I have confirmed that deleting and re-creating the user profile fixes this problem:
- Exit Google Chrome completely.
- Enter the keyboard shortcut Windows key + E to open Windows Explorer.
- In the Windows Explorer window that appears enter the following in the address bar.
- Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\
- Windows Vista/ Windows 7/ Windows 8: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\
- Locate the folder called "Default" in the directory window that opens and rename it as "Backup default." If the user you're having trouble with is not Default, substitute Profile 1, Profile 2, etc.
- Try opening Google Chrome again. A new "Default" folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.
I suppose that a recent change corrupted some user profiles. This fix comes from this related thread in the Chrome Help Forum.