Completely broken Browser on PC & Laptop

ogredale

Hello, second time posting I think, it doesn't really matter.

I've been having an issue with Vivaldi for about a month now. I am just now posting because I want to be able to use Vivaldi again, as it is my favorite browser.
I've been experiencing two issues: Crashing & broken pages

When opening Vivaldi, it stays open for a few seconds then closes, no error message or anything. I have seen other forum post about a similar issue, but none of the solutions worked. I've tried verifying my Windows install and disabling all my extensions, didn't work. I thought this was a computer specific issue, but the same problem happens on my laptop. So I am guessing it has to do with Vivaldi itself.

When the browser does manage to startup, I am able to use it for about a minute before all the pages break. All existing and opened pages show a gray screen with an upside down dead bird.

I don't have much for screenshots as there isn't anything to show, I can provide more info if needed.

DoctorG

@ogredale A reinstall helps i rare cases:

Get Vivaldi unstaller from vivaldi.com
Uninstall Vivaldi in Windows Apps (do not let the uninstaller remove all browser data)
Install Vivaldi

Please tell about:

Windows version and build (see Vivaldi → about)
CPU and PGU
Installed security apps in Windows like Antivirus, Internet Security
Installed extra Windows codec packages
If using Windows 10/11 N or KN install Windows Media Feature Pack (gets not updated by Windows Update!)
Check for Windows updates
Check for latest driver on manufacturer website of GPU/graphic card

Zalex108

@ogredale

Hi,
Aside of the asked questions by DrG, try to open V as Private Window from a shortcut with Right Click.

Say whether works,
From there, you could make some changes like clean cache, reset Flags, see the Profile path at About...

Ayespy

@ogredale It's not Vivaldi. It's Vivaldi+something. Word to the wise, disabling extensions does not remove them as a factor. Only uninstalling them does that.

You can try on a guest profile, or temporarily rename your Default folder (the folder in User Data that contains your profile)

But it's a relative certainty that a clean instance of Vivaldi will run for you.

ogredale

Get Vivaldi unstaller from vivaldi.com
Uninstall Vivaldi in Windows Apps (do not let the uninstaller remove all browser data)
Install Vivaldi

Uninstalling and reinstalling Vivaldi didn't work, I still get the dead bird page.
Vivaldi: 6.8.3381.46 (Stable channel) (64-bit)
Windows: Windows 10 Version 22H2 (Build 19045.4529)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X Eight-Core
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 TI
I am running Avast including the Antivirus, anti track, and the cleanup tool.

Aside of the asked questions by DrG, try to open V as Private Window from a shortcut with Right Click.

Say whether works,
From there, you could make some changes like clean cache, reset Flags, see the Profile path at About...

Opening in private mode and clearing cookies didn't seem to help, I couldn't find in the settings where to clear cache or flags, where is it located?

You can try on a guest profile, or temporarily rename your Default folder (the folder in User Data that contains your profile)

Running a guest profile still caused the dead bird page after sometime of use.
Removing all extensions didn't help either, still dead bird...

Ayespy

@ogredale Try renaming that Default folder. That's reversible if it doesn't help.

ogredale

@Ayespy Where are those files located?

Ayespy

@ogredale Usually, c:\Users\yourusername\Appdata\Local\Vivaldi\User Data

Ayespy

@ogredale (This assumes you have hidden files and system files visibility turned on.)

ogredale

@Ayespy I re-named the folder as said but still got the dead bird page after 5 minutes.
Is there a possibility that Avast software is messing with Vivaldi? I also noticed that when launching Vivaldi for the first time, Avira, which I don't have installed anymore, automatically installs three extensions related to the program. Maybe that has something to do with it as well.

Ayespy

@ogredale said in Completely broken Browser on PC & Laptop:

Is there a possibility that Avast software is messing with Vivaldi?

There is a very good chance that is the case. It has done so multiple times in the past - usually after a version change.

Avira could also have fingers in the pie. Your removal of Avira has been incomplete.

ogredale

@Ayespy I uninstalled the Avast antitracker and the cleaning tool. That seemed to fix it! I've been using Vivaldi most of the day and haven't seen the dead bird page.
So I guess the problem was the Avast software, it is safe to say I won't be buying it again.
My theory is the software was blocking something vital to Vivaldi cause it was "tracking" or something.
If I run into anymore more issues I will make a corresponding forum post.

Ayespy

@ogredale Most of these antivirus products have a white list of products they don't interfere with. Every other product, they inject steps into the running of every process to "check" it for safety and block it if it is "unsafe" (or "not trusted.") The most frequent time when they stop treating a product and safe and start messing with it is after an update. With a new version number, or a new process profile, the same product is suddenly "unknown" and "not trusted" and then the AV makes a mess of things.