Chromebook "Crashed"

[NewTricks]

I have an ASUS C302C Chromebook on loan from a college. The AUE is in June 2023. Just now, the screen went black and no life is seen except a blinking white power light on the side. This happened once before a couple years ago, and was magically restored by the IT department by a fluke, since "we don't support Chromebooks." Long story.

I've tried holding down the power button to actually turn it off, but it doesn't turn off. 🤔

Is there anything I can or should do? And conversely, anything I should not?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[SPDIF]

If your battery is dangerously low and doesn’t have enough charge to start the computer, the LED battery will flash white. This usually happens when the battery is in a deep discharge state. Deep discharges usually occur when the battery is left unused for months on end.

Plug the power cable into the connector and wait for 30 minutes for the battery to charge. Then unplug the cable and turn on your computer. Check if the battery light is still flashing. Feel free to re-connect the power cable to charge the battery.

If the issue persists, shut your Chromebook down and charge it for one hour. Then disconnect the power cable, and remove the battery. Wait for 30 seconds, re-insert the battery and turn on your laptop. Check the results.

If the battery LED is still flashing white, this may indicate your battery is faulty. You may need to replace it. Or your Power supply is faulty and does not charge.

Edited February 23, 2023 by SPDIF

[Maurice Naggar]

@NewTricks You may find it useful to get a hold of the Asus user manual for model series C302CA at Asus support.
https://www.asus.com/us/supportonly/c302ca/helpdesk_manual/

[NewTricks]

Hello @SPDIF and @Maurice Naggar, thank you both for responding. Please pardon my delay, I locked myself out of the forum for an hour by transposing authenticator numbers too many times.

I was able to turn off the Chromebook by holding the power button for over 30 seconds. That seems like a long time. Maybe that's normal for these devices. I used it for an appointment two hours before my post, while plugged in, to make sure all went well. It did. Generally, I use it daily and charge it daily, usually to a full charge. Could that be bad? I keep an eye on the discharge level and it rarely goes below 20%.

After the Chromebook was off, I did charge for an hour. And voila! Life.

2 hours ago, SPDIF said:

Then disconnect the power cable, and remove the battery. Wait for 30 seconds, re-insert the battery and turn on your laptop.

I was hoping not to do this, for several reasons, one is lack of Torx screwdrivers and the other is I would be liable for replacement costs in case I inadvertently destroyed it somehow. However, after watching YouTube on how to remove laptop batteries, it didn't seem too complex.

 

2 hours ago, SPDIF said:

Or your Power supply is faulty and does not charge.

I've had questions about the power supply on other Chromebooks and switched out one I was assigned a couple years ago to a different one. That seemed to solve that issue. I noticed with ASUS devices, each charging port had a little wiggle room.
 

Here is a screenshot of my battery test-this is the only "elevated command" I can do.🙄 Maybe someday, I'll learn more. I am confused about all the denied permissions and ERROR dump. In the end, the battery is still holding on with essentially 79% power. I'm returning it next week, as I've bought my very own Chromebook. Not my first choice, but necessary right now.

@Maurice Naggar, thank you for the link for the manual. Having that resource is a plus. 😊

[AdvancedSetup]

Das Chromebook ist verboten

 

[Maurice Naggar]

@Newtricks
Wonder whether the happening of the "blinking white light" power button was a after-effect of total freeze-up of the system, followed by attempt to power off the machine.

[NewTricks]

Hi @Maurice Naggar, good question. I don't know-I have noticed this light blinking slowly for long periods of time.  On that basis, I expect not. It's only frozen twice in 2 years. 

If I can believe my delivery notifications, by tonight I'll have a new Acer Chromebook Spin 512 and 3 years to learn before the AUE. Monday I'll surrender this CB to the college.  In anticipation, I've bookmarked the forum post by @Porthos: Malwarebytes for Android & Chromebook. Luckily for me, a chance encounter here last month led to excellent resources.

Thanks for caring.

[Maurice Naggar]

I meant to mention ( on that post of mine) that the "dark / black" screen happening also. as a consequence of the power off / power up.

[NewTricks]

Thanks Maurice, good to know. There's always a tiny bit of apprehension waiting for the power up to show the comforting OS Chrome logo.

 I found an article online https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/terminal-commands-chromebook/ and maybe I can learn "new tricks".

Edited February 24, 2023 by NewTricks

[NewTricks]

Maurice, my new Acer Spin is here and charging. Your suggestion with the ASUS manual look up was perfect.

I've located the manual online and it feels good to strategically read instead of jumping in blindly. My first installation will be Malwarebytes; according to my license I can install on 3 devices. Yippee!