Skip to main content
  • Place orders quickly and easily
  • View orders and track your shipping status
  • Create and access a list of your products

How To Use the CROSH Diagnostics on a Dell Chromebook

Summary: Learn how to access and use the diagnostics available in the Chrome Operating System. Including information about resolving Chromebook charging issues.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Instructions

Table of Contents:

  1. What are the CROSH diagnostics?
  2. Running the CROSH diagnostics
  3. CROSH Commands
  4. Battery Health Check

What are the CROSH diagnostics?

 

The Chrome operating system does not support the Enhanced Pre-Boot System Assessment (ePSA), Dell BIOS, the F12 boot menu, or DellConnect. There are no pre-boot diagnostics. All troubleshooting is done from inside the operating system. The Chrome Shell (CROSH) and the Chrome URL commands provide some troubleshooting tools, information, and advanced settings.

The CROSH is a command-line interface similar to the Linux Bourne-Again Shell (BASH) or Windows command (cmd.exe) terminals. The Chrome operating system is based on Linux, but CROSH does not recognize most Linux commands.

The most useful commands for troubleshooting would be memtest, storage_test_1 and storage_test_2, ping, and tracepath. Ping works differently than it does in Windows. By default it repeats until you press Ctrl + C, and it does not show any statistics. Tracepath is similar to the Windows traceroute command. A detailed explanation of the commands can be viewed below or by typing help or help_advanced in CROSH.


Running the CROSH diagnostics

 

Note: The CROSH is the Chrome shell which allows you to run tests and other command-line functions similar to Windows cmd.exe or Linux BASH Terminal.

Follow these instructions to open the SHELL:

  1. Open the Chrome Browser.

  2. Press the Ctrl + Alt + t keys simultaneously. The interface appears on-screen.

    Crosh on a Chromebook 11

  3. Type in the CROSH command for diagnostics. Type help for a list of available commands. Type help_advanced to display a more complete list of commands for debugging purposes. Alternatively, you can use the list of commands in Table.1 and Table.2.

Note: Dell does not support running the Chromebook in developer mode or installing an alternate operating system. (For example: Chrobuntu and Crouton.)

CROSH Commands

 

The following Tables list the available commands in CROSH.

Table.1: Help Commands
Command Purpose
exit Exit Crosh Shell.
help Display this help.
help_advanced Display the help for more advanced commands, used for debugging.
ping

[-c count] [-i interval] [-n] [-s packetsize] [-W waittime] < destination >
Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to a network host. If < destination > is "gw," then the next hop gateway for the default route is used.

It works like the ping command on other operating systems. Press Ctrl+C to stop the ping process or stop any other command in Crosh.

ssh [optional args…]
This command starts the ssh subsystem. (If invoked without any arguments.)
"ssh < user > < host >," "ssh < user > < host > < port >," "ssh < user >@< host >." or "ssh < user >@< host > < port >" connect without entering the subsystem.
ssh_forget_host Remove a host from the list of known ssh hosts. This command displays a menu of known hosts and prompts for the host to forget.
top This command sets the chapsd logging level. No arguments start verbose logging.
 
