Chromebooks on MPS WiFi may sometimes be unable to access websites that are normally accessible. Sometimes, the problem seems to affect a random set of students each hour. At other times, it seems specific students are affected more frequently. This issue can be caused by several different problems. Therefore, there is no single solution. This article contains a growing list of troubleshooting steps to address all known problems that can cause this issue.

Symptoms

If you have any of these symptoms, please try all of the troubleshooting steps.

1. An error message is displayed stating that the web page could not be reached or the network is offline.

2. Pages are completely white.

3. Pages only partially load.

4. A login prompt appears at the top of the screen mentioning a proxy or iBoss.

5. Any mention of iBoss on the screen even though the web page is an approved educational website.

 

Troubleshooting Steps

This list will be updated as new solutions are found.

1. Remove known networks (especially MPS Guest and MPS Sponsor).

• Log in as the student.
• Click on the time to bring up the system menu.
• Click on the gear icon to open the settings page.
• Click Network on the left-hand side.
• Click on WiFi.
• Click on Known Networks.
• Click on the three dot icon next to each network and forget every network you can.
• You will not be able to forget the following networks:
  • Midland Public Schools
  • MPS Device
  • MPS Bus WiFi

NOTE: There is often a glitch on the known networks page where the network is still visible in the list after forgetting it. If you clicked the button to forget, just keep doing the same for the other networks until you get through all of them. Then, refresh the page to ensure they all disappear. If you still see one after refreshing the page, try forgetting it and refreshing again.

2. Ensure the device is connected to Midland Public Schools WiFi.

• Never use MPS Device.
• ​Never use MPS Guest.
• Never use MPS Sponsor.
• If the student attempts to connect to any of these networks, you will need to follow the instructions in step 1 to remove it again.

NOTE: If you see a red configuration error next to Midland Public Schools on the available WiFi networks list, sign out of the Chromebook, sign back in, and try connecting to Midland Public Schools again. If you are still unable to connect to Midland Public Schools, please contact the help desk to let us know there is a problem with your WiFi access point. Do not attempt to connect to MPS Guest or MPS Device as a work-around.

3. Remove all user-installed extensions.

• The link to remove extensions is: chrome://extensions
• You can also get there by opening Chrome, clicking the three vertical dot icon in the upper right corner, More Tools, and Extensions.
• Remove every extension that has a remove button.
• If the student requires an extension for accessibility (OpenDyslexic font, screen reader, translation), you can temporarily disable it using the slider instead of clicking the remove button. You can re-enable accessibility extensions after verifying you can get to the webpage you are trying to use. Be sure to test the web page again after re-enabling an extension.

NOTE: If you find an extension that breaks a website, please contact the help desk.

4. Sign out of Savvas Easy Bridge and Clever.

• If you are unable to load either of these websites, ignore this step and move onto step 5.
• Otherwise, be sure to sign out of both Savvas and Clever by clicking the icon or link in the upper right corner of each page.
• Close each tab after you sign out.

5. Clear browsing data with a time range of all time.

• The link to clear browsing data is: chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
• You can also click the time, then the gear icon, then clear browsing data under privacy and settings.
• Always choose All Time. Choosing a range less than All Time will not fix anything.
• Be sure to select cookies and other site data along with cached images and files.

6. Restart the Chromebook.

• Press the power button and select Power Off.
• Wait for power light to turn off indicating the Chromebook as completely powered off.
• Press the power button to turn it back on.
• Sign back in as the student.

7. Sign into Clever.

• Open a new tab.
• Click the home icon to the left of the address bar to get to Clever.
• Sign in with Google.

 

Before Testing the Website Again

Important things to consider

Bookmarks and Shortcuts

• Never use a bookmark, shortcut, or a remembered link from your browsing history in the address bar to test a web page.
  • These links can include temporary information that may have become invalid over time.
• Clever is especially prone to this kind of breakage:
  • Clever sets up a temporary connection to an app or website.
  • Creating a shortcut directly to that app or website will bypass Clever.
  • If Clever is bypassed, your temporary connection to the app or website will eventually fail, and the shortcut will break.
  • Always go through the entire process of logging into Clever before opening an app or website that you would normally get to through Clever.
  • For example, to get to Envisions Math:
    • Log into Clever.
    • Open Savvas Easy Bridge.
    • Open Envisions Math. 

 

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If the previous steps did not resolve your issue:

1. Reset Chrome to default settings.

• The link to reset Chrome is: chrome://settings/resetProfileSettings
• You can also get there by opening Chrome, clicking the three vertical dot icon, Settings, Advanced (bottom of page), Restore settings to their original defaults (bottom of page).
• Click the button to reset settings.
• Restart the Chromebook by shutting down and turning it back on.

2. Remove and reload the user profile.

• On the login screen, click the small down arrow next to the user's profile picture.
• Click remove this user.
• Click remove this user again to confirm.
• If this was the only user on the Chromebook, you will be asked to enter the email and password again to sign in. Otherwise, click add person in the lower left of the screen to add the user again.
• After the user has signed back into the Chromebook, wait a few minutes for all extensions and apps to reinstall. This happens automatically, but it does take some time.
• It is possible that some extensions might not work the very first time they run after being freshly installed. You may need to sign out and sign back in for everything to load.