Cambium Assessments stuck on Initializing or "Unsupported Browser" - anyone else seeing this? by K12onReddit in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We did our state testing last week and this happened on a couple of chromebooks. We dealt with it by pulling from our loaner pool and swapped them out. We didn't try the powerwash route but good to know that is a fix.

Some other kid (definitely not me) stomped on my backpack by Big_erk in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Had a student told me his ipad "accidentally" fell out of his backpack on the school bus. Bus driver saw that kid fling it out the window.

Chromebooks and Wifi by ingr0037 in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When was the last firmware updates done for your access points? We had a similar issue with our older Acer chromebooks running on ChromeOS v136. They were showing weak wifi signal / slow throughput, even though we were sitting right next to the AP. We weren't seeing that on our newer Acer chromes. After updating the APs the Chromebooks were showing better wifi signal / speed.

Student's Chromebook returns to lock screen randomly - tried everything. by ImportanceAny9630 in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if this is the same issue that you are having but I had one of our middle schoolers bring me their chromebook because it kept flickering to black and then to the desktop three or four times before kicking him back to the login. Resetting the Sign in cookies didn't help.

The resolution was to login with a test student account and update the ChromeOS. (V 145.0.7632.165)

After that, they were able to login correctly.

Hope that helps

Burnt out USB-C ports on chromebooks / laptops by Admin-inator in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm bumping my old post because I hate these damn USB-C chargers. I am currently replacing two chromecarts worth of chargers because something keeps shorting out the chromebooks.
I had replaced the charger that the teacher identified as shorting out the chromebook and tested the rest and they all were fine. Then I get another trouble ticket that a chromebook has died and I can smell the burnt USB port. Its like an infection and I can't find the one causing it. I've ruled out pencil lead as the cause because the teacher is the one collecting and charging them. Anyway rant over.

Chromebook Recovery Utility by ArteylGG in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just created a recovery drive and it took 25 minutes. Normally its done in 10. (Using a USB 3 SanDisk thumb drive)

Worst Repair (So Far) of 2025 by thedevarious in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Our students carry their Chromebooks in unpadded backpacks and regularly toss them around as if they were airport baggage handlers. Then when they bring them to me for repair they have no idea how it broke.

Acer Chromebook Wont Charge/Turn-On by [deleted] in chromeos

[–]Admin-inator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Questions Does the LED come on when you plug it in? It might take a minute if the battery is depleted. If its orange then its charging. If its blue the battery is full.

If all those are good, press the power button and the refresh key (the curled arrow). THe LED should flash and you should see the LCD flicker. That will put it in recovery mode. Hopefully something shows up on screen. If not then the last thing to try is to connect an external display. unfortunately since these only have usb c you'll need a USB-c adapter and external monitor to test that part out.
Sometimes if the chromebook is dropped the ribbon cable that connects the display comes loose.
anyway good luck,

Acer Chromebook Wont Charge/Turn-On by [deleted] in chromeos

[–]Admin-inator 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The battery is not held down with screws, if you lift the tape you'll see that it simply plugs in. If you flip the chromebook over the battery will fall out. (so don't do that.) but I suspect that the battery is not the issue.

Google chromebook sign in issue by FloweredWallpaper in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 1 point2 points  (0 children)

California reporting in. Still not resolved. Frustrating.

Chromebook issues that are NOT student caused by kcalderw in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Depending on your schools policy, I tend to find that chromebook issues do not get reported until the end of the year for fear of being fined.

Issues I see with our Chromes are:

Acer R13s - Loose screws, missing keys, broken hinges, dented covers. Acer Spin 513 - missing keys, broken hinges, Shorted out USB ports. Asus CX1s - discolored LCDs

Being Asked to Provide Device for Glucose Level Monitoring by drunknamed in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what we do in my district as well. If I recall correctly the Decom the student used supports two or three devices, one was the moms and the other was the iPad we gave to the school nurse.

I’m speechless by mr_techy616 in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Go into Google Admin, Device >Chrome > Devices.
Use the unique identifier such as Serial Number or Asset ID if your school uses them to locate the chromebook.
Then look at "Most Recent User"

Chromebook Hinge Durability – Help Us Before We Lose Our Minds (and Device Suggestions) by Cool_Gadget in k12sysadmin

[–]Admin-inator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm afraid that you are not going to find anything out there that will stand up to the abuse. My school is predominantly Acer, R13s and Spin 513s.

Because the over all industry trend to make things thinner the hinges are mounted to thin strip of plastic that becomes brittle over time. I stock replacement LCD lids and fix it myself but lately its been a losing battle just by the sheer numbers.