Table.2: Help Advanced Commands
Command Purpose
battery_test [< test length >] Test the battery discharge rate for a given number of seconds. No argument defaults to the 300s test.
bt_console [< agent capability >] Enter a debugging console for Bluetooth. Optional argument specifies the capability of a pairing agent that the console provides; see the Bluetooth Core specification for valid options.
chaps_debug [start | stop | < log_level >] This sets the chapsd logging level. No arguments start verbose logging.
Connectivity Show your connectivity status.
experimental_storage < status | enable | disable > Enable or disable experimental storage features.
ff_debug [< tag_expr >] [--help] [--list_valid_tags] [--reset] Add and remove flimflam debugging tags.
memory_test Perform extensive memory testing on the available free memory.
modem < command > [args...] Interact with the 3G modem. Run "modem help" for detailed help.
modem_set_carrier carrier-name Configure the modem for the specified carrier.
network_diag [--date] [--link] [--show-macs] [--wifi] [--help] [--wifi-mon] < host > A function that performs a suite of network diagnostics. Save a copy of the output to your download directory.
network_logging < wifi | cellular | ethernet > A function that enables a predefined set of tags useful for debugging the specified device.
p2p_update [enable | disable] Enable or disable the peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing of updates over the local network. This both attempts to get updates from other peers in the network and shares the downloaded updates with them. Run this command without arguments to see the current state.
rlz < status | enable | disable > Enable or disable RLZ.
rollback Attempt to rollback to the previous update cached on your Chromebook. Only available on non-stable channels and non-enterprise enrolled devices. This does powerwash your device.
route [-n] [-6] Display the routing tables.
set_apn [-n < network-id >] [-u < username >] [-p < password >] < apn > Set the APN to use when connecting to the network specified by < network-id >. If < network-id > is not specified, use the network-id of the registered network.
set_apn - c Clear the APN to be used, so that the default APN is used instead.
set_arpgw < true | false > Turn on extra network state checking to ensure that the default gateway is reachable.
set_cellular_ppp [-u < username >] [-p < password >] Set the PPP username and/or password for an existing cellular connection. If -u or -p is not provided, show the existing PPP username for the cellular connection.
set_cellular_ppp -c Clear any existing PPP username and PPP password for an existing cellular connection.
sound < command > < argument > Configuring Low-level sound. Can be used to play or record audio samples and enable beam forming on Pixel.
"sound beamforming < on | off >" enables or disables the feature.
"sound record [duration]" starts recording.
"sound play < filename >" plays the recorded audio samples.
storage_status Read storage device SMART health status, vendor attributes, and error log.
storage_test_1 Perform a short offline SMART test.
storage_test_2 Perform an extensive readability test.
syslog < message > Log a message to syslog.
tpcontrol {status | taptoclick [on|off] sensitivity [1-5] | set < property > <value>}
tpcontrol {syntp [on|off]}
Manually adjust advanced touchpad settings.
tracepath [-n] < destination >[/port] Trace the path or route to a network host.
update_over_cellular [enable|disable] Enables or disables the auto updates over cellular networks. Run without arguments to see the current state.
upload crashes Uploads available crash reports to the crash server.
wpa_debug [< debug_level >] [--help] [--list_valid_level] [--reset] Set wpa_supplicant debugging level.
xset m [acc_mult[/acc_div] [thr]]
xset m default
Tweak the mouse acceleration rate.
xset r rate [delay [rate]] Tweak auto-repeat rates. The delay is the number of milliseconds before auto-repeat starts. The rate is the number of repeats per second.
xset r [keycode] < on|off > Turn auto-repeat on or off. If a keycode is specified, it affects only that key. If not specified, it affects global behavior.
 

Battery Health Check

 

Note: You must keep the charge on your battery above 1%. Letting the battery completely discharge can be harmful to your Chromebook. The battery may not charge from a completely discharged state.
  1. Open up the Chrome Browser.

  2. Press the Ctrl + Alt + T keys together (Crosh opens in a new browser tab).

  3. Ensure that the AC adapter is plugged into the Chromebook and into an electrical outlet.

  4. Type battery_test 1 (including the space) into crosh, and then press Enter.

  5. Look for Battery is Charging (percent left).

    Note: This shows that the AC adapter is charging the battery.
  6. Remove the AC adapter from the Chromebook.

  7. Type battery_test 10 (including the space) into crosh, and then press Enter.

    Note: This runs the test for 10 seconds.
  8. Look for Battery health: (with a percent showing.)

    Note:
    1. A Battery health percentage over 50% means that the battery is performing as it should.
    2. When the battery does not charge, go through the following steps: (If you have not already done so)
    3. If the battery still does not charge: Contact Technical Support


Back to Top

Additional Information


Out of Warranty support Out of warranty? That is not a problem. Browse to the Dell.com/support website and enter your Dell Service Tag to view our offers.

NOTE: Offers are only available for customers in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and China with a personal computer. Server and Storage products are not applicable.

Affected Products

Chromebook, Chromebook 11, Chromebook 3100 2-in-1, ChromeBook 3100, Chromebook 3120 (End of Life), Chromebook 11 3180, Chromebook 11 3189, Chromebook 5190 2-in-1, Chromebook 5190, Chromebook 13 3380, Chromebook 7310, ChromeBook 3400 , Inspiron Chromebook 11 3181, Inspiron Chromebook 11 3181 2-in-1, Inspiron Chromebook 7486 ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000132432
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 24 Jul 2024
Version:  10
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.