Acer Chromebook C720-2103 Troubleshooting

Acer Chromebook C720-2103 Troubleshooting

When the chromebook’s monitor is having issues displaying the screen as it should.

The display is not responding even after you can physically hear or see the computer being turned on. The first thing to try is to hold down the power button for 30 seconds to force a full shutdown in case the chromebook was in sleep mode. If this doesn’t fix the issue then it might be a hardware issue. Pressing the escape and refresh button several times should boot the computer into developer mode and should address the issue.

The most cost effective and simplest way of fixing a cracked screen on this computer is by replacing it altogether. There is already a detailed guide on iFixit of an Acer Chromebook screen replacement .

If the colors on the display are not what they should be and could be an issue where the monitor driver needs to be updated. This can be found on Acer's support website.

This is also the case where the best way to solve the issue is through a screen replacement and that can be found on a guide already created on iFixit.

The laptop Chromebook does not turn on with or without being plugged into the power supply.

Hold down the escape and refresh buttons to go into the developer boot where the OS (Operating System) can then be reset. If the device is receiving power then a recovery drive could be made in order to fix the issue. To do this a USB drive can be used to back up the Chromebook or if more space is needed the device can be backed up on an external hard drive. Go into the backup setting for the Chromebook and add a drive. Once this is done the Chromebook can be backed up.

The first thing to check is that the charger is fully plugged into the outlet, the AC adapter and the chromebook itself. If that is not the issue than unplug the charger from the laptop and take the battery out from the back of the device. After 30 seconds or more put the battery back into the device and charge for 30 minutes. You can find a guide on removing the device here.

The Chromebook indicates it is charging without actually gaining charge, so the first thing to try is to make sure that everything is plugged in as it should be. Taking the battery out and waiting could fix the issue. If that does not work than a replacement or the battery will be needed. Replacing the battery with a new one is an easier task than replacing any hardware inside the chromebook and can be done fairly easily. The link in the section above will direct you to the replacement guide for the battery.

The keyboard on the Chromebook has issues resolving commands due to sticky, or not working keys.

If certain keys on the keyboard are not working as they should the first thing to do is a hard factory reset of the laptop. The factory reset will reset everything on the chromebook as it originally has it so it is best to keep a backup drive. If the hard factory reset did not work then it might come down to replacing the problem keys or the keyboard itself and a replacement will be needed.

Keys being difficult to use might be an issue of dirt and build up underneath the keys. To resolve this cleaning the keyboard and inside of the computer are the top priority. The best way to clean the computer is to take the back casing off using a screwdriver and using a can of compressed air to blow the dirt and buildup away.

In the case of broken keys the best thing you can do is the replace the keyboard or at least parts of it. The keyboard can be accessed by taking the back of the computer off using a screwdriver. Then the casing over the keys can be removed and at that point you can access the keys. You can take the broken keys out and put new ones in their place. This replacement guide can be found here.

Issues with the Chromebook not covered above or that don’t fall into a category themselves but still need to be addressed.

If the chromebook is having trouble reading USB drives or even experiencing other problems when things get plugged into the USB port then there could be a malfunction. It is common for the device to say “USB Device Not Recognized”, if this happens then there are steps that can be taken to try and fix this problem. Restarting or plugging the device into the port again may fix the problem. Another way of fixing this problem is to update the driver.

If the Chromebook is experiencing very slow performance issues and is taking a long time to install new applications than there may not be enough RAM on the device. Windows Memory Diagnostic tool can be a helpful way of learning more information of the memory problems. The best way to resolve this problem is to install more RAM into the Chromebook by replacing the motherboard with an upgraded version with 4GB of RAM. The replacement guide for the mother board can be found here.

The most common cause of this is due to thermal issues. If the chromebook fans are not working as strongly as they need to the laptop would overheat and cause a shutdown. Cleaning the fans to remove buildup of dirt and other materials could fix the issues. The best way to do that is by spraying compressed air into the fans and other parts of the laptop after taking the back casing off. If this does not resolve the issue and it is in fact a thermal issue the fans might need to be replaced. The replacement guide can be found here. If it is not a thermal issue with the laptop then the best way to try and diagnose the laptop is going into a guest or safe mode and deleting any apps on one by one until the laptop does not power down.