Troubleshooting Tips

Chromebook

Note: only use the charger that came with the Chromebook. It is specially rated for the device. Other chargers may fit the charging port, but can send too much amperage or voltage to the device and fry it. In order to prevent accidentally causing further damage, please do not attempt repairs yourself

1st Step: Turn it off, then turn it back on

The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the device off, wait about 20-30 seconds, then turn it back on. If that doesn't work, try the other troubleshooting steps

Hold the power button down for about 30 seconds to power the Chromebook off if it is frozen.

Screen is cracked or display is messed up

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Keys pop off

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

If keys pop off of your Chromebook, put them in a ziplock bag and tape them to your Chromebook and take it to the school office. Do not try to repair the issue yourself to avoid accidentally causing more damage.

Keyboard/Touchpad Issues

If certain keys are not working, tape a note on the Chromebook regarding which keys are not working, so Mr. Squires knows what to check. If the touchpad mouse is not working properly, attach a note explaining what is wrong.

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Chromebook won't turn on

Only use the charger that came with the Chromebook. It is specially rated for the device. Other chargers may fit the charging port, but can send too much amperage or voltage to the device and fry it.

Try plugging the Chromebook in and long pressing the power button (approximately 20-30 seconds) to get the device to turn back on.

If a Chromebook is run until the battery is totally dead, it may have to be on the charger for at least 30 minutes until the charging light comes on. The Chromebook should remain on the charger until it reaches a full charge. You may have to long press the power button (approximately 20-30 seconds) to get the device to turn back on. If the Chromebook still will not turn on, send it to the school office.

If the Chromebook battery appears defective or the Chromebook won't stay on if unplugged, then send it to the school office.

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Something broke off or is stuck in the headphone jack

In order to avoid accidentally causing more damage, do not try to remove it yourself.

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Power cord/charger is not working or is damaged

Send the power cord/charger to the school office with the Chromebook so Mr. Squires can ensure that the issue is the power cord/charger.

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Chromebook won't connect to school Wi-Fi or jumps to the wrong Wi-Fi

Go through the Forget Networks steps for all school Wi-Fi networks. Chromebooks of students at Farmingdale and PPMS will have their network programmed to the correct network, and that network will not be deletable or editable. PPHS students should use the Student network for their devices.

Tutorial Video: Forget Network for Chromebook

Hinges are loose or broken

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Webcam is not working

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Sound or microphone is not working

Try clicking on the volume icon in the lower right corner and adjusting the volume and/or microphone setting. If this doesn't work, send the Chromebook to the school office.

Tutorial: Sound-Microphone Audio Settings

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Clever badge is not working or Clever sign-in is not an option (Farmingdale Students only)

If the Clever badge sign-in option is not available, Farmingdale students may still sign in with their email address and password. Let the school office know, so Mr. Langley can set the Chromebook in the Google system to enable the Clever badge sign-in process.

If the webcam will not read the Clever badge or your Clever badge is lost, please contact the school office so a new Clever badge can be printed.

1st Step: Turn it off, then turn it back on

The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the device off, wait about 20-30 seconds, then turn it back on. If that doesn't work, try the other troubleshooting steps

Computer

Note: if something on your computer is not working, and there are updates pending, click the Restart your computer option. Sometimes half of the updates installs, and then the rest of the update installs during the restart. Display and sound updates need the restart to fully install the update, and your computer may glitch until you do the restart.

1st Step: Turn it off, then turn it back on

The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the device off, wait about 20-30 seconds, then turn it back on. If that doesn't work, try the other troubleshooting steps. Restarting a computer is not the same as Shut Down. Use the Shut Down command - this will turn off all services and reset them.

Computer won't turn on

Make sure the power cord is plugged in. Hold the power button down for approximately 30 seconds to fully power off the computer in case it was stuck in sleep mode. Afterwards, try to turn the computer on. If that does not work and the laptop has a removable battery, unplug the laptop and remove the battery. Hold the power button down for approximately 10 seconds. Put the battery back in and plug the power cord in. Try to turn on the computer. If these steps fail, contact Mike.

Computer is damaged

Contact Mike.

No Sound

  1. If there are updates pending, click the Restart your computer option. Sometimes half of the updates installs, and then the rest of the update installs during the restart. Display and sound updates need the restart to fully install the update, and your computer may glitch until you do the restart.

  2. Check to see if you have an hdmi cable or hdmi adapter plugged in. If you do, the sound may be trying to go through the hdmi. Click on the sound icon in the bottom right, and then click on the arrow at the right of the volume slider. Choose the correct speaker.

  3. If you are using a classroom sound system, see if another device will play sound through the sound system. If not, see if your device will play on a different classroom's sound system. If by doing these steps, you determine that the issue may be with your sound system, complete a maintenance request form for your building.

  4. If the computer sound does not work after trying the above and you have already tried shutting your computer off and turning it back on, then contact Mike.

Computer display is duplicated to projector instead of extended (or vice versa)

Press Windows Key + P and the display mode menu will come up. Select the presentation display mode you would like to use.

Including my projector, I have 3 monitors, but they are not displaying the way I want

Contact John or Mike for assistance.

Computer is sluggish

Shut down your computer and wait about 30 seconds. Turn your computer back on.

Check to see what Chrome extensions are running. If you don't use them, remove them. Microsoft Defender is the only extension force-installed at the district level and cannot be removed.

Chrome tabs use up a lot of RAM memory. Use less tabs. Use tab groups to collapse the group and allow it to go to sleep, so it does not use as much RAM.

Clear your browser/cache history

If after you have tried all of these without results, contact Mike

Won't print

Shut down your computer. Wait about 10 seconds and then turn it back on.

Make sure the printer is on. If there was a power failure, turn the printer off, wait about 10 seconds, then turn it back on.

If these don't work, contact Mike

Clear Browser Cache/History

Tutorial for Google Chrome: Clear Browser Cache

This tutorial is for Google Chrome browsers since we predominantly use Chrome. If you use a different browser, Google how to clear the cache.

Projector

1st Step: Turn it off, then turn it back on

The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the device off, wait about 20-30 seconds, then turn it back on. If that doesn't work, try the other troubleshooting steps

Projector is tinted or not showing all colors

It's likely that the projector cable has bent prongs. Contact Mike for a new projector cable.

Projector turns on, but laptop won't connect to the projector

Check that the projector cord is connected on both ends and not loose. If using an hdmi adapter, try a different hdmi adapter to rule out a short in the adapter. Check your display settings on your device - see if your display shows if you switch to Extend mode vs Duplicate mode.

If those don't work, contact Mike or John if your computer will not display to the projector.

Projector will not turn on

Check the batteries in your remote control. If possible, push the power button on the projector itself.

If the projector will not turn on, complete a maintenance request form so Kevin or Randy can check the wiring and the projector.

Projector turns on, but there is no light

Complete a maintenance request form so Kevin or Randy can check the wiring and the projector.

My device does not have the correct port to match up to the projector cable

If this is a sub device, contact the school office for the adapter for subs.

If this is your classroom device, contact Mike for an adapter to connect to your projector cable.

Wi-Fi (School internet)

Chromebook won't connect to School Wi-Fi

Make sure that Wi-Fi for the Chromebook is turned on. If so, turn the Chromebook off, wait about 20 seconds, then turn it back on. If it was in the middle of an update, this will allow it to finish. It that doesn't work, take it to the school office.

Chromebooks that need to be repaired should be sent to the school office so Mr. Squires can assess/repair the Chromebook. The office will give the student a loaner to use while the Chromebook is in for repair.

Teacher laptop won't connect to School Wi-Fi

Make sure that Wi-Fi is turned on. Make sure that Airplane mode is not turned on. If these are not the case, turn the computer off, wait about 20-30 seconds, then turn it back on. Restarting a computer is not the same as Shut Down. Use the Shut Down command - this will turn off all services and reset them.

If that doesn't work, contact Mike.

A website I am using for a lesson won't work now

If all other websites are working, try typing the url in the "Is it Down Right Now?" website: https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/

If the site is down, you'll have to wait it out. If it shows that it is up, then contact Mike.

TeacherEase or part of Google is not working properly

Unfortunately, if a big company is having an issue, all we can do is wait it out. They generally do not send notifications to school districts regarding issues or estimated down times.

Other Issues

I forgot my TeacherEase password

Your TeacherEase username is your email address. If you forgot your password, you can click the "Forgot Password" link at the login page, and a password reset link will be sent to you.

Employee: I can't get into Skyward

Be sure to go to the Skyward link from the District Forms page of the district website. Each school district has it's own unique link. If the Skyward page you are trying to log into does not say PLEASANT PLAINS CUSD 8, IL - LIVE, then you are on the wrong login page. If you forgot your password, click the "Forgot your Login/Password" link at the login page, and a password reset link will be emailed to you. If you still cannot get in, contact the UO finance secretaries for assistance.

Teacher: website I would like to use is blocked

Send the website name and url to Mike.

Teacher: Do I need a SOPPA Agreement with this company?

All ed-tech companies require a SOPPA agreement with the school district before teachers can use them.

If a teacher is interested in using a resource that requires students to login to either access or produce content on the Internet, please:

  1. First review the current PPCUSD8 Online Resource agreements the district has in place. Also, review the Vendor List of companies that do not require an agreement.

  2. If you do not see the resource you wish to use, please fill out the Teacher Digital Resource Request Form with as much information as possible.

  3. Once the district has the Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) from the vendor the teacher is able to use the resource. If the vendor does not comply to the DPA, the resource is not to be used.