Install Chrome OS Flex To Revive Your Old Windows PC And Mac

8. Select the USB flash drive that will be used as a bootable installer. Click Continue.

9. You are almost ready to create a recovery image. Remember that all data in your USB flash drive will be erased completely. Click Create now when you are ready.

10. The process will start immediately. The estimation time will be different for each computer as it will rely on your internet connection. During this time, please don’t remove your flash drive.

11. When prompted, click YES.

12. When the recovery media is completed and you see a small pop-up asking you to format your disk, just click the X button to close it. Repeat it several times. Then, click OK.

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Step 3 Set the bootable disk on BIOS

1. Reboot the laptop on which you are going to install Chrome OS Flex and go to the BIOS. Each manufacturer has different keys to press to get you to the BIOS. Pay attention to the first screen that appears. The keys will likely be: F1, F2, F3, Esc, or DEL.

2. In the BIOS, go to Boot and set Boot Option #1 to your USB flash drive. Use the arrow to navigate and press Enter to confirm your selection.

3. Press F10 to save configuration and exit. Press Enter to confirm.

Step 4 Installing Chrome OS Flex

Once you have successfully booted Chrome OS Flex from your USB flash drive, you can either install Chrome OS Flex or give it a try by running it from the USB installer. You can check and test to see if Chrome OS Flex is really for you.

Remember that installing Chrome OS Flex will erase the previous data stored in your laptop.

1. On the Welcome to CloudReady 2.0 window, click Get started.

2. You will see the Start using CloudReady 2.0 window and select Install CloudReady 2.0. (Select Try it first if you want to run it from the USB flash drive to test it in advance.) Click Next.

3. Click Install CloudReady 2.0 and click Install to confirm. The installation will start, so you just need to patiently wait and don’t interrupt it. The installation will take around 20 minutes to complete.

4. Once it’s finished, click Shut down on the left bottom corner.

5. Unplug the USB flash drive and turn on your PC.

Step 5 Set up Chrome OS Flex

1. Power on your PC or laptop.

2. You’ll see the Welcome to CloudReady 2.0 screen once again and click Get started.

3. Connect to the Wi-Fi network.

4. Click Accept and continue on the Google terms of service screen.

5. Click Next on the Who’s using this Chrome device? screen.

6. Type your Gmail address and password to sign in to your Chromebook. Click Next.

7. On the Sync your Chrome device screen, click Accept and continue.

8. On the CloudReady 2.0 hardware data collection screen, tick the permission and click Accept and continue.

9. On the Google Assistant works here too screen, choose I Agree if you want to activate it or choose No thanks if you don’t want to.

10. On the Access your assistant with “Hey Google” screen, choose I Agree if you want to activate it or choose No thanks if you don’t want to.

11. Congratulations! You are all set. Click Get started to go to the Home screen.

Your Chrome OS Flex installation is ready. Your USB flash drive is no longer needed now. Instead, you can format and use it as your portable drive once again.

Chrome OS Flex’s display looks similar to the Chromebook OS. The application is placed in the middle of the toolbar. You can custom the location of it to the left or right of the screen or just leave it on the bottom like the default. It is also possible to automatically show it up when you hover the mouse and hide it when it’s not needed.

To see other installed apps, you can click the launcher or the circle icon on the left bottom corner. It comes with Google Suite apps, such as Chrome, Files, Gmail, Google Meet, Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Google Drive, Google Calendar, YouTube, Camera, and many more.

That being said, Chrome OS Flex is fully functional for basic use, such as creating documents or presentations, getting entertainment, sending emails, having online meetings, and many more. Since many apps are available online and can be accessed from the web browser, you should not find any major issues in the OS. Besides, you can go to the Chrome web store to install extensions, games, or themes – if you want to give your browser a touch-up.

Another good thing is that it supports the wireless mouse. You can connect the Bluetooth dongle and it will work just fine.

Unfortunately, in this developer version, Chrome OS Flex doesn’t include Google Play Store yet. It means you cannot install Android apps at the moment. It’s also impossible to install the APK file that you download from the internet. You will need to wait for the final version for the Android apps fully compatible with Chrome OS Flex.

Chrome OS Flex vs. Chromebook

So, are you curious about the differences between Chrome OS Flex and Chromebook? Check the table below:

Features	Chrome OS Flex	Chromebook
Google security chip	No	Yes
Verified boot procedure	No	Yes
BIOS or UEFI firmware	Not automatic update	Automatic update
TPM and encryption	Yes	Yes
Google Play Store	No	Yes
Android apps	No	Yes
Parallels Desktop (VM)	No	Yes
Linux development environment	No	Yes
Intel or AMD processors support	Yes	Yes
Zero-touch enrollment support	No	Yes
Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP)	No	Yes

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Wrap up

Installing Chrome OS Flex to your old Windows PC or Mac is like reviving them from the grave yard. This is by far is the best and cheapest methods compare to upgrading your old laptops. By doing this, you will also contribute to reducing electronic waste which has been increasing a lot in recent years due to the high number of sales of electronic products in developing countries.

To conclude, we suggest you install Chrome OS Flex to both save your money and nature.

What do you think of this new OS version of Chromebook? Write your thought in the comment box below.

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