How To Download Chromebook Os
Convert your computer into a Chrome device with the free Home edition of CloudReady. Based on Google’s Chromium OS, the same open-source architecture as Chromebooks and Chrome OS, CloudReady breathes new life into old hardware.
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- Chromium Os Download
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- How To Download Showbox In Chromebook Os
The Chrome operating system (OS) was reserved only for Chromebook users, but now it’s available for other devices too. It’s a great alternative to Windows or Linux, and you can run it without an installation. All you need is to download Chrome OS to a USB drive and use Etcher to make it bootable. In this article, you will learn how to get Chrome OS working on any computer.
Also see our article How To Access the Command Line in Chrome OS
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Quick Links
- Installing Chromium OS on Your Device
Chrome OS is made for Chromebooks that are designed to be lightweight and simple. Google does all of the updates. It’s one of the simplest operating systems you can get. Chromium OS is an unofficial open-source version of Chrome OS, and it can work with all devices including Mac, Linux, and Windows. Some hardware won’t work perfectly, but most PCs can run Chromium without any issues.
The company behind Chromium is called Neverware. They used the open-source code to create Neverware CloudReady, which is the same thing as Chromium OS, but with some extra features and mainstream hardware support. Their OS is now used in schools and businesses all over the world.
The unofficial open-source version of Chrome OS is much more stable and offers better support than the original OS. It’s ideal for Windows XP and Linux users because it provides more protection and it’s easier to update. It’s an operating system that doesn’t take too much space, and it works great for basic operations and surfing the internet.
Installing Chromium OS on Your Device
Before you can get to the installation, you have to download the latest version of Chromium for your device. You will also need a program called Etcher, a USB with at least 4GB capacity, and your PC. Here are the links to software you should download to make things work:
Download: 7-Zip for Windows/ Keka for macOS / p7zip for Linux
Download: Etcher for Windows / macOS / Linux
How To Download Osbuddy On Chromebook
Prepare your USB, but make sure it’s empty, so transfer all valuable data to your PC before you begin. When you’ve got everything ready, here is what you have to do:
1. Download Chromium OS
Google doesn’t offer an official Chromium OS build you can download to your PC, so you’ll have to get it from an alternative source. You can find many websites that offer Chromium for free, but we advise you to get it from Arnold the Bat. You will see a long list of Chromium versions because it’s continuously updated with new releases. Follow the on-site instructions and download the latest version.
2. Extract the Image
When the download is completed, you will have to extract the image using 7-Zip. Right click on the downloaded file and extract the data to a new folder. The process takes a few minutes to complete.
3. Prepare Your USB Drive
Get the USB you want to use to boot Chromium and plug it into your PC. If you are using Windows, find the USB in “My Computer,” right-click on it, and select “Quick format.” When the pop-up window appears, choose FAT32 as your file system and click “Start.” Know that all of the data on your USB drive will be wiped clean.
MacOS users can use the Disk Utility to format the USB as FAT32. If it says “MS-DOS DAT” instead of FAT32, don’t worry because it’s the same format. Complete the process to prepare your USB.
4. Use Etcher to Install the Chromium Image
You have done most of the preparation by now. Your Chromium is downloaded and extracted and the USB is formatted, so you are ready to continue. Download Etcher using the link provided above. Here is what you have to do from there:
- Run Etcher.
- Click “Select Image,” find the Chromium OS image you have previously downloaded, and add it.
- Click “Select Drive” and select the USB you prepared.
- Hit “Flash” and Etcher will install a bootable version of Chromium to your USB device.
The creation process takes a few minutes to complete. When it’s done, wait for Etcher to verify that everything works as expected. You are now ready to install Chromium on your PC.
5. Restart Your PC and Enable USB in the Boot Options
You have to run BIOS to set USB as your primary boot device. Every PC has different-looking BIOS, but you should look for an option labelled “Boot Manage.” Set the USB as your primary boot device and restart your PC once more. You can run BIOS by pressing F12 or F8.
Mac users also have to restart their computers and hold the Option key to enter the boot menu. Select the USB drive instead of Macintosh to boot Chromium form your USB drive. Restart your Mac when done.
6. Boot into Chrome OS Without an Installation
The great thing about Chrome OS is that you don’t need to install it and it doesn’t take any space on your hard drive. You can boot it right from the USB without installation, so your primary OS won’t be affected at all. You can set up your Chrome OS with a Google account and use it only for surfing the internet.
Install Chrome OS to Any Device
Now that you got Chrome OS running, you can try it out on any device. You will be surprised at how well it works. Better yet, it supports software from all platforms, including Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Have you tried installing Chromium OS on your computer? What are your first impressions of this operating system? Share them with us in the comments below!
Want to turn any old computer into a Chromebook? Google doesn’t provide official builds of Chrome OS for anything but official Chromebooks, but there are ways you can install the open-source Chromium OS software or a similar operating system.
These are all easy to play with, so you can run them entirely from a USB drive to try them out. Installing them on your computer is optional.
Should You Really Do This?
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The Chrome OS software is made for Chromebooks. Chromebooks are designed to be simple, lightweight, and get updates directly from Google. Chromebooks aren’t just about Chrome OS—they’re about the total package of a computer with a simple operating system. It’s also possible that not all your computer’s hardware will work perfectly with the below operating systems, while Chromebook hardware will definitely work perfectly with Chrome OS.
But you may want to get a browser-focused operating system on some old PC hardware you have running around—perhaps it used to run Windows XP and you’d rather have a more secure environment. Here are some ways you can do this.
Chromium OS (or Neverware CloudReady)
Google’s Chrome OS is built on an open-source project named Chromium OS. Google doesn’t offer builds of Chromium OS you can install yourself, but Neverware is a company that takes this open-source code and creates Neverware CloudReady. CloudReady is basically just Chromium OS with a few additional management features and mainstream hardware support, and Neverware sells it directly to schools and businesses that want to run Chrome OS on their existing PCs.
Neverware also offers a free version of CloudReady for home users. It’s basically just Chromium OS modified to work on existing PCs. As it’s Chromium OS-based, you won’t get a few extra features Google adds to Chrome OS, like the ability to run Android apps. Certain multimedia and DRM features may also not work on some websites.
Chromium Os Download
While this isn’t the official version of Chrome OS produced by Google, it’s better and more well-supported than previous solutions created by enthusiasts. It even automatically updates to the newest builds of CloudReady offered by Neverware, although these tend to lag behind the latest versions of Chrome OS as Neverware has to customize them.
Neverware maintains a list of officially supported devices that have been certified to run with CloudReady. It doesn’t matter if your computer doesn’t appear on this list—there’s a good chance it will work alright, too. But there’s no guarantee everything will work perfectly, as there is with a Chromebook designed for Chrome OS.
RELATED:How to Install Chrome OS from a USB Drive and Run It on Any PC
You’ll probably want to try Neverware CloudReady before installing it on a computer. All you need is either an 8 GB or 16 GB USB drive and an existing computer with Google Chrome installed. Follow our guide to creating a CloudReady USB drive and booting it in a live environment.
Give Neverware a try and, if you like it and it works well on your computer, you can install it on your computer by booting it up, clicking the tray at the bottom-right corner of the screen, and selecting “install CloudReady”. Consult the official Neverware CloudReady installation guide for more details.
Alternatively: Try a Lightweight Linux Desktop
Google officially supports Chrome on Linux. Any lightweight Linux distribution can work well, providing a minimal desktop where you can run Chrome—or another browser, like Firefox. Rather than attempting to install the open source version of Chrome OS or a Linux distribution designed to look like Chrome OS, you can just install a Linux distribution with a lightweight desktop environment—or any desktop environment, really—and use Chrome on that.
RELATED:The Best Linux Distributions for Beginners
For example, Lubuntu is a great option if you’re looking for a lightweight Linux desktop that will run well on an older computer. However, any desktop will work. Consult our guide to the best Linux distributions for beginners to choose one that works for you.
Linux distributions make a great choice if you’re just looking for a basic desktop environment to browse on. They’re also a great way to upgrade any old computers you have that may be running Windows XP or Windows Vista, giving them a modern operating system with security updates and an up-to-date browser for free. You can even watch Netflix in Chrome on Linux now. There are no dirty hacks required—it just works.
Once you’ve chosen a Linux distribution, it’s as easy to try as Neverware CloudReady. Create a bootable USB drive for your Linux distribution, boot from that USB drive, and you can try the Linux environment without tampering with your computer’s software. If you decide you want to install it on your computer, you can do that right from the live environment.
Note that you may need to disable Secure Boot to boot some Linux distributions on modern PCs.
How To Download Windows 10 On Chromebook Os
Of course, there’s no turning any old computer into a Chromebook. They won’t get Chrome OS updates straight from Google, and they won’t be optimized to boot as quickly. If you’re using a laptop, that laptop won’t necessarily offer the battery life a Chromebook does, either. But these are the best ways to approximate the experience, if you’re looking for something similar.
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