Dell Chromebook 11 3180 Troubleshooting

The battery does not last very long after being unplugged.

Ensure that the computer is receiving power. The first way to check is to look on your desktop. When plugged in, turn the computer on, and check the battery icon at the bottom right of the screen. If your computer is successfully being charged, the battery icon will have a lightning bolt image on it. When plugged in and successfully charging, there will also be a light on the front right side of the top/keyboard face of the laptop, a few inches from the front right corner. If this light is not illuminated, your charging hardware may be faulty. The most likely fix to this problem is to get a new charger.

If you confirm that the charger is working and your computer is receiving power then you may have a faulty battery. To fix this, purchase a new battery and follow this guide. The battery can be found here on Amazon.

The computer feels bogged down and cannot handle all of the tasks running on it.

Check the memory usage of your device. To do this, open your task manager by hitting shift + s and looking at the memory drop down of tasks running on your computer. The Dell Chromebook 11 3180 has 2 GB of RAM and if your tasks get close or exceed using this much memory, your computer will slow down. You can calculate your current memory usage by adding each value under the Memory tab in the task manager. In order to free up memory, you can click on a task in the task manager you want to close and in the lower right of the task manager click End Process. End any processes that you recognize and that are not necessary to be running at the time.

If you have made sure that your system isn't bogged down with too many processes, it's likely that your RAM is having problems. Because the RAM is soldered in, you'll need to replace the motherboard to fix this problem. Follow this guide to do so.

Keys feel crunchy or sticky, or do not work at all

First, try using a bottle of compressed air, or a vacuum with a flexible hose/brush tip to try to clean the keyboard from the top side with it still fully assembled. If you aren’t able to remove enough debris so that the keyboard works again, you most likely will need to replace the keyboard. Follow this guide on how to properly replace your keyboard.

If pushing any key on the keyboard simply does nothing, it’s possible your keyboard became disconnected from the motherboard or it is faulty. Refer to our guide on Keyboard replacement here to resolve this problem. If the keyboard was unplugged, try plugging it back in and seeing if it works. If it was already plugged in, continue to replace it.

The screen feels loose and will not stay in desired position.

Check if the hinges are screwed on tight. To check the hinge screws, open the bottom case to see the screws inside the case. Being able to see if the hinges screws are fasten tightly, follow this guide on how to properly open your laptop's case and check the hinge screws. If the hinges screws continue to loosen, you may apply loctite to the screws so they can be secured.

Check to see if the hinges exterior is visibly cracked or damaged. Begin by inspecting the hinges while the laptop is closed and look for any visible crack. Following your inspection with the laptop being closed, flip open the screen and inspect the hinges. If you come across a visible crack or damage hinge, follow this guide on how to properly replace a damage/crack hinge.

If the physical body of the computer is loose, makes unusual noises, or has cracks

Check to see if the exterior bottom of your computer is visibly cracked or damaged. Rotate your laptop to view all visible exterior locations at the bottom for a quick inspection. If your computer is intact then your case is not cracked and you should continue on to other possible causes for loose parts. However, if there is visible damage then you should consider ordering a bottom cover case. Once the bottom cover case has arrived follow this guide on how to properly remove and replace it on your computer.

If moving your computer causes unusual noises or feels as if parts are moving internally, then it is possible that some parts may have come loose inside your computer. Refer to this guide on opening the bottom cover case. The guide will assist you in removing the bottom cover case in order to discover what is loose inside your computer. Once you have identified the loose component, see if there are screws that you can tighten to reattach the component. If these screws repeatedly come loose, try using Loctite or a similar product to keep the screws in place. If there is no obvious way to reattach the component and you are in a bind, you can try using a very small amount of superglue or other strong adhesive. Disclaimer: only apply adhesive to plastic surfaces of your device. If you get it on electrical components, it may cause other issues.

Screen doesn't display anything, or has distorted colors, or dead pixels.

It is possible that the connectors between the screen and motherboard have been disrupted. Follow this guide on how to replace the screen, and first make sure that your current screen is hooked up properly. If everything is connected as it should be, or if the screen has obvious damage like cracks or scratches, you most likely need to replace your screen.

If everything is connected as it should be, or if the screen has obvious damage like cracks or scratches, you most likely need to replace your screen. Follow this guide to replace your damaged screen. You can find replacelment screens here, among other online vendors.