Jason Cipriani/ZDNet
Do you have an outdated notebook or computer sitting in the corner of your place of work, accumulating dust and using up area? As an alternative of declaring that you can discover a use for it, a person day, get a several minutes out of your day to give it new lifetime by setting up Google’s absolutely free operating process, Chrome OS Flex. Fundamentally, Chrome OS Flex turns any computer system it can be put in on into a Chrome OS product, supplying that pile of electronics a renewed objective.
Under I will walk you by way of the process of setting up Chrome OS Flex, which is appropriate with Windows, Mac, and Linux computer systems. Right now, Chrome OS Flex is in early obtain, by means of Google’s dev channel, so not all capabilities will do the job, and not just about every laptop computer and configuration will be supported. So, be expecting to run into a couple bugs or issues whilst employing it as Google irons out the final develop.
Program necessities to set up Chrome OS Flex
There’s a very lengthy listing of units on Google’s Chrome OS Flex assist website page, just about every one particular marked with various ranges of support. I would not watch the list as a little something that if your laptop or laptop or computer isn’t on the record you are not able to consider Chrome OS Flex. In actuality, I employed a Huawei MateBook D — which is not on the record at all — for this pretty short article.
Google does checklist the least unit demands for a Pc, Mac, or Linux equipment to run Chrome OS Flex. Right here it is, taken straight from a Google aid page:
Minimal product specifications:
- Architecture: Intel or AMD x86-64-bit suitable product
- RAM: 4 GB
- Internal storage: 16 GB
- Bootable from a USB drive
- BIOS: Full administrator obtain. You will will need to boot from the Chrome OS Flex USB installer and make some changes in the BIOS if you operate into issues.
- Processor and graphics: Parts manufactured in advance of 2010 could possibly final result in a bad working experience.
- Note: Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600, and 3650 graphics components do not satisfy Chrome OS Flex performance standards.
As you can see, the demands are negligible. Chrome OS Flex is built to run on, a lot more or much less, any computer built right after 2010.
Other demands
In addition to a pc that meets the minimal needs, you can expect to need to have a computer with the Chrome browser and an 8GB USB drive that you can use to flash the running system to the old computer system.
Build a Chrome OS Flex USB installer
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/ZDNet
To set up Chrome OS Flex on yet another laptop or computer, you can to start with need to have to generate what is actually called a USB Installer. The USB generate has all of the