Looping to enterprise folks for updates.

Downgrading Chrome can only be achieved by uninstalling the existing version beforehand. In most cases you will also need to clear the User data directory of Chrome because it won't be backwards compatible with the older version and this can lead to errors or crashes.

affiliate@ could you respond to the comment #2

Assigned to George for prioritization.

Responding to Comment #2
We first run a GC uninstall before attempting to lay down the MOE version of GC and think we have fully uninstalled, yet SOMETHING (a reg key we suspect) is being left behind and this is causing the new install to fail because "a later version is already installed" - so something about the uninstall is not completely removing the later version of GC.  

Thank you for providing more feedback. Adding requester "kkaluri@chromium.org" to the cc list and removing "Needs-Feedback" label.

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BTW - thanks for the responses :-)
I hope to do more triage on the problem today (time permitting) so may be able to provide more detail about how the uninstall is being executed and which reg key we believe is stopping the re-install
Regards Col. Sanders

+grt who might have some insight.

Hi. Some questions that come to mind:
- What policies have you configured?
- Do you have any idea how users are upgrading Chrome in light of the policies you've configured?
- In cases where an uninstall->install fails, could you provide C:\Windows\Temp\chrome_installer.log and %TEMP%\chrome_installer.log? It's unexpected that you'd see "This computer already has a more recent version of Google Chrome." after a successful uninstall.
Thanks.

Hello all
So much water has passed under the bridge since the 5th September, this whole Google deployment at my client's site has been a trial-by-fire!

In summary we hit a raft of challenges:

1. Citrix streaming was failing with one of two scenarios;
(i) an untitled tab with a sad face and an empty frame
- cause: Chrome being streamed from an LMG server OTHER-THAN the one supplying the user's desktop, incidence reduced by ensuring streams were published for all LMG desktop servers
(ii) an "Untitled" tab with a sad-face icon, attached to a white-filled frame with Aw-Snap! displayed
- cause: incorrectly configured security sandbox settings or application "hooking" by Citrix and was ultimately fixed by Disable Citrix API hooks for Chrome https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7380899?vid=0-702684258334-1496298029205

2. Update lockdown policy not applying
 - cause: client-applied registry preferences reliant upon Google/Chrome key that is not always present. Not immediately fixed but will use Google template policy control for v61 deploy

3. UAC elevation prompt when using Help-About Google Chrome
 - cause: client removal of Google Update services. Not immediately fixed but will use Google template policy control of updates for v61 deploy and leave services intact.

4. Side-by-side failure warning following end-point-restarts after upgrade deployment.
 - cause: Root Cause unknown but New_Chrome.exe found to exist for v60 in conjunction with retained v56 install in C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application. Administrator execution of this new_chrome.exe completes the upgrade successfully.

5. This one is NASTY!!!
Chrome v60 deploys showing as later versions of Chrome after deployment!!!
 - cause: The Google supplied msi product description fields for the v60 msi has v67 or 66 as the descriptor!

6. Unable to re-deploy MOE v60 install over "later version" updates that got through due to failed blocking policy.
TWO causes:
- cause: an msi switch which inhibits downgrade
- cause: a locked Google/Chrome policy key which needed to be removed to allow downgrading

Although this issue can be closed because we have identified the root cause for failed policy application, I would love to know at what point the HKLM\Software\Google\Chrome key (see *note) gets created? , because out of 3800 deploys only 1901 had the Chrome key portion (which the client was using to detect the need to apply lockdown policy!) whereas the HKLM\Software\Google portion was present for ALL deployments 
(*or HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Google for 64 bit)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\[WOW6432Node\]Google is created by Google Update during installation before Chrome's installer is run because it maintains state in the ...\Google\Update key.

What keys/values do you see in HKLM\Software\[WOW6432Node\]Google\Chrome? I can't think of anything within Chrome that would create that key in HKLM. Chrome will read from this key to discover Native messaging hosts (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/nativeMessaging#native-messaging-host-location) and extensions (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/external_extensions#registry).

Issue has not been modified or commented on in the last 365 days, please re-open or file a new bug if this is still an issue.

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