later versions to see if their tweaks make me like it better.

Give me smoother scrolling, better Adblock options, and different Themes, and I might like it a lot better.


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## VulkanBros (Sep 3, 2008)

I found this hilarious.  The icon worthy of an avatar:






[/QUOTE]


Right......


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## selway89 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hmm I like it. But For some reason TPU doesn't seem to like loading images, and there is always a bar saying 'Connecting' or 'Waiting for www.techpowerup.com'

Is there a specific Flash plugin for Chrome, I can't find one.

Other than that very good!


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## samfoster (Sep 3, 2008)

selway89 said:


> Hmm I like it. But For some reason TPU doesn't seem to like loading images, and there is always a bar saying 'Connecting' or 'Waiting for www.techpowerup.com'
> 
> Is there a specific Flash plugin for Chrome, I can't find one.
> 
> Other than that very good!



Hi,

I have been using it from last few hours

And, I realized that some plugings are not working with Chrome. I think we will have to wait for better version.

__________________
Sam Foster
Improve your home with double glazing


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## X800 (Sep 3, 2008)

Wow nice browser.I like it.


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## Deleted member 38767 (Sep 3, 2008)

So far so good. It has the potential but until the add-ons start pouring in I'll stick to what I'm using now. Really like the "Omni Bar" though. Need more options for customizing the looks and the functions. Also I'm really missing the mouse gestures and some other stuff. I guess those things will appear in later versions.


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## Deleted member 38767 (Sep 3, 2008)

OK, here comes the bucket of cold water to cool down a bit:
Chrome Privacy Is Full of Dents

So, how many of you would have read the privacy policy? I did not


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## btarunr (Sep 3, 2008)

Grasshopper said:


> OK, here comes the bucket of cold water to cool down a bit:
> Chrome Privacy Is Full of Dents
> 
> So, how many of you would have read the privacy policy? I did not



Says Microsoft-Watch..


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## WarEagleAU (Sep 3, 2008)

I havent had that problem yet with images. I really like it. Opera I dont care for anymore. So now its FF, Chrome and IE for compatibility!!!


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## Wile E (Sep 3, 2008)

btarunr said:


> Says Microsoft-Watch..



Regardless, it's something to look into. I think that level of data collection is uncalled for, personally.


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## btarunr (Sep 3, 2008)

Wile E said:


> Regardless, it's something to look into. I think that level of data collection is uncalled for, personally.



You can toggle that during installation where it asks "would you like to participate....blah....".

Besides, it's only a beta. Google wants to know how the world is receiving it. You can blame Chrome privacy only after a stable release is out and it does the same things.


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## Deleted member 38767 (Sep 3, 2008)

btarunr said:


> Says Microsoft-Watch..



Does it really matter who says it? I read the Privacy policy just now and I don't see something that distressing: Google just collects statistic information for the usage of its browser. Still I really wouldn't read the policy if it wasn't for that article and there actually could have been something worth worrying there.


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## chron (Sep 3, 2008)

incognito is for looking at porn and not getting caught by your wife lololol


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## DaMulta (Sep 3, 2008)

It was slow loading porn, and it crashed watching porn with flash player.


FireFox and IE FTW


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## twicksisted (Sep 3, 2008)

Wile E said:


> Regardless, it's something to look into. I think that level of data collection is uncalled for, personally.



I agree... but then again... collecting data is what google is all about... its very usefull (to some)


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## pagalms (Sep 3, 2008)

*Likes:*
It's free

*Dislikes:*
Unable to install


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## twicksisted (Sep 3, 2008)

pagalms said:


> *Likes:*
> It's free
> 
> *Dislikes:*
> Unable to install



i see youre on vista64... are you running the vista 64 installation setup... and are you right clicking and selecting "run as administrator"?

ps: i havent installed this yet as im at work.. so i dunno if it runs on 64bit


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## tkpenalty (Sep 3, 2008)

Excellent browser for a piece of beta software  much better than the IE betas! 

Now when will the beta for google OS come out?


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## DaMulta (Sep 3, 2008)

twicksisted said:


> i see youre on vista64... are you running the vista 64 installation setup... and are you right clicking and selecting "run as administrator"?
> 
> ps: i havent installed this yet as im at work.. so i dunno if it runs on 64bit



i ran it on vista 64


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## pagalms (Sep 3, 2008)

twicksisted said:


> i see youre on vista64... are you running the vista 64 installation setup... and are you right clicking and selecting "run as administrator"?
> 
> ps: i havent installed this yet as im at work.. so i dunno if it runs on 64bit



Only one installation available and i've tried Run As Administrator and XP compability mode.


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## twicksisted (Sep 3, 2008)

pagalms said:


> Only one installation available and i've tried Run As Administrator and XP compability mode.



hmmm i dunno... as i said i havent installed it (have restriction policies on our work pcs where i cant install anything...sucks) hehe

Ill check it out when i get home


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## 3870x2 (Sep 3, 2008)

windows XP SP2: Google Chrome has an error message and shuts down.


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## kenkickr (Sep 3, 2008)

Has worked fine on my Vista H.P. x64 but I don't think I'm gonna use it.  cubs.com had some problems last night and everytime I was checking scores around MLB and MiLB it locked up.  I think I'll stick with Firefox.


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## pagalms (Sep 3, 2008)

Got it working on virtual Win2003.
- Latvian translation is so gay, i can't understand half of those stupid translations
- 10 minutes and i still can't find where to change language
- No toolbar (i hate this in IE too)
- Default skin is too blue 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




- Complete FF & IE ripoff
- Tabs are integrated in title bar

I'll stick with Opera.


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## lemonadesoda (Sep 3, 2008)

After using Chrome for 24hrs, I am liking it.  FF and Opera didnt last 24hrs on my PC, neither did IE7. So Chrome is doing pretty well.


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## BrooksyX (Sep 3, 2008)

I'm pretty impressed with it so far but I think ill wait some more to see if it can push firefox out of the way.


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## Kreij (Sep 3, 2008)

I didn't find it any more useful than IE, so I uninstalled it.
It also would just hammer the hard drive whenever I had it running.

Playing with IE8 at the moment.


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## FatForester (Sep 3, 2008)

I'm very impressed with this. I got it working on Vista64, and I didn't have to do anything special for it either. Keep trying or redownload the downloader. 

I REALLY like how minimized the layout is... there's absolutely no comparison against Firefox. 






Only thing I don't like is how it deals with scrolling on a trackpad. It only allows you to scroll down, and it scrolls very quick. A few of my friends are having the same problem, so it should be fixed pretty soon. Chrome won't have me fully sold until they work out the kinks and have support for Adblock and Foxmarks. Until then I'm gonna stay with FF... but I bet not for long.


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## theJesus (Sep 3, 2008)

Like most of us, I'm typing this in Chrome right now.  Overall, I really like it and think it has a lot to offer.  However, being beta, it's simply lacking the amount of plugins available for firefox2 (i prefer 2 over 3).  Unfortunately, I've become quite accustomed to some of those plugins and would find it hard to stop using them.  Like many others have mentioned, scrolling via middle-click does not work, however you can still open a new tab with middle-click.

Really, any problems or missing features, etc are pretty trivial for a beta release.  What's important about this release is that it _works_ and works _well_ at exactly what it's supposed to do:  browse the web.  Future releases should be geared more towards bugfixes/tweaks and adding more features.  If google continues to improve upon what they've come up with so far, then they'll have the best browser available imo.


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## ShadowFold (Sep 3, 2008)

If they fix the scrolling and add a favorites thing on top like FF then I will probably use it but I need the scroll and favorites..


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## theJesus (Sep 3, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> If they fix the scrolling and add a favorites thing on top like FF then I will probably use it but I need the scroll and favorites..


idk how it's setup by default, but I imported all my bookmarks/favorites from firefox and I have a tab on the right underneath the config icon that's labeled "other bookmarks".  It contains all my bookmarks that aren't on the bookmark bar.



btarunr said:


> But I think this has a pinch of Gecko in it. It uses all Netscape-compatible plugins (type " aboutlugins " in the address bar to see a plugin inventory similar to those of Mozilla's browsers.


Does this at all mean that plugins/addons/extensions/whatever designed for say, firefox, might work with chrome?  Or at least be easy enough to port that authors shouldn't have to be bugged too much to do it?


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