Preparing Chromebooks for Storage

Table of Contents:

1. Overview
2. Battery Management
3. Prepare your Chromebooks for Long-Term Storage
4. Chromebook Battery Long-Term Storage Best Practices
5. Get your Chromebooks Ready for Back to School

Overview

Dell cares about your School and Students. We want to make sure you know how to store Chromebooks over long periods (summer break). This will help avoid any charging or battery issues when the Chromebooks are put back into service.

Here are the best practices to help your Dell Chromebooks hold a charge over the summer break, making for a more pleasant back to School experience.

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Battery Management

Chromebook batteries, after the first power-up will slowly discharge even after the system is turned off. If the battery is allowed to discharge below 1%, it may enter a permanent failure mode rendering it useless.

A Chromebook is released from shipping mode from the time it is first powered on. From that point forward, with the system turned off, a battery starting at 100% charge will retain its charge for approximately 6 months. Batteries starting with 50% charge will retain charge for approximately 3 months.

Dell recommends that customers properly prepare their Chromebooks for long-term storage. This best practice should eliminate or reduce the possibility of premature battery failure.

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Prepare your Chromebooks for Long-Term Storage

1. Update to the latest version of the Chrome OS and charge your Chromebooks so that the battery is at least 80% full. This ensures that even when the battery discharges while unplugged over the summer, power is not fully depleted.
2. In order to slow the discharge rate during storage, use the same process that the factory uses before they ship devices.
   Note: DO NOT physically remove the battery from the Chromebook for storage, but instead follow the steps below.
   1. Connect device to charger and turn on.
   2. With the AC Adapter that is connected to the device, put the device in "Battery Cut-off mode." Hold Refresh + Power simultaneously for at least 3 seconds.
   3. While holding these keys, remove the power cable from device, and then release the keys. Device should shut down and remain off.
   4. Attempt to power the unit on using the power button.
   5. If the unit does not power on, you have completed the steps and can safely store the system.
   6. If the unit powers on, you should repeat steps A to E.
   7. Store it in a cool, dry place, and near 78 F (25 C).

This is the ideal way to store devices, as it reduces battery discharge to a minimal rate. It prevents constant charge or discharge from reducing the battery life and keeps the Chromebook in a stable, powered off state.

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Chromebook Battery Long-Term Storage Best Practices

To mitigate the number of Chromebooks that need to be, put into storage mode. The following scenarios and suggestions are provided depending on your long-term storage usage.

Classroom storage:
If the Chromebooks are stored in the classroom such as on a cart or other storage means. If possible (depending on the age of the student), have the teacher walk through the step with the students on the last day of use. Otherwise depending on the size of the class, have the teacher and maybe a teacher's aid, follow the process.

Student retains system for summer break:
Provide the process to the student that will take the Chromebook home. Suggest a letter that can be sent home with the student advising of the process.

1. If the student is going to use the Chromebook over the summer, this would not be a concern.
2. If the student is going to store the Chromebook, at home over the summer, it is best to be put in storage mode.

IT department storage (turn in Chromebook):
If the students turn the Chromebook into the IT dept or Lab, you could do the following to avoid additional work load on the IT staff:

1. Have the teachers assist with putting Chromebooks into storage mode before turning them in (similar to Classroom storage). Then the IT team can press the power button to ensure it is in storage mode.
2. As part of the turn in process, have the IT team provide the steps to putting the Chromebook into storage mode as part of the process. Then again, the IT team can press the power button to ensure it is in storage mode, before receiving it.

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Get your Chromebooks Ready for Back to School

Before classes resume, get the Chromebooks ready for students.

1. Connect the Chromebooks to a charger and a power source, which will get them out of the battery disconnect state.
2. Power up your devices.
3. Connect your Chromebooks to WiFi and update them to the latest Chrome OS release. Note this can take time, as multiple Chrome OS versions may have been released since the last time the device was updated.

The Chromebooks should be ready to go after these steps.

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