Chromebook Problems

Troubleshooting

Sometimes, Chromebooks act glitchy. Below are a few of the most common causes, and how you can easily try to fix the problem on your own. If you try all the appropriate steps, and it's still not working, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page and we will get back to you ASAP.

On this page:

  • Chromebook not turning on.

  • Turn it off and back on for basic issues.

  • Updating your Chromebook.

  • Clearing the browser data.

  • Removing the saved user profiles.

  • Turning off an ad blocker.

  • Allowing a popup window you need in order for a site to work.

  • Camera and/or microphone issues in Google Meet.

  • Forgetting a WiFi network (including hotspots) to fix connection issues.

  • North Franklin students with a BOCES account.

  • Form to report a problem with your Chromebook.

For problems involving a site being blocked or not blocked by GoGuardian, please fill out the form on the GoGuardian page under Parent & Student Guides.

Turn It Off and Back On

Chromebooks only update when your Chromebook is turned off and turned back on. So if you're in the habit of just closing the lid when you're done, and opening it back up, try turning it all the way off. If it's really out of date, the process of updating might need to be done more than once.

Make Sure Chrome is Updated

As stated above, Chromebooks only update when your Chromebook is turned off and turned back on. You can also check to make sure you have the latest version of Chrome, and force it to update if you don't.

Clearing the Browser Data

Websites add little pieces of information to your browser's memory for a variety of reasons, making it easier to log in again or targeted advertising being two of the more common; those are cookies. Sometimes, those can interfere with the way other websites work. So if you try to use a site and it just doesn't work correctly, try ditching all of the stuff your browser is remembering. Here's how:

At that point, it isn't a bad idea to restart your Chromebook, just to make sure everything "resets."

Remove the Saved User Profiles

Sometimes, removing all traces of saved users on a Chromebook and starting fresh can help.

Step 1

Turn the Chromebook off and back on. You can turn it off by clicking in the lower right and clicking on the button to power it off, or you can simply hold down the physical power button until the screen goes completely black. Once it's off, just press the power button again and wait for the login screen.

Step 2

On the login screen, select the saved user profile. On the screen that is asking for a password in order to log into the Chromebook, click on the down arrow next to the user's name. In the box that pops up, click on the option to remove this user.

You may be asked to confirm that you want to remove the user, and may be warned that all of the user's data on the Chromebook will be erased. As long as you had a WiFi connection the last time you were logged in and used the Chromebook, that's ok. Everything like files in Google Drive and work in Google Classroom are saved to the cloud, not to the Chromebook.

Step 3

Repeat step 2 for any other saved user profiles that you have on the Chromebook.

Step 4

Just for the sake of being thorough, go ahead and power off the Chromebook again and then turn it back on.

Step 5

Go ahead and log back in with your school Google account. Since this is the "first" time using your account on the Chromebook, it may take a few minutes for all of your extensions, bookmarks and other settings to load.

An Ad Blocker Blocking Too Much

Some websites just won't work with an ad blocker running. Sometimes ad blockers are a bit too eager and block things that the page needs in order to work. So if you have tried the above, and things still aren't right, you can try pausing the ad blocker, reloading the page, and see if that works. Here's how:

Step 1

Look for the ad blocker icon in the area to the right of the address bar. This is where you can see all the extensions that are installed.

Step 2

Let the ad blocker know you don't want anything on this page blocked. Before you do this, make sure you're on the page you're having trouble with.

Step 3

Reload the page and see if it works the way it's supposed to.

A Popup Window You Need is Being Blocked

Sometimes, when you're signing into a site that uses your Google account for instance, a site will need to open a popup window in order to function properly. Chrome can be a little too aggressive sometimes in blocking popups, since often they are ads or other things we actually don't want to see. So if a site you're trying to use is not working properly, check to see if a popup you might need is being blocked.

If you don't see the symbol above, then a blocked popup probably isn't your problem. If it is, then here's what you can do to try to fix the issues.

After you have clicked Done, reload the page. If the blocked popup was the problem, the site should work properly now.

Problems with Sound or Video in Video Meetings

If you join a session in Google Meet or Zoom and can't be seen or heard, check these settings.

Most times, problems with video and sound happen because the first time you tried to use the site in question, you inadvertently clicked the button that told Chrome not to allow the site to access your camera and/or microphone. So from then on, they were disabled for that site. Removing them from the blocked list will prompt Chrome to ask you for permission to use them again the next time you go to the site.

Forgetting and Reconnecting to a WiFi Network

If your Chromebook is suddenly having problems connecting to your WiFi at home, or a hotspot, sometimes forgetting the network and reconnecting can help.

Step 1

While logged into the Chromebook, click in the lower right corner, where the time is. This will bring up a small menu box.

Step 2

Click on the WiFi symbol. This will bring up a list of networks, and you should see the one you are having trouble with in the list. Click on it.

Step 3

In the new window, you want to click the option to forget the network, NOT disconnect. We want the Chromebook to forget it exists, along with all of it's settings.

Step 4

After it has forgotten the network, go back to the list of available WiFi networks that we saw in step 2, and click on the network name again. Choose to connect to the network. If it has a password, you will need to re-enter it.

North Franklin Students with a BOCES Account

Many of our students who attend programs at BOCES have a separate Google account for that coursework. Yes, you can use a Malone CSD Chromebook to do your BOCES work.

When you are going to do BOCES work, log entirely out of the Chromebook (or just turn it off and back on), and log in with your BOCES account. Then, when you are going to do Malone CSD work, log back out of the Chromebook and log in with you Malone account. Please understand that we are saying you should log into the Chromebook with the account that you are trying to use, NOT that you should just go to a Google page and log in with that account.

We understand that this might be a bit of a pain. But the problem is that Chromebooks do not always behave properly when you try to use two different school accounts at the same time. It is not at all uncommon for students who are logged into their Chromebook with one account to try to go to a Google Meet signed in with the other account, and it won't work. The problem is that Google sees two active accounts and doesn't know how to handle it. So the best way to prevent this is only using one account at a time, by logging into the Chromebook with the account you need for the task you are doing.

Problem with a Chromebook

If your Chromebook or its charger are not working properly, and none of the steps above change that, please fill out the form below and we will get back to you ASAP.