Student-Contributed Wiki

An awesome team of students from our education program made this wiki.

HP Chromebook 14-q029wm Troubleshooting Page

Written By:

Mark Mesdary, Ed Lalumiere, and Andrew Pratt

Possible underlying symptoms:

Operating system issues

If your computer booted up, you were able to login and your screen went black, then your operating system may have a problem. A system file may have been corrupted, preventing the system from loading causing the black screen. If this is the case, you should try to restart your computer.

Brightness is set low or power setting

If you can slightly see things on your screen you brightness may be low or a power setting may have automatically lowered it. You can easily check this by plugging your laptop in and seeing if the screen lights up. If that does not work then try turning your brightness up to ensure that isn’t the issue.

Try to restart the computer

  • Step 1: Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.Step 2: Wait a few minutes then press the power button to turn the computer back on.

Replace the screen

If your screen is still not turning on you may want to talk to a technician or diagnose the screen yourself.

Click here to follow a tutorial on how to replace your screen.

Computer is not recognizing- flash drive/USB input

Make sure the USB port does not have any dust that can hinder the connection:

-Sometimes the USB port will have dirt or dust build up and simply cleaning the USB port can fix the problem. Use a can of compressed air to clean any dust that sits in the port.

Check to make sure the other USB ports are working:

-If none of the USB ports are working, there might be a chance that this is a software issue and a simple restart of the computer might fix this issue.

Make sure the USB wire you are using is active and working:

-Sometimes the wire that you are using could be broken and the connection problem is from the USB wire and not the port.

Replace the USB port: Changing the USB port requires replacing the motherboard due to the fact that the USB port is soddered to the motherboard.

-If it so happens that this is a hardware issue,  like a loose connection, or faulty port you must either take the computer to a shop, or follow the guidelines and tutorial on how to replace the USB port/Motherboard.

Click here to the guide to change replace your motherboard/USB

There are a number of reasons why your keyboard may not be working. One reason could be a software issue. Another could be a faulty connection and you would need to reconnect it. Keyboards can get dirty with dust and crumbs, this can hinder the keyboards ability to work. Therefore, you might need to clean the keyboard. After you’ve checked the previous issues and the keyboard still does not work, then it needs to be replaced.

Try restarting the computer

  • If all the keys on the keyboard are not working, most likely the computer has a case of software issues. Restarting the computer might help this problem.If certain keys on the keyboard do not work, then most likely this is a hardware issue

Check to make sure the keys are not stuck in place

  • Make sure all the keys are able to be pressed in and out, no keys should be stuck in place.

Replace the keyboard

  • If you restart the computer and the keyboard is still not working, then you would need to replace the keyboard due to a faulty connection or the actual keys on the keyboard do not work anymore.Follow guidelines and tutorial on how to remove and replace a malfunctioning keyboard.Click here for the guide to replace the keyboard.

The Chromebook is overheating and will not function properly. There are many different reasons this would happen. The first is a poor location like poorly ventilated rooms, or if your computer is in direct sunlight can cause overheating problems. Poor ventilation in the laptop is a significant cause of overheating. This can be caused by vents being blocked from pulling air in which causes only hot air to be circulated in the laptop. Dust can build up on both vents and internal components can contribute to overheating. Dust acts as an insulator and holds in heat on the components. This can be fixed by periodically cleaning your laptop. Malfunctioning or insufficient cooling system can also be the case. Follow the following steps to find out which cooling problem you have.

Processor overheating

     There are many symptoms of a processor overheating these include constant rebooting, shutdowns and sometimes even crash or error messages. But the most obvious sign is actually seeing if its overheating by comparing the normal temperatures recommended by the manufacturer to your own temperatures.

  • Replace the thermal pasteCheck temperatures of the laptopIf that didn’t fix it replace the processor

Power supply overheating

     A power supply can overheat for a number of reasons these include, it might not be getting enough air circulation, the fan/heat sink on the power supply is clogged.

  • Step 1: Turn off laptopStep 2: Use compressed air to blow out loose debris off the fans and heatsink if possibleStep 3: Have the power supply opened and cleaned by a professionalStep 4: Buy a new power supply

Video card overheating

A video card can overheat easily if something is not being cooled properly. If your laptop has

blue screened or keeps doing forced restarts, or locks up completely requiring a manual restart an overheating GPU could be the case. Usually this happens when launching something with intense visual effects.

  • Step 1: Use compressed air to blow out loose debris off the fanStep 2: Replace the fanStep 3: Reapply thermal pasteStep 4: Check for a system wide cooling issueStep 5: Replace the video card

Hard drive overheating

     A hard drive can overheat if you are in a hot room or there is improper ventilation problems.

  • Step 1: Move to a cooler roomStep 2: Use ceiling fans, oscillating fans or any other option for that specific roomOther than that see the ventilation problems listed below

Ventilation Problems

     Ventilation problems are the most common problem for overheating. This means your laptop is not properly ventilated and wont let heat escape properly.

  • Step 1: Use compressed air to blow out loose debris off the fansFor a closer clean use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol 99% and clean off the fans and other componentsStep 2: Let it dry then reinstallStep 3: If these steps don’t work follow this guide to replace the fan.Click here for the guide to replace the fan.

Possible underlying symptoms:   

  ‘‘On Chromebooks power issues are one of the most common is not turning on. Which might be triggered by a bad battery,  bad circuitry or even a broken screen. Follow these steps to figure out how to fix the issue of your Chromebook not turning on”.

Hardware

  • Step 1: Perform a visual inspection and see if anything looks wrong, like if liquid got in or the outer cover is damagedStep 2: Open the laptop. It should power up if it has more than 5%Step 3: Try pressing and holding the power buttonStep 4: Try charging you Chromebook if the previous step doesn’t workPlug the original AC adapter into a functioning wall outletConnect the AC adapter into the ChromebookCheck the battery indicator light, if it turns green wait for it to turn amber then power up the laptop. If it doesn’t make sure its not heating up because if it does not keep charging unplug immediately  and bring it back to the store

Software

  • Perform the embedded controller (EC) reset on the ChromebookPress and hold the power button for 3 seconds

Refer back to other guides

  • If these steps do not solve your problem bring your laptop to a technician or follow these instructions on replacing the battery or screen.Click here for the guide to replace the battery.