Source
r/k12sysadmin•
hardrockfoo

HP 11 G4 motherboard problems

We started our 1:1 program last year with HP 11 Chromebooks in the middle schools. We had given G3's and G4's to 7th and 8th grade, and G4 EE's to 6th grade. With each student keeping their Chromebook until 9th grade (we just started high school 1:1 this year) the new 6th graders received brand new G4 EE's.

It seems like almost an epidemic this year with how many motherboards are going bad. Almost none of the 6th graders new chromebooks are having issues, but the 7th and 8th grade ones are dropping like flies. Problems range from the screen "glitching out" then going black (this is repeatable with a slight flex to the motherboard), the system not being able to read storage saying there's a missing OS and won't reinstall from a flash drive, and a blank screen. All of these I have plugged into a second monitor to confirm it's not the video cable or screen.

Is anyone else having issues like this? Does anyone have a solution to the issue? Using a heat gun seems to work for a while, but the issue tends to come back.

Posted Feb 2, 2018, 4:56 PM UTC

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xCutie4Evax•

I have the same issue you have with the HP Chromebook 11 G4's. I get at the least one Chromebook a day. The back light fuse on the board goes out and needs to be reworked with proper equipment. I have at least 200 Chromebooks that have the same issue and I just cannibalize the parts that can be salvaged.

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EduTech309•

We have experienced all of the issues you identified above with 11 G4EE units. We have around 700 of these units and have replaced nearly 3 dozen boards this year. Are your students using them in 'work in' cases? I'm wondering if heat build up from the devices being used in the cases is contributing to the issue.

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hardrockfooOP•

We actually use plastic snap on cases. I was wondering the same about overheating

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EduTech309•

We are pulling them out of cases and only using cases for transport going forward. Have you received any info from HP direct on this?

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chevyman142000Network Administrator•

We are using G4 EE's and I am not aware of any that have had that issue. We have had quite a few batteries go bad already though.

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Sunstealer73•

We have about 1500 of that model. We've had a few batteries go bad and then a few where replacing the battery doesn't fix the charging problem. I don't think we've had any of the issues you mentioned.

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xmcnuggetx•

G4 EEs here too. Many batteries failed, screens cracked or just cable loose, and a few of the power ports. Only 1 or 2 motherboard issues.

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thetriage•

We've got about 1000 of them. Your issues, bad keypads, charging. We lose 7 a week on average. I've begged my director to buy a different model but I believe there are some kickbacks he's getting that benefit him personally.

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hardrockfooOP•

Because of Indiana pre-approval of all HP products, that's all we buy. I'd kill to have Dells back

1