Breathe New Life into Your Old PC: How to Install Chrome OS Flex Today

Is your aging laptop or desktop PC gathering dust, a relic of a bygone era? Don’t toss it just yet! Google’s Chrome OS Flex offers a fantastic opportunity to revitalize older hardware, transforming it into a sleek, cloud-focused machine. This guide will walk you through the simple steps of installing Chrome OS Flex, breathing new life into your existing device.

What is Chrome OS Flex?

Essentially, Chrome OS Flex is Google’s answer to giving new purpose to older devices. Built upon the foundation of Neverware’s CloudReady, Chrome OS Flex allows you to run a lightweight, secure, and user-friendly operating system on almost any PC or Mac. It’s a perfect solution for those seeking a streamlined computing experience focused on web browsing, cloud applications, and essential tasks. Current CloudReady users will be migrated to Chrome OS Flex when the stable version is available.

What You’ll Need

Before diving in, ensure your machine meets the basic requirements:

• Processor: 64-bit Intel or AMD
• RAM: At least 4GB
• Storage: Minimum 16GB
• USB Drive: At least 8GB

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

Let’s get started with the installation process:

1. Install Chromebook Recovery Utility

The Chromebook Recovery Utility, a Chrome browser extension, is your key to creating the bootable USB drive. If you haven’t already, download and install Google Chrome for your operating system:

• Download Google Chrome for Windows
• Download Google Chrome for Mac
• Download Google Chrome for Linux

Once Chrome is installed, install the Chromebook Recovery Utility from the Chrome Web Store. This tool will help you create the installation media for Chrome OS Flex.

2. Launch Chromebook Recovery Utility

Open Chrome and click the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) in the top-right corner. Find and click on “Chromebook Recovery Utility” in the dropdown menu.

3. Create Your Installation USB Drive

A new window will appear, guiding you through the process:

1- Click “Get Started”.

2- When prompted to identify your Chromebook, select “Select a model from a list”.

3- In the “Select a manufacturer” dropdown, choose “Chrome OS Flex”.

4- Under “Select a product”, select “Chrome OS Flex (Developer-Unstable)”.

5- Click “Continue”.

6- Insert your 8GB (or larger) USB drive into your computer. Select the drive from the dropdown menu and click “Continue”.

7- Confirm that you understand that all data on the USB drive will be erased. Click “Create” to start the process.

Note: This process may take about 15 minutes.

4. Boot Your PC from the USB Drive

To install Chrome OS Flex, you’ll need to boot your computer from the USB drive. Here’s how:

BIOS/UEFI: Access your BIOS/UEFI settings to change the boot order. This is done differently depending on your computer model. You may need to press keys like “Esc,” “Del,” “F1,” “F2,” “F8,” or “F10” during startup. Consult your computer’s manual or the manufacturer’s website for specific instructions.

Mac: On a Mac, hold down the “Option” key during startup to select the USB drive.

5. Install Chrome OS Flex

Once your computer boots from the USB drive, you’ll be greeted by the Chrome OS Flex installation wizard.

1. Choose your language and keyboard layout.
2. Click “Get Started”.
3. You have two options:
   • Try it first: Run Chrome OS Flex from the USB drive to test it out.
   • Install Chrome OS Flex: Install it directly to your hard drive.

Choose “Try it first” to get familiar with the interface. When ready to install, follow the on-screen prompts. You’ll need to connect to Wi-Fi and sign in with your Google account.

Guide with images

Step 1: ChromeOS Flex boot

If everything has gone to plan so far, you’ll be welcomed by this boot screen for ChromeOS. Don’t panic if it stays there a while as this first boot might take a while.

Step 2: Decide whether you want a voice assistant for the installation process

ChromeOS Flex will now ask you whether you want a voice assistant to guide you through the installation process. Make your choice and click continue.

Step 3: Start with the setup

Now you’ll be able to change the language of your installation process and turn on any accessibility options you might need. Once you’re ready, click on Get started.

Step 4: Choose whether to install ChromeOS Flex or to boot from USB first

Now, there is an important decision to make here. The installer will ask you whether you want to install the OS right away or to try it out first, without installing it on your internal drive. The second option is great if you just want to have a feel of this new system. It runs straight from the USB stick, so nothing on the laptop gets overwritten. In this guide, we’ll choose this option first, and then install ChromeOS Flex after the initial setup. If you don’t want to do that and prefer to install the OS now, continue to Step 27.

Step 5: Connect to your network

Next, you’ll have to connect to the internet to finish the process. Choose your network, enter the password and carry on.

NOTE: Already here you might find that your mouse or keyboard does not work, or it might not be possible to connect to Wi-Fi. As mentioned, this might happen if your laptop is not compatible with the OS. If it happens, you’re out of luck and need to turn off the laptop, take out your USB stick and carry on with your old OS! Sorry about that.

Step 6: Check for updates

Sometimes, the installer might be a version or two behind the official release. At this point, it’ll download all the necessary updates, so you have the newest version possible available once you’re done setting up.

Step 7: Set up the device for you or a child

Now you’ll be able to choose whether you’re setting up the device for yourself, or for your child. The child version is a bit more locked-down and has quite a few parental controls settings. For this guide, we’ll be using the adult setup option.

Step 8: Add your Google Account

Now it’s time to add your Google Account to the system. It’ll enable you to access all the data stored in the cloud, as well as connect with all the Google services that you know from Chrome browser or Android phones.

Step 9: Sign in to the account

The installer will ask you to sign in to your account. Provide your email. password and two-factor authentication and continue.

Step 10: Review and accept Terms and Conditions

After connecting your Google Account, it’s time to accept some terms and conditions. The first is about your usage data – you can choose whether to provide it to Google. Choose what you will and click Accept and continue.

Step 11: Review sync options on your Chromebook

The installer will tell you about sync options on your Chromebook. You might either accept them all or check the checkbox to review them after the setup. If you’ve never had a Chromebook, choose the latter.

Step 12: Hardware data collection agreement

The next page asks you to be able to collect your hardware data for development. You can either agree or not, and carry on with the setup.

Step 13: Choose your theme

Next, the setup will ask you to choose a colour theme – Light, Dark or Auto. Do that and click on Next once you’ve decided.

Step 14: Your first ChromeOS Flex login screen

After this setup, you’ll be welcomed by your first ChromeOS Flex login screen. Type in your Google Account password and you are just one step away from your new home screen.

Step 15: Homescreen ready

And that’s it! You’re now running ChromeOS Flex straight from your USB stick. It’s now time to check out every necessary function of the OS – remember about your inputs, your camera, speakers and mic. The camera is the feature that does not work most of the time in ChromeOS Flex – that is also the case for my model. However, all the other features work great.

Now, if you like the experience of ChromeOS and want to make it your only system on your laptop, there are only a few more steps to follow. If you don’t, simply shut down the PC, remove the USB stick, and voila – it’s back to your normal Windows or Mac experience.

Install ChromeOS Flex

If you want to install ChromeOS now, the journey starts at your login screen. If you’re on the home screen, in the menu simply click on sign out. Once there, on the bottom panel, you’ll find Install ChromeOS Flex option. Click on it and the installation process will start.

Continue with the install

You’ll now have to confirm that you know the risks of this installation process. Also remember, that you won’t have the opportunity to choose which drive ChromeOS uses. It wll erase all of them if you have more than one on your laptop. So, be sure to back up any data from the laptop you want to keep. If you didn’t do that already, you’ll need to stop the process, make the backup and then re-start this whole process. We did warn you at the start! Now, click Install ChromeOS Flex.

Confirm the installation

Now is your last chance to back down. If you click Install here, the process will begin and your drives will be erased. Confirm that you’re sure and click Install.

Installing the OS

Now the OS will install. The utility might take a couple of minutes, it depends on your hardware. Just wait patiently for it to finish.

Installation complete!

After the installation, you’ll be greeted with this screen. Your laptop will count down a minute and turn off. Once it does, unplug your USB drive and power it back on.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed Chrome OS Flex. Now, enjoy the streamlined, secure, and efficient computing experience it offers. Give your old PC a new lease on life, reduce e-waste, and embrace the future of computing with Chrome OS Flex.