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Microsoft preps next Windows update, as latest build breaks Chrome browser

Jon Martindale
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Microsoft has reportedly begun work in earnest on the next planned update for Windows 10, code-named internally as Redstone 5. However, early adopters of the latest April update for Windows 10 will hope that it devotes some time to bug fixes. too, as a problem with the Chrome browser emerged recently, with affected users faced with crashes in their favorite browser after installing the OS update.

The April update, previously known as Redstone 4 for Windows 10, brought with it a number of neat features. Alongside Timeline and Focus Assist though, it also appears to have brought a few new bugs with it. One of those has been particularly problematic for a number of Google Chrome users, who have found their browser unresponsive or prone to crashing after updating, TechRadar reports.

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The bug doesn’t seem to be one that affects all Chrome users after the update, but instances are continuing to crop up as more people download the update manually, or are put through the installation process by Windows 10’s automatic update procedure. The bug apparently causes Chrome to crash or in some instances freeze, locking the entire system until it is rebooted.

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Microsoft appears to be aware of the issue, with the official support Twitter account promising to have the development team look into it. In the case of other bugs, like a compatibility issue with discrete GPUs, Microsoft managed to get ahead of the problem. With select Alienware laptops, Microsoft blocked the update while it fixes a compatibility problem which purportedly causes a black-screen issue, according to Windows Specialist. A fix is said to be around three weeks away.

While it works on that and the Chrome issue, Microsoft is also looking to the future. Head of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar, said on Twitter that we can expect Redstone 5 builds to begin releasing to those on the fast and slow rings in the near future. Previously, only those who had opted to be part of Microsoft’s “Skip Ahead” branch of the Insider Program had had access to such builds. With the release of the April update, that is set to change.

Redstone 5 is expected to be released before the end 2018.

In the meantime, Windows and Chrome fans have come up with some homebrew workarounds for the Chrome crash problem. One Redditor reported that installing the 17134.5 update via the cumulative KB4135051 update, followed by running a specific command in the Windows 10 Command Prompt, fixed it.

While we can’t vouch for the veracity of such a claim, if you’re faced with crashes it may be your best bet to give it a try until Microsoft or Google releases an update that fixes the problem properly. Alternatively, use a browser like Firefox in the meantime.

Updated 05/04/2018 with the original source.

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