April 2018 update broke Chrome browser (Cryptographic Services bug)

Anonymous
2018-08-13T22:50:55+00:00

I updated to the April 2018 version of Win10 a couple months ago. It caused several issues and broke my Chrome browser completely, so I reverted back to the old version. But Microsoft forced another update on me, so I need this issue fixed somehow.

All the googling I've done says Microsoft has "fixed" this issue with the April update breaking Chrome, but I've installed all patches and they clearly haven't, not in my case. Pages simply refuse to load and time out.

I've narrowed the issue down to the "Cryptographic Services" service. If I stop the service, all of the Chrome pages instantly load and I have no issues for about an hour. It seems to be some sort of issue with certificates/SSL.

The problem is the service keeps restarting itself. I've tried setting it to "disabled," tried unchecking the service in System Configuration, nothing works. It always comes back and Chrome breaks. I'm sure there's good reason to keep it running but I'm not going to let Microsoft force me out of my favorite browser/bookmarks/extensions/etc. like this, and I can't keep stopping a service every hour just to browse the web.

So I need a solution please. And something specifically related to fixing the issue with Cryptographic Services preventing SSL on Chrome. I've done all the basic stuff like reinstalling Chrome, checking firewall settings, etc..

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

165 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-11-19T20:44:29+00:00

    There are several local problems that can cause Chrome to block with ERR_TIMED_OUT during 'Establishing secure connection'. 

    If stop/start CryptSvc or running IE/Edge before starting Chrome fixes Chrome, then the regedit delete ...Root fix will likely work.

    There is a scripted registry repair here, but it requires an admin powershell and turning on execution policy, which is not much simpler than Nover's regedit instructions above.  It does have some additional checks and restores built in, so it's a little more robust, but does basically the same thing.  It's my script and will field questions posted there.  For more details see the Best Answerat the top of the thread or the Chrome bug CR838707.  

    The essential part of the fix is deleting ProtectedRoots.  It will get rebuilt automatically.  Stopping CryptSvc is always temporary.  It gets restarted from many places.  When it restarts, ProtectedRoots gets rebuilt.  I'm not sure deleting Root is needed, but it gets rebuilt too, so deleting both is safe.

    I'm not sure what the root cause is.  It seems like it's either the permissions or inheritance of the registry key.  Either way it's ok on rebuild.  The fix could also be a side effect of the rebuild.  The SystemCertificates/Root tree exists in several locations in the registry, some shadow or inherit from others, so tracking down the real root cause has been elusive.  The problem also impacts managed institutional environments and user profiles, in which case the per user fix above it not workable.

    I'm not sure why the problem occurs.  It happens after a Windows (monthly) update or after a fresh install and update.  It only affects isolated users.  It's been around since April 2018 (aka 1803) and persists with the 2018 Fall feature update (1809)

    This MS community thread is the closest I've come to finding a Microsoft mention of 'this' problem.  The Chrome team can't reproduce the problem, so it's not getting any official Google attention.

    If you find others, let me know.  Maybe if we can get enough attention, we'll see a real fix.

    If you have 'this' failure mode, the registry repair is the only fix.

    Was this answer helpful?

    8 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2018-11-05T16:42:39+00:00

    None of these suggestions worked, I have tried them all. I need a real fix. Come on Microsoft, a quick google search shows many people with the same issue. When are you going to fix this?

    Was this answer helpful?

    4 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-11-03T15:55:18+00:00

    I am having the same issue.

    That's my way i fixed:

    1. Open Run and type in regedit
    2. Go here: *HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root*
    3. Right-click ProtectedRoots > Permissionsand pick your account .

        Tick Allow Full Control

    1. Right-click Rootand Export 
    2. Open Task Manager > stop Cryptographic Serviceand Delete Root(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates**)** key in Regedit.
    3. Restart your Windows.

    Enjoy.

    This actually worked!   Thank You!!

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2018-10-15T23:24:41+00:00

    Seems like a valid fix, but do you know what this actually does? for example, I have a program that will only run with Cryptographic services running. will I be able to use it or will your suggestion prevent me from using it? 

    Thanks.

    Was this answer helpful?

    3 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2018-10-01T16:57:19+00:00

    I am having the same issue.

    That's my way i fixed:

    1. Open Run and type in regedit
    2. Go here: *HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root*
    3. Right-click ProtectedRoots > Permissionsand pick your account .

        Tick Allow Full Control

    1. Right-click Rootand Export 
    2. Open Task Manager > stop Cryptographic Serviceand Delete Root(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates**)** key in Regedit.
    3. Restart your Windows.

    Enjoy.

    Was this answer helpful?

    80+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments