- Location
- Switzerland
- Name
- Matt
I only post this thread to let you all know about something rather annoying and potentially catastrophic:
My Acer Chromebook CB3-431, a 14" model with a really nice case and screen, started acting up a while ago. Twice before, it had ended up with a damaged OS already, and recovery took *everything* I had on that Chromebook with it. Of course, that could have been avoided by synching with the cloud, most notably Google Drive, which is the default method and is activated by default. However, if you work offline, that's not an option, and external storage becomes a must (when on the go, I do backups religiously).
So, dire consequences can be avoided - if and only if the Chromebook runs stable. But a couple of days ago, a really bad pattern emerged - essentially, the Chromebook now dies in mid-session, taking the OS with it, so full recovery, and hence, complete configuration and equally complete file loss ensues. It just did this again, for the fourth time in six days.
I've never seen another device type that makes it completely impossible to rescue data upon hardware and/or system failure.
I'll try again (twice, at the most) to get the CB3-431 back up and running, but frankly, it doesn't seem worth the effort in spite of the fact that there seems no real hardware issue - once it's up and running, it appears to work fine. Sadly, getting it fixed probably costs more than a new device, too (this is one of the downsides of living in Switzerland ...). Heck, even getting a quote might be too expensive (it's hardly ever free in this country).
So, guys, either do as Google tells you and sync to Google Drive - or face the consequences. For me, as much as I actually enjoy using these frugal machines, I have serious doubts whether I should continue doing so - I don't like being forced to use a service I don't want.
On the other hand, my resurrected first Chromebook, the Acer C720 I use to write this on, has encountered a comparable failure just once, and that was actually induced by a botched system update in its early days, and in spite of its minimal specs, continues to work just fine. The C720 is not able to run Google Play/Android apps though, and its screen is seriously subpar (narrow viewing angles, heavy colour casts ...).
Anyway, enough complaining; it's basically a self-induced ordeal I'm going through. But I hope it's worthy of other people's attention.
Basically, you've been warned ...
M.
My Acer Chromebook CB3-431, a 14" model with a really nice case and screen, started acting up a while ago. Twice before, it had ended up with a damaged OS already, and recovery took *everything* I had on that Chromebook with it. Of course, that could have been avoided by synching with the cloud, most notably Google Drive, which is the default method and is activated by default. However, if you work offline, that's not an option, and external storage becomes a must (when on the go, I do backups religiously).
So, dire consequences can be avoided - if and only if the Chromebook runs stable. But a couple of days ago, a really bad pattern emerged - essentially, the Chromebook now dies in mid-session, taking the OS with it, so full recovery, and hence, complete configuration and equally complete file loss ensues. It just did this again, for the fourth time in six days.
I've never seen another device type that makes it completely impossible to rescue data upon hardware and/or system failure.
I'll try again (twice, at the most) to get the CB3-431 back up and running, but frankly, it doesn't seem worth the effort in spite of the fact that there seems no real hardware issue - once it's up and running, it appears to work fine. Sadly, getting it fixed probably costs more than a new device, too (this is one of the downsides of living in Switzerland ...). Heck, even getting a quote might be too expensive (it's hardly ever free in this country).
So, guys, either do as Google tells you and sync to Google Drive - or face the consequences. For me, as much as I actually enjoy using these frugal machines, I have serious doubts whether I should continue doing so - I don't like being forced to use a service I don't want.
On the other hand, my resurrected first Chromebook, the Acer C720 I use to write this on, has encountered a comparable failure just once, and that was actually induced by a botched system update in its early days, and in spite of its minimal specs, continues to work just fine. The C720 is not able to run Google Play/Android apps though, and its screen is seriously subpar (narrow viewing angles, heavy colour casts ...).
Anyway, enough complaining; it's basically a self-induced ordeal I'm going through. But I hope it's worthy of other people's attention.
Basically, you've been warned ...
M.
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