Paul R. Baird Middle School

Please fill out this form with your contact information and what's wrong with the machine. Ms. Hedin will contact you as soon as librarianly possible.

First, check to see if your light comes on when you plug it in. Then, try using another charger to determine if the problem is the charger or the port. Make sure to try BOTH SIDES of your charger and flip it over. Some don't charge on one side, but work on the other. The ports are very fragile, but the cords are not. If none of that works, fill out the Chromebook repair request form.

Activate the on-screen keyboard.

• Sign in to your Chromebook.

• At the bottom right, click on the time.

• Select "Accessibility."

• Select Enable on-screen keyboard.

For more detailed instructions: Chromebook Support

The machines purchased before remote learning began were never meant to handle such heavy use. Unfortunately, that means they will never be fast. But you can make sure the processing power is going where you need it with these tips.

• Close any tabs you are not actively using. Especially gmail. Gmail is a huge resource hog. You should only have 2-3 tabs open and none of them should be gaming sites.

• Turn off extensions you don't use. You don't have to remove them all the way, but when you go to Manage Extensions there is a slider you can move to turn them off.

• Make sure you shut down the computer all the way every night.

• Check for updates occasionally and install them.

• Turn off virtual backgrounds or background blur in Meet.

• In the Meet settings, reduce the video resolution of your camera.

• In Meet, change your layout to "spotlight" or "pin" the teacher. Having more videos on the screen uses more power.

You have options. 

• If the click doesn't work but it senses your finger, use the tap function instead. You don't actually need the click.

• Plug in a mouse

You can fix this by clearing the cache and the cookies.

• On your computer, open Chrome.

• At the top right, click More (ice cream three dots menu)

• Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.

• Choose a time range, like Last hour or All time - this won't delete important information, but you will have to re-sign in to websites.

• Select the types of information you want to remove - Cookies and Cached images and files.

• Click Clear data.

Watch video instructions here: YouTube Instructions

Chromebooks should update automatically when you shut down and restart, but if it is stuck for some reason, use these steps to manually update.

1. Click on the tray in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

2. Click on the gear icon to get to settings.

3. Click on About Chrome OS on the bottom of the left column.

4. Select the Check for updates option.

5. Once the update finishes downloading, click Restart.

Send the Chromebook in for repair. In the meantime, plug in a gaming headset or earbuds with a microphone. 

Submit a repair request using the form and describe the problem. IT staff can factory reset your computer remotely.

Thank you for purchasing insurance! You will file the claim and mail the Chromebook in for repair. The school will provide a loaner while your student's machine is being repaired. To get a loaner, please fill out this form and indicate that you purchased insurance. To file the claim, visit The Securranty Website where you will find instructions.

If the computer is broken, submit a repair request using the form and describe the problem.