Howto run google-chrome as root

[WitchCraft]

DISCLAIMER/Warning: Running anything as root is risky and you should not run any software as root when you don't have to. If you don't know what you're doing, or are on a system that needs to be secure, leave now.


If you have installed google-chrome, you might recently have gotten the message:
google-chrome cannot be run as root.

Very annoying.

Now here's the antidote:

First, switch off Xorg access control:

xhost +

Now start google chrome as normal user "anonymous"

sudo -i -u anonymous /opt/google/chrome/chrome

When done browsing, re-enable Xorg access control:

xhost -

[id2578]

Just want to add a permanent solution to the problem:

1. Open google-chrome located in /usr/bin with 'gedit', 'kate' or your favorite text editor.

gedit /usr/bin google-chrome

2. Add "--user-data-dir" (without the quotes) at the very end of the file. Mine looks like this:

exec -a "$0" "$HERE/chrome" "$@" --user-data-dir

3. Save, close and voilà, you're done. Enjoy your favorite browser.

[haqking]

Just want to add a permanent solution to the problem:

1. Open google-chrome located in /usr/bin with 'gedit', 'kate' or your favorite text editor.

gedit /usr/bin google-chrome

2. Add "--user-data-dir" (without the quotes) at the very end of the file. Mine looks like this:

exec -a "$0" "$HERE/chrome" "$@" --user-data-dir

3. Save, close and voilà, you're done. Enjoy your favorite browser.

You should never run a web browser as root, certainly not permanently.

If there is a need to run it as root then do it for the given instance not a permanent fixture.

It is ill advised to browse the internet as root.

Cheers

[Browncoyote]

What would be the preferred (safe) way to operate in an environment where root is the only user?

[WitchCraft]

What would be the preferred (safe) way to operate in an environment where root is the only user?

Quite simple:
Open the google-chrome binary, located at

/opt/google/chrome/chrome

in a hex editor (make a backup-copy before).

Now find the string "geteuid" and replace it with "getppid".
Done !

Make a script for this, and trigger script execution every time google-chrome is updated

[haqking]

Quite simple:
Open the google-chrome binary, located at

/opt/google/chrome/chrome

in a hex editor (make a backup-copy before).

Now find the string "geteuid" and replace it with "getppid".
Done !

Make a script for this, and trigger script execution every time google-chrome is updated

Well as said before it shouldnt be run as root.

However if you need to there is no need to hex edit which wont work for all versions, no need to script or edit config files, you only need to append a command to the launcher.

If you use icons to launch then append the following the to the command in the launcher

--user-data-dir

or add it to the command from terminal such as

google-chrome --user-data-dir

example the properties of the launcher command is as follows

/opt/google/chrome/google-chrome %U

just change it to be

/opt/google/chrome/google-chrome –user-data-dir %U

and thats it.

Cheers

[karthikeyaa]

Thanks.

[Sef]

Closed. Necromancing.