If you're about to comment "ChromeOS is Linux", skip it and just watch the video. I go into what I mean pretty early in the video. "ChromeOS is Linux" in the same way "Android is Linux" or "WSL is Linux": an academic way that has little bearing on my day-to-day use for a laptop. Edit: also, yes I know the "Linux Mint Edge" ISO exists. I decided not to recommend that because, according to them: "The Edge ISO image is not as stable as the other ISOs and may not support as many proprietary drivers."
We realy have a serious smart-ass problem in our profession 😂- so no wonder, non tech-people are not interesstet to lern/become more souveren in tech-stuff. If there is always a tech smart-ass with a ego-problem, who needs to profile himself, with "actuaaaaalyyyyyyy" 🙄 That's, why i love your channel, I love ur attitude and as a teacher in softwaredevelopment I follow the same path. It's more importand to understand the concepts, than "use the exact right wording".... these are only importand for the exam/test 😂(which in my opinion only tests, if you can past the test, and not any qulification...). Espacly because in general, every framework needs to invent new terms for pre-existing things, so they are unique and may set the standard (I think, these are ideas from marketing, rather then from tech-people) My fav. example: "Promis"/"Task"/"Future" Which all is the exact same thing in diffrent programing-languages.... So cool! So unique. So diffrent. SO DISRUPTIV! I hate the colleagues in my profession... 😂
@@thebristolbruiserI say "Linux" because it's what the general population says. I don't need to change my wording to be clearly understood. It's not a slam on GNU, I'm just not a pedant.
Couple years ago, I was given 10 chromebooks to install Linux to from my teacher. I tried contacting the school board to request the enterprise enrolment to be removed from them but then I found the mrchromebox firmware and with a USB eeprom programmer, had them all booting into linux in no time. The chromebooks then went onto serve the class once again!
Is the IT department aware that you did that, especially if this was district hardware? All of their security schemes are probably based around Windows and Chrome OS, which they often fork over a lot of money on on a yearly subscription basis. As a result, they're typically not too happy about people throwing a bunch of Linux systems into the mix. I know, from experience, that teachers also like to get sticky fingers and appropriate whatever tech they like that they may perceive as having no current purpose without informing anyone.
@@xb0xisbetter it's been 4+ years. I did contact the IT department at the time to get the enterprise enrollment removed but they were still deciding to do it when I discovered I could eeprom flash them. I messaged them again saying I did it and I didn't get in trouble. Our local school board recycles old computers regardless of anything. So it was nice to save some for extended use.
@@raypals4468 I'm surprised that you did not get in trouble. Going straight to the board sounded odd to me, unless IT had already said no. Any government bureaucracy like that is, unfortunately, wasteful. The district obviously cares more about making sure all of their systems are secure than the usability of 10 individual devices. I've seen them recycle systems that were still more powerful than the ones they intended to replace them with, and they had no interest in things like CloudReady (When ChromeOS was still minimalist and fast) for aging systems even though they were already managing Chromebooks. They're very quick to recycle older systems because they have very limited room to store spare systems and replacement parts.. In my district, it was literally one small old classroom and some wiring closets in the various buildings. 3/4ths of this space could be filled up with carts loaded with old tech waiting to be recycled if they haven't done a run in a while. Another factor is all of the bureaucratic red tape involved in giving away, or selling older hardware. It is too much of a logistical headache so everything is recycled. You may be happy to hear, however, that most systems that are "recycled" usually end up repurposed by the recycler. The one we went with would literally outfit entire non profits with hardware that had been "recycled".
Such a weird coincidence, my friend was asking me yesterday if I can install linux on her Acer Chromebook, since Google has discontinued support. I said I wasn't sure and I'd check it up. Then BAM you're in my recommendations today :D Thanks for your videos, they're great!
Hahaha, nice timing! Well, you've checked it up now, I guess! :D (Or at least started that process.) I hope you're able to get things done for her smoothly!
I'm glad you found my video! If you want to watch my videos via RSS feed or on Mastodon, I have a PeerTube set up at tinkerbetter.tube. PeerTube, at present, doesn't seem to spy on you to serve you content! :P
I was also pulling apart a donated Acer Chromebook manufactured in 2020 and end of life in 2022. Two years?? Then scrap heap?? Nope. Not if I can save it! Then Blam! Veronica Explains is right in the feed. Awesome timing, Veronica. You have save me from hours of connecting dots. Also, I will have to look at PeerTube as YT is creeping on me a bit much. 😂
You rock our world, Veronica. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise... AND for the inspiration and the laughs. Your skills and your irreverent and DFWM attitude is always a delight (see: the "meeting you halfway..." parenthetical comment. Perfect!) Be well! xoxo, Allen & Mike 😍👍
I'm content with my current laptops (none of them Chromebooks) but I watched this all the way through just for your personality, energy, intelligence, and sense of humor. I always feel better after viewing one of your presentations!
When I read on Patreon that you were playing around with some Chromebooks, I immediately went to my step daughter's room to find her old Chromebook from high school. An ASUS C202S with the big thick blue rubber bezel going around the whole thing. I had a blast getting coreboot working and Mint XFCE. Albeit the device is slow and I had to use a flash drive to store /usr and /home since the eMMC filled up rather quick, this is one of my favorite machines to use now since the keyboard is great. This is a fantastic use of these devices. So glad you back the MrChromebox and Chultrabook community. Good peoples.
@@braelinmichelus As someone who used to do Gentoo installs for fun, Arch made the PTSD well up instantly. Thankfully, yes, they've really simplified it as of late.
Your Chrultrabook tutorial was both informative and fun! Your clear instructions and eco-friendly approach to repurposing Chromebooks for Linux made the process a joy. Thanks for turning tech into an adventure while helping us save the planet, one Chromebook at a time! 🌎
I bought an Acer C720p