C720 screen stays black, blue light on but no fan

I'm experiencing a similar issue with several of our C720 Chromebooks. 

When opening the lid to turn on the Chromebook, the blue light turns on, but the screen remains black.  Attempting a hard reset with Reload-Power does nothing.  Using Esc-Reload-Power combination does send it into developer mode, at which point, we are able to reboot the device and begin using it as normal.  However, after closing the lid again and reopening it, the device goes back to the black screen state and does not turn on.  

We have attempted doing a Powerwash to restore the system, but this does not seem to fix the problem.  Short of a USB restore, are there any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

So after doing a USB restore with the Chromebook Recovery Utility, the problem appears to have been resolved.  I followed the steps laid out here: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1080595

So far, the problem has not reoccurred.  However, the Utility only downloads the latest version of ChromeOS.  Due to specific educational requirements, we need to be on a previous version.  Per Google Support, the only way to do this is to create an image from another computer and then load that on to the USB to be restored.

I hope this helps someone else in a similar situation.

My dead screen odyssey:

My daughter’s Acer C720 display went black. I connected her computer to a HDMI input on my flat screen TV.   (This is a good  test to see if the computer itself was working.)  Everything looked good,but I could not get the Acer display to work.  of course tried everything I found on Google for solving the problem including: (esc, refresh, power key) brightness key, etc.,  While hooked to my tv via the HDMI cable.  I tried “Power Wash” , ” Reset” system. (found under “Advanced Settings”).  No change, screen still black.  Then I downloaded an Acer C720 System Restore from the Google App Store.  The system restore was easy, just follow directions.  Still no display.  I am thinking I am seriously screwed and the display itself is broken.   Still another shot from the old days:  I opened the case and disconnected the battery for a “hardware” reset.  Still nothing.  I then decided to check out the possibility of replacing the display.  I found several sellers on Amazon that sell them for ~$40.

I then looked at a Youtube video showing how to replace a cracked screen.  I decided I should try to see if I could actually remove the screen before ordering a replacement.  Following the Youtube instructions I managed to open the display.  I inspected the wiring, did not see anything wrong.

So, repackaged the display module.  Why reassembling the display I must have accidently hit the power switch, because the Acer booted up and voila!  The display was back to normal!

I can only conclude that one of connectors or wiring had been disturbed.  So far so good, the display seems stable even when I shake the computer.  I hope this helps someone!

Hi,

This happened to me today. I did everything except for throwing it at the wall. The only thing that stopped me was, I tried one last thing. I connected the Chromebook to an external monitor via the HDMI port. The screen came on.

Luckily I have recently replaced the screen on this Chromebook so I knew what to do. If you are unsure,

1 you need to take the screen bezel off. (can be very fiddly. YouTube has videos on how to do all the relevant steps)

2 remove the screws holding the screen in place

3 remove the connect to the screen and plug ii back in again (Chromebook must be powered on at the point)

This worked for me

I tried holding the power button for 30 seconds and the chromebook started to turn on (shows the chrome symbol) and then goes black again. I also tried starting in developer mode and it flashed white and then went black again. Any suggestions?