Chromebook 11, cursor disappears

Hi K.Barker,

Thanks for posting.  Apologies that your systems are having difficulties.

In researching this, it appears to be a software issue, please check the Google references here , here and here.

Thank you, Robert. I've read through all of those posts, and been through all the steps they discuss with no success. The problem always comes back on Dell hardware. If I move the users to an ASUS or Samsung unit, it fixes the problem, so I've isolated my issue to Dell hardware.

Please let me know if Dell decides to look into this issue. We're due to refresh a third of our machines in July, but with this issue affecting more users every week, we'll have to move away from Dell Chromebooks.

Kathryn

I used to have a Dell Chromebook 11 and it would do this from time to time. I would lose functionality of the mouse and have to log out and back in to get it to work. I was using an external logitech mouse. I found that the mouse I had sometimes would have this issue when two usb devices were plugged in and would stop once I unplugged the usb devices. So you might want to check that.

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My Dells: Dell Chromebook 13 3380, Alienware M11xR2

Thanks for the idea.

In our case this is happening with no USB devices in the machine at all. In fact, plugging in an external mouse fixes it as long as the mouse stays plugged in. The Chromebook basically thinks it has no mouse or trackpad installed, so it removes the cursor. As soon as it detects the hardware, either an external mouse or the internal trackpad, the cursor returns. But the idea of hundreds of students having to store and manage external mice is enough to give me nightmares, so we don't think that's a workable solution.

K.Barker,

Since you have "hundreds of students" with these products, your school or educational facility should have a dedicated Technical Account Manager.  I was assuming you were a home consumer, which is my fault and I apologize for not asking for more detail prior to answering your question.  

Please contact your TAM, (your IT department or the purchasing department will know who that person is) and the TAM is responsible for assisting you, as they have your warranty and account information.  Thanks.

Regards,
Robert

Thank you, Robert. I actually am the TAM and I have all the warranty information. However, these Chromebooks were purchased with only a one year warranty which expired a year and a half ago, which is why I'm not pursuing repair through that channel.

k

Let me know if you found the fix because I have the same issue 

I wanted to let you know that I work at a school and have been chasing this issue too. We use the same Dell Chromebook 11 G2. I have seen it for quite a while through several OS updates. It seems to be something tied to the account or to a website the student is visiting. I have had cases where the track pad won't work because the cable is not fully inserted into the trackpad or the motherboard. In these cases the trackpad won't work regardless of who is using the device. This is an easy fix, but is not the cause for most of the issues. I have found that the cursor works fine for state testing, which is used before a student logs into their account. I have swapped out Chromebooks with one that was having the issue, and I used the Chromebook with my own account without any problems, but a known working Chromebook will start having the issues with the student. Wiping the Chromebook seems to work for a little while, a day or a week.
I have a suspicion that it is caused by some websites with interactive elements that perhaps captures cursor movement, and then does not release the cursor afterwords for other web pages, even after the website is closed. In most cases, I see the cursor disappearing with students that are using Spelling City which has games and quizes on it. This could be happening with other sites with games.

My advice would be to look at the website history of the devices and see if you find any common sites. Maybe they are also using Spelling City or playing some game. This has been a very hard issue to track down because the students aren't the best testers, and may also not be very forthcoming about their activities if it involves playing games. I had a student come to me with this issue. She does not use Spelling City, but when I explained my suspension and asked her if she played any games, she said "no." However, in looking in her history there was a website about hairstyles that was not school related, and may have interactive elements. These elements may be the ability to move something around, or even a "next" button in an slideshow site where the button is using Java. My point is that the students may not be truthful or may not understand that it does't have to be a game. Also, I have no idea how wide spread this issue is. There are a lot more students that are using Spelling City then those that report issues, but I suspect many of the students have discovered that if they close and reopen the lid, the cursor comes back most of the time, so they may have just never bothered to report the issue.
The fact that I can use one of these devices with my own account and not have the issue tells me it is not just a hardware issue, though obviously if you are not see the issues on other brands of Chromebooks, there is something going on with the hardware.
I hope to hear what you find. Are you able to reproduce the issue. If there is a test I can run on my end to help you confirm something, please let us know. If I discover a way to reliably reproduce the issue I will post it here.

I recently purchased a Dell Chromebook 11 via the outlet site. I have noticed this same issue. The consistency for me seems to be the cursor disappearing in the following manner: I am using the chromebook, unplugged and I notice the battery is starting to get a bit low (it is not dead but is either red-lining or getting very low and close to red). I pug in power and immediately the cursor disappears.

The fix for me is simply to shut down and restart the chromebook. 

I just wanted to add a follow-up. This may not solve the problem, but may be a tool that helps. I was having account sign in issues a while ago (Profile error occurred) and found I could reset all the synced data to resolve the issue. The profile error indicated that the profile was from a newer version of Chrome. This suggests that the Chromebook did not have the latest version of Chrome, which is not correct, but it is possible this was cause when the student signed into their account on another device.
My point is that if I reset the synced data on a Chromebook, the mouse issues seems to be resolved for a while. In my one test, it was for a week. This is longer then when I wipe the device.
To reset the synced data, go to "https://chrome.google.com/sync?hl=en-US" while logged into the account. The above address should work, even if you have the settings screen blocked.
If you don't have the settings blocked, you can also get there by:
Click on the browser's 3 dots menu.
Click on settings.
In the "People" section, click "Sync."
Click "Manage synced data on Google Dashboard."
At the bottom, click "Reset sync."

Do you have any new information in your attempts to resolve this issue?

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@K.Barker wrote:

I'm seeing the same problem as others with my fleet of Chromebook 11s - students come in with no cursor on the screen and can only work with the keyboard. Rebooting often fixes it, but not always. Connecting a mouse works well, but we don't want to use them. It seems to be happening with the older machines, 2.5 years in service. 

It's a sporadic issue, but I've reproduced it with no extensions (logged in as Guest), and after powerwashing the devices. The one thing I can do to eliminate the problem is move the student to a Samsung or ASUS Chromebook - the problem goes away for good.

Any ideas what could be causing the issue with the 11 model?

 

 

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Barker,

By chance were you seeing the issue with the track pad not allowing the student to use the pad as a mouse? I'm also a Director for a School and we have couple thousand of these CB and we are seeing the devices track pad stop working. We reboot the device sometimes it works but most of the time that doesn't solve the issue. However we have found out if we turn the device off over night it starts working the next day. We too have reached out to Google and Google says it's not software issue. So that's why I've reached out to see if you have had any luck?

smichael,

It sounds like you're seeing the same issue. For us, it's simply faded in importance as time has passed. Summer of 2017 we purchased a newer model from Dell, maybe the 3198?, and then summer 2018 we moved to ASUS devices. Now with only a third of our users on these Chromebook 11s, I haven't had any calls about it in months.

I wish I had more detail to share.