Troubleshoot ChromeOS Flex devices

If you’re having trouble automatically updating ChromeOS Flex devices, go to ChromeOS version doesn't autoupdate.

ChromeOS Flex devices, particularly laptops, are sometimes unable to detect Wi-Fi networks, or they show their Wi-Fi as being turned off.

If devices can’t find a Wi-Fi network or device Wi-Fi seems to be turned off, try the following:

• Turn off and on Wi-Fi using the device’s Wi-Fi button or key, if it has one.
• Use keyboard shortcut to turn off and on Wi-Fi.
• Use a combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and keyboard shortcuts:
  • Wi-Fi on, Bluetooth on
  • Wi-Fi on, Bluetooth off
  • Wi-Fi off, Bluetooth off
  • Wi-Fi off, Bluetooth on
• Turn off and on Wi-Fi in the quick settings panel at the bottom right of the screen.

If the ChromeOS Flex device still can’t find or to connect to a Wi-Fi network, gather information about your issue and contact Chrome Enterprise support.

Switchable graphics refers to the graphics found in any model device that contains 2 GPUs, 1 low-power and 1 high-performance, that you can alternate between. Nvidia Optimus is an example of computer GPU switching technology. ChromeOS Flex doesn’t support switchable graphics, where devices automatically switch to high-performance GPUs only when needed, without prompting the user. Instead, ChromeOS Flex selects a single GPU from those that are available and uses it all the time.

From time to time, certified ChromeOS Flex devices might come in variants that have unsupported GPU options. For details about supported GPUs and settings that you might need to apply, see the Certified models list.

Tips

You’ll find settings to control GPU features, if available, in the BIOS or UEFI settings on your device.

• Possible setting names include Video, Graphics, and Advanced. Use the setting to target the specific GPU you want to use, instead of leaving it up to ChromeOS Flex to choose.
• For longer battery life or lower power use, look for settings that include integrated or intel. ChromeOS Flex is designed to minimize the strain on hardware and perform well even on lower powered graphics.
• For maximum graphics performance, look for settings that include discrete, Nvidia, ATI, or AMD.
• If you find multiple settings that are similar, you might need to experiment with different combinations of settings to see what works best for you.

If ChromeOS Flex devices in your organization show low hard drive volume or storage, make sure that ephemeral mode is turned on.

• In your Google Admin console, on the Device settings page, make sure that User data is set to Erase all local user data. For details about the setting, go to Set ChromeOS device policies.

Read about Ephemeral mode.

After installing ChromeOS Flex, if your device boots to the ChromeOS Flex splash screen but fails to boot past it, try the following:

1. Reset the BIOS to default settings.
2. Check your device's boot mode. Set Boot Mode settings to UEFI, if available.
   Note: Some devices only successfully install ChromeOS Flex with Boot Mode set to Legacy. So, if the installation fails, try switching Boot Mode to Legacy instead.
3. Check to see if your device has Optimus or switchable graphics. If yes, turn them off.
4. Re-install the latest Stable release of ChromeOS Flex. Try a different USB device as your installer, especially if it's a Sandisk. See USB drive issues.
5. If you’re still having issues, swap the device's HDD from a working ChromeOS Flex device to the problematic device. Sometimes, hardware issues cause the OS boot to fail.

ChromeOS Flex is reading the device's TPM state as locked. However, not all ChromeOS Flex devices use the hardware TPM. From time to time, the error is wrongly shown—the TPM might be locked but it’s not being used by the OS.

You have two options:

• Wait until the countdown finishes and then sign in to the device—Be aware that the next time you sign in you will still see the error.
• Deactivate TPM—Recommended. For details, go to Use TPM with ChromeOS Flex.