Otherwise, pick the option to Install/Update Full ROM Firmware (usually the third option). A menu with boot options opens. Eventually, you will land on the same setup screen you saw when you first set up your Chromebook. Turn on your device while you repeatedly press the boot key. You can verify this by going to. Congratulations: your Chromebook is no longer special! on the setup screens to get to the part where you pick your Wi-Fi network. This means that Google offers an officially sanctioned way of reviving old computers with Chrome OS. Jul 2, 2019 Let us know in the comments below if there are any Macs you want to bring back to life and if you choose to try our CloudReady how your experience goes! Google claims enterprises can get up to 295% return on their investment with Chromebooks and save three hours per device per worker over a three-year period. Depending on your internet connection and the pen drive read/write speeds, this process can take a while. You will need to periodically create a new CloudReady USB stick to take advantage of updates to the operating system if you choose to not permanently install it. Additionally, since older PCs do not have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), ChromeOS Flex cannot provide hardware-level encryption. This computer also sports a touchscreen to offer a tablet mode for one more way to get things done. 2. NayuOS is a free Chrome OS or CloudReady alternative project developed by Nexedi using Chromebook as part of development tools. Just one . You must connect your PC or laptop to the internet during setup and log in to your Google account to sync your files and photos. All of that means that Chrome OS Flex is set to be the go-to way to install Chrome OS on a PC or a Mac. Insert your USB stick and click or tap Next. Install ChromeOS Flex on your device. With up to 10 hours of battery life you'll be able to do plenty. To install Chrome OS Flex, youll need a USB drive to create a bootable device, with a capacity of at least 8GB. From here, you can choose if CloudReady gets fully installed, and install some proprietary components. cd; curl -LO https://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh && sudo bash firmware-util.sh. But a brand new Chromebook doesn't make an existing machine any better, and new hardware is a quick way to blow through an IT budget. Is there an old out-of-date Mac that you desperately miss using? Your PC's specs and other factors determine Chrome OS Flex's boot speed, power savings, and battery life improvements. One company that has built on top of Chromium is Neverware. Heres how to get CloudReady up and running on an old Mac. Google and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. It takes about 20 minutes to build the USB installer. Living in rural Kansas with his wife and two young boys makes finding ways to get and stay online tricky. Readers like you help support XDA Developers. From experience: if it seems like everything is right, but the installer just wont work, try a different USB stick. Also works on my Raspberry Pi 4 8GB Android 13 For Raspberry Pi 4 Is GOOD! The biggest drawback with ChromeOS Flex is that it misses out on Google Play access and does not support running Android apps. Follow these steps. By the way, if your Chromebook is 5-6 years old when you open it up to remove the write protection? You can install CloudReady on your PC or Mac to get Chromebook-like features on your computer, like cloud storage and web apps. Note: ChromeOS Flex does not support most of the newer Mac models.Learn more. A few missing features, but a nice way to revive old systems. The Android version does. Additionally, this news could open up the possibility for Google to extend the EOL dates for existing Chrome OS devices Neverware supports its certified hardware for up to 13 years from the original release date, which would make for a solid step up. CloudReady is an operating system that is based on Chromium OS, just like Google's official Chrome OS. The process is the same as a clean install of Windows, Linux, or MacOS and will completely wipe your drive. Hold down Ctrl and Alt and press the second key to the right of the Esc key, whether thats a forward or refresh arrow. From neverware.com, select CloudReady Editions Home Install Home Edition. Move anything you want to keep to either Google Drive or onto a USB drive. And how do you install it on your old PC or laptop? Ken Manheimer - You just download the software from Neverware's site and follow the instructions to create a. Step 2: Prepare the flash drive for installation To install ChromeOS Flex, you'll. Great YouTube Performance.https://youtu.be/MMTW3up2hJUUse your Chromebook as a Monitor. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). NayuOS like CLoudReady OS. Enter your Gmail address or email that's associated with your Google account, and click Next. CloudReady has officially only certified 11 Mac models, but its likely youll be able to get the OS up and running on non-certified Intel machines as well. There are lots of beloved old Mac models that wed love to bring back from the dead. I would like to install over CloudReady the Chrome OS Dell 7486 configuration in order to get Android support. Every time you turn it on, it will boot to CloudReady instead of the original operating system. Before you install it on your computer, boot it from a USB drive and make sure that your mouse or touchpad, keyboard, Wi-Fi, and other devices work. If you have an old PC or laptop, install ChromeOS Flex on it to give it a new life. Jul 3, 2019 Be aware that even fully functional non-certified devices might start having significant issues at any time. Chromium OS running on Raspberry Pi 400. I installed CloudReady on an ex-Windows Dell 7591 2 in 1 laptop. To create the bootable, youll also need Google Chrome installed on a Chrome OS, Windows, or Mac device. Locate the Extensions button at the top right, and click Manage extensions. Learn more about how CloudReady is different from Chrome OS, Learn how to install CloudReady on an uncertified device, With the automatic USB Maker (recommended), Find the most common models and their boot keystroke. Scott Dyksterhuis 2 years ago Edited Hi All Given the fact that is almost impossible to get hold of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet I've started wondering if it would be possible to install Cloudready on the Amazon Fire HD 10 and get a similar device? The panel is located in the upper-right corner, next to the Omnibox/URL bar. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. It is based on Chromium rather than Chrome. But there are some subtle differences: None of these except maybe the lack of Google Play Store will really change how you use the machine. This way, you also reduce e-waste and do your bit to save the planet. You might want to try setting your USB as the primary or first boot option. But it is definitely possible. Jul 6, 2019 Since Google cannot control the distribution of this version, Chrome OS Flex is missing a few features. Here's how to create a USB installer for CloudReady: Launch the CloudReady USB maker program that you downloaded from Neverware. If you don't, the USB installer creation process may not work. If your relative only uses their computer for basic email and social media, this is a great way to make their computer more secure. Make sure to back up all crucial data from the drive, as it is wiped clean while installing Chrome OS Flex. how to tell if your Windows computer is 64- or 32-bit. The process is a little more complicated, and Neverware recommends you use Windows instead, but it is possible. Both Neverware and Google take the base code from the Chromium OS open source project and add their own proprietary code to create a working operating system. Check your BIOS or UEFI settings to make sure the ability to boot from USB is turned on. If youre comfortable with the possibility of issues occurring, you can try ChromeOS Flex on non-certified models. After installing ChromeOS Flex, check out the best Chrome OS tips and tricks that will help you become a power user. If adding a Wi-Fi network, click on your network, or enter the SSID and click Connect. See. Note that the second character after the first dash is a capital oh O, not a zero. For enterprises, Google provides Chrome Enterprise Upgrade that lets you remotely manage all ChromeOS Flex-running PCs. When youre done, though, your Chromebook will be running CloudReady, a virtual clone of Chrome OS. ), press the Esc key. Though I don't need to do this yet, I think the idea is terrific (like Crouton, which also has added surprising value to these modest machines), and appreciate the clarity and thoroughness with which this was written. Readers like you help support Android Police. Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Youll then get an icon in the launcher that you can add to your shelf. The rest of the data on the computer, including any images or videos you have saved, will also be gone. But you can also just experience Chrome OS Flex from the USB drive itself, without installing it. Even in the case of Google Music aka YT Music, the Chrome PWA version and the web version don't support casting from the app. Google Chrome must be installed on your PC to access the Chromebox utility. If you don't have one, chances are you've come across one at least once, whether it was in your work environment, your classroom, or from a friend. promises to make your old Windows or MacBook usable again, How to activate an eSIM on every major US carrier, Google Chrome wants you to notice Memory Saver with these features in the works. has been able to download and install CloudReady Home edition for free. Select the bootable USB installer from the list as the boot device, and boot into the drive . This could be particularly troublesome for users whose devices don't support Linux for Chrome OS (Beta) unsuspecting Flatpak users may lose the ability to install Linux apps without even realizing it and VirtualBox users won't be able to run Linux as a virtual machine. Theyre finicky, and sometimes the cheap or free ones will work when the expensive one you actually bought will not. Called Chrome OS Flex, this operating system allows Windows and Mac users to test out Chrome OS on their systems, or even install it. For older, pre-2018 Chrome devices, this guide may still be useful. Installation (from USB) If you're a Windows User you're in luck as there is the cloudready installer which can be downloaded from the CloudReady Home - Free Download page just scroll down a little till you see the USB Maker option. Thread starter ccoltmanm; Start date . Once you have CloudReady installed, you can use it as you would a Chromebook. Ubuntu Web has the same, familiar Ubuntu base, which provides you with the ability to sync with /e/ Cloud, a privacy-focused alternative to Google's Cloud syncing services. The script will do its thing (perhaps asking you to confirm you want to do this one more time). for write protect [name of Chromebook], replacing that bracket with your Chromebook model. If your company cannot afford to switch to Chromebooks at one go due to the investment size, ChromeOS Flex is a great viable solution as it works on existing hardware. Setup steps Create your USB installer with the ChromeOS Flex image. To install Chrome OS Flex, you need to install the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension in your Google Chrome browser and follow the steps to create a bootable USB drive. Rajesh has been writing for Android Police since 2021, covering news, how-tos, and features. Reply. Switch between stable, beta & dev software, For non-certified models, follow the same steps that you take to install ChromeOS Flex on certified models. The computer you use to make your USB installer can be a different computer than the one you plan to install CloudReady on. Additional hardware features, such as CD/DVD drives, fingerprint readers, FireWire ports, Infrared (IR) and face recognition cameras, proprietary connectors and docks, stylus and active pen input, and Thunderbolt. Android Central is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. While Google only guarantees the functionality of this operating system on certified models, it is possible to install Chrome OS Flex on other devices. CloudReady makes it possible to use old Macs today with modern websites and web apps. Much better usability. You can try for either the generic name of your Chromebook (Acer Chromebook 14), or look on the device for the specific model number (CB3-431-C5EX). You can search iFixit to see if weve got a guide to removing the write-protect mechanism on your specific machineI contributed to the guide for the 2013 Chromebook Pixel write protect screw. Click the recovery utility from the Extension panel in Chrome. Use the 64-bit version unless you're going to install CloudReady on an older 32-bit computer. Click your user icon in the lower right corner of the system tray. When Google acquired CloudReady developer Neverware, we knew it was a matter of time before consequences were felt by users. Now that the company is a part of Google, the future of the Home Edition is clouded. CloudReady is intended to turn old Windows and Mac computers into snappy Chromebooks for schools and businesses. But when I open settings there is no Linux (beta) option. Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. Just last year, Google acquired Neverware, the company behind CloudReady. Google also says encrypted data may be at risk if the system in question doesnt have a supported TPM chip. Boot your device using your USB installer. Select 64-bit or 32-bit, and click or tap Next. However, this varies by model. You can head over to the Chrome web store to find Chrome apps for your device, although many apps arent up-to-date and likely wont be supported much longer. Click or tap Download 64-BIT or Download 32-BIT . Under the Extensions button, launch the Chrome Recovery Utility extension by clicking on it. If you right-click the icon, you can change the website to open in a dedicated window rather than a new tab. This process is a little different on Windows than it is on MacOS and Chrome OS, and Neverware recommends that you use Windows for this step even if you aren't planning on installing CloudReady on a Windows computer. After creating the bootable USB, head over to your old PC or MacBook on which you want to install ChromeOS Flex. XDA Senior Member alesimulahas put together a guide on how to install it officially on any device, whether it's a PC or a tablet. Ive been looking for a way to make older android tablets useful through cloudready for a while now, but cant find anywhere if its even possible.