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Why is my Chrome application still working even though I didn't start it?

Why is my Chrome application still working even though I didn't start it?

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STEVEJasonson
Member
171
06-06-2026, 02:33 PM
#1
I know this feels weird, but I have tried everything to stop Chrome from running in the back. This is strange. On a new Windows 11 PC, after turning it on for just a few seconds, the chrome.exe file starts up in the background and uses way more than half of the computer's power. It also makes my Ryzen 7 5700X CPU get hot. I know how to turn off that feature in Chrome settings, but what could be wrong? Is it malware or something else? Do I need to format the C drive? My PC specs are: a Samsung NVMe PCIe SSD, a GIGABYTE B550 motherboard with an RTX 3060 graphics card, and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X processor with 32GB of RAM.
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STEVEJasonson
06-06-2026, 02:33 PM #1

I know this feels weird, but I have tried everything to stop Chrome from running in the back. This is strange. On a new Windows 11 PC, after turning it on for just a few seconds, the chrome.exe file starts up in the background and uses way more than half of the computer's power. It also makes my Ryzen 7 5700X CPU get hot. I know how to turn off that feature in Chrome settings, but what could be wrong? Is it malware or something else? Do I need to format the C drive? My PC specs are: a Samsung NVMe PCIe SSD, a GIGABYTE B550 motherboard with an RTX 3060 graphics card, and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X processor with 32GB of RAM.

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Conna
Member
58
06-07-2026, 03:15 AM
#2
Have you tried running malwarebytes? Maybe try turning off your computer first and see what happens. Make sure to read the steps carefully so you don't accidentally stop important Windows features, or it won't work at all. https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help...in-windows This thing won't delete anything, but it stops some programs from starting up automatically. It's simple to undo if needed. If the problem is gone after that, you might need to restart those specific programs one by one to figure out which one is causing the issue.
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Conna
06-07-2026, 03:15 AM #2

Have you tried running malwarebytes? Maybe try turning off your computer first and see what happens. Make sure to read the steps carefully so you don't accidentally stop important Windows features, or it won't work at all. https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help...in-windows This thing won't delete anything, but it stops some programs from starting up automatically. It's simple to undo if needed. If the problem is gone after that, you might need to restart those specific programs one by one to figure out which one is causing the issue.

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SOBERALHAZIEL
Member
133
06-08-2026, 08:09 AM
#3
What app are you using right now, and how much time did it take to finish?
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SOBERALHAZIEL
06-08-2026, 08:09 AM #3

What app are you using right now, and how much time did it take to finish?

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HyaCinthex
Junior Member
8
06-10-2026, 11:43 PM
#4
Does Google Chrome even use Startup Boost? If it does, go ahead and turn it off now.
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HyaCinthex
06-10-2026, 11:43 PM #4

Does Google Chrome even use Startup Boost? If it does, go ahead and turn it off now.

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iTropical
Junior Member
10
06-12-2026, 09:47 AM
#5
I tried fixing this by turning off the Chrome settings. No extra extensions were added either. I even removed the old software using Revo Uninstaller and then reinstalled it fresh with everything wiped clean. Still no sign-up, though the problem remains. Here is a picture of what's happening on my screen:
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iTropical
06-12-2026, 09:47 AM #5

I tried fixing this by turning off the Chrome settings. No extra extensions were added either. I even removed the old software using Revo Uninstaller and then reinstalled it fresh with everything wiped clean. Still no sign-up, though the problem remains. Here is a picture of what's happening on my screen:

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iWonderTiger
Member
137
06-12-2026, 05:21 PM
#6
I'll give it a shot with Malwarebytes. But how can I tell if it's actually causing the problem when I run a clean boot? Just to be sure, I turned off all those extra programs that start up automatically, except for Windows Defender and my Realtek audio driver.
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iWonderTiger
06-12-2026, 05:21 PM #6

I'll give it a shot with Malwarebytes. But how can I tell if it's actually causing the problem when I run a clean boot? Just to be sure, I turned off all those extra programs that start up automatically, except for Windows Defender and my Realtek audio driver.

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NicoPlaysYT
Senior Member
250
06-16-2026, 01:13 PM
#7
Does stopping it work? If you turn things off one by one, wait for the behavior to go away, then put them back on slowly, adding just one program at a time. You have to be careful and only try a new thing if you're sure it won't make it happen again.
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NicoPlaysYT
06-16-2026, 01:13 PM #7

Does stopping it work? If you turn things off one by one, wait for the behavior to go away, then put them back on slowly, adding just one program at a time. You have to be careful and only try a new thing if you're sure it won't make it happen again.

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Sebluigi
Senior Member
727
06-17-2026, 02:22 PM
#8
Actually no, those are just the startup apps you talked about. I don't ever keep startup apps around.
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Sebluigi
06-17-2026, 02:22 PM #8

Actually no, those are just the startup apps you talked about. I don't ever keep startup apps around.

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bastian_nator
Junior Member
9
06-17-2026, 09:16 PM
#9
it could be an app that's currently running, maybe it was trying to use Chrome but then you took Chrome out. Which app stopped working?
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bastian_nator
06-17-2026, 09:16 PM #9

it could be an app that's currently running, maybe it was trying to use Chrome but then you took Chrome out. Which app stopped working?

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Zephyrinius
Member
173
06-18-2026, 06:06 AM
#10
does turning the computer off and back on make it start? just curious if fast startup is accidentally turned on for some stupid reason - it should actually stay off by default in windows 11, especially when looking around for control panel open power options, click on choose what happens when you turn the power button on in that next screen, turn off fast startup (recommended) should be unticked. if it's checked, go to change settings that are now unavailable then untick it and save your changes. a pc with fast startup turned on will never shut down normally; instead, it just sleeps right away. When you hit power again, it wakes up. The only time the computer is actually completely off is when you force a restart through the power menu. If it doesn't have that switch on and still starts after a restart, then check scheduled tasks... because it has to be there. Or maybe it's just a virus or some malware that isn't being caught by malwarebytes.
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Zephyrinius
06-18-2026, 06:06 AM #10

does turning the computer off and back on make it start? just curious if fast startup is accidentally turned on for some stupid reason - it should actually stay off by default in windows 11, especially when looking around for control panel open power options, click on choose what happens when you turn the power button on in that next screen, turn off fast startup (recommended) should be unticked. if it's checked, go to change settings that are now unavailable then untick it and save your changes. a pc with fast startup turned on will never shut down normally; instead, it just sleeps right away. When you hit power again, it wakes up. The only time the computer is actually completely off is when you force a restart through the power menu. If it doesn't have that switch on and still starts after a restart, then check scheduled tasks... because it has to be there. Or maybe it's just a virus or some malware that isn't being caught by malwarebytes.

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