Chrome won't display web sites but IE8 will

[itm]

I'm running the latest Chrome (downloaded 20/11/10) on Windows XP SP3. It was fine at first, but after a few hours (and a couple of other software installs) it stopped displaying web sites. IE8 is fine, as are all of the other net apps on the machine (Outlook, Newsreader, RSS reader, etc).
I run AVG free AV, but no other AV or anti-spyware software. I've also tried disabling the Windows firewall. I have no proxy server set up in Chrome's settings - everything is out-of-the box settings-wise. I've tried un-installing and re-installing it, but it still won't connect to the web.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be?

[sulasno]

Welcome to ChromeSpot


Go to the Wrench and select Options | Under the Hood tab
Network and click on Change proxy settings
Internet Properties and click on Connections tab
Click on LAN settings button
Uncheck settings in Proxy server if box is checked
Click OK, OK and Close

Try clearing your cache;

Go to the Wrench and select Options.
Go to the Personal Stuff tab. Click on Clear browsing data.
Obliterate the following items
Select Clear browsing history
Select Clear download history
Select Empty the cache
Optional Delete cookies
Optional Clear saved passwords
Select Clear saved form data
Select Everything in Clear data from this period.
Click Clear Browsing Data

Shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Del

Windows troubleshooting: Create a new browser user profile

If your browser user profile is corrupted, you can create a new user profile to replace the broken one:

1. Exit Google Chrome completely.

2. Locate the User Data folder by going to the Start menu > Run. Enter one of the following directories in the text field, then press OK.

• Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\
• Windows Vista: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

3. Rename folder as 'Backup User Data.'

You should now be able to open Google Chrome normally. A new 'User Data' folder is automatically created as you start using the browser. If you want to transfer your old browser history and bookmarks into your new user profile, copy the relevant files from the 'Backup User Data' folder to your new 'User Data' folder.