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Chromebook Troubleshooting Guide
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Chromebook Troubleshooting

Issues logging into a Zoom Meeting

As of August 23, 2021, students should no longer log into the MCPS Zoom website or the Zoom app before joining a meeting as this will result in an error.  To join a Zoom meeting students should follow the directions in the support guide linked below.

Zoom for Students

Issues with Zoom camera or microphone

The option to switch cameras in Zoom is available for some Chromebook  models. It  is located inside the Start/Stop Video options just to the right where the "^" is seen.

Lenovo 300e not holding a charge

Only the left side USB-C port (4) charges the battery of the device. The right side USB-C port (8) will power on the device while plugged in but will not charge the battery.

Lenovo 300e will not turn on

If the Lenovo 300e Chromebook battery is completely drained, it will take up to 30 minutes on the charger to turn on again. Plug in the charger on the left side and wait 30 minutes before attempting to use the Chromebook again.

Chromebook is charged, power light is on, but the screen won’t come on because the Chromebook has gone to sleep

Reboot/Soft Reset

  1. Press and hold “Refresh” key (half circle above 4 - aka F3) + tap Power
  2. When your Chromebook starts up, release Refresh

Toggle on/off accessibility features

*Large cursor, magnified screen, or spoken feedback may make the Chromebook appear to be malfunctioning. Follow these steps to turn them off

Step 1: Find accessibility features

  1. At the bottom right, select the time. Or press Alt + Shift + s
  2. Select Settings
  3. At the bottom, select Advanced
  4. In the "Accessibility" section, select Manage accessibility feature. Optional: To have quick access to accessibility features, turn on Always show accessibility options in the system menu.

Step 2: Turn on or off a feature

Choose the accessibility features you'd like to use:

Zoom "Connecting" screen continues to spin when attempting to join a Zoom meeting

Clear browsing history  *Can/should be done everyday*

  1. At the top right of the Chrome browser, click ⋮ (More).
  2. Click History then History again.
  3. On the left, click “Clear browsing data.” A box will appear
  4. Click “Advanced”
  5. From the drop-down menu, select “All time”
  6. Check all the boxes
  7. Click “Clear data”

Zoom screen is black while the teacher is sharing their screen

For tips on how to access Zoom or join a test meeting, click here

Students will use SSO to sign in, with the domain mcpsmd

If this issue persists, these steps can be taken multiple times a day or at the start of each day

Level 1 - Check for Updates and Clear cache, cookies, and history

  1. Click on the time at the bottom right of the Chromebook
  2. A window pops up. Click on the Settings cog
  3.  Another window will pop up called Settings
  4. Go the bottom left and click on About Chrome OS
  1. The Google Chrome OS windows opens. Check for updates.

After any updates are finished, clear cache, cookies, and history for all time. Then, go back to a Zoom meeting to see if the screen is now functioning normally.

Level 2- Hard Reset

  1. Press and hold the “Esc” key and “Refresh” key (half circle above 4 - aka F3) and the “Power” button to turn on the Chromebook
  2. The Chromebook will boot to Developer Mode. Press “Ctrl” + “D” to turn off OS verification
  3. Press Enter to confirm that you wish to turn OS verification OFF
  4. The Chromebook restarts and prompts to re-enable verification. Press the spacebar
  5. Press Enter to confirm that you wish to turn OS verification ON
  6. After an automatic reboot, the "Welcome!" screen will be displayed and you can complete the on screen instructions. Click the blue “Let’s Go” button to continue
  7. Choose the Wifi network and connect
  8. The “Enterprise Enrollment” screen should follow. When it does login with your @mcpsmd.net account and password

Screen resolution error during MAP testing

Press Ctrl + Alt + 0 to reset the resolution                

Date and/or Time are incorrect

This may cause the Chromebook to be unable to connect to WiFi

Hard Reset

  1. Log out of the Chromebook
  2. Press and hold the “Esc” key and “Refresh” key (half circle above 4 - aka F3) and the “Power” button to turn on the Chromebook
  3. The Chromebook will boot to Developer Mode. Press “Ctrl” + “D” to turn off OS verification
  4. Press Enter to confirm that you wish to turn OS verification OFF
  5. The Chromebook restarts and prompts to re-enable verification. Press the spacebar
  6. Press Enter to confirm that you wish to turn OS verification ON
  7. After an automatic reboot, the "Welcome!" screen will be displayed and you can complete the on screen instructions. Click the blue “Let’s Go” button to continue
  8. Choose the Wifi network and connect
  9. The “Enterprise Enrollment” screen should follow. When it does login with your @mcpsmd.net account and password

Chromebook is acting unusual or slow.  Trackpad is hanging or clicking funny.  Keyboard is slow or delayed.

Powerwash

  1. Sign out of your Chromebook
  2. Press and hold Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r
  3. Select Restart
  4. In the box that appears, select Powerwash  Continue
  5. Log into the wifi
  6. Follow the steps that appear and sign in with your Google Account

Effective Thursday, May 25, 2023, students will no longer be able to enroll/re-enroll a Chromebook after it has been powerwashed. This means that if a device is powerwashed by a student, a staff member will need to log into the device to complete the enrollment/re-enrollment process. While students can still complete the powerwash process on their own, the device will be unusable until they work with staff to complete the device enrollment process.

Printing

Print from a Chromebook Instructions

Other common issues and solutions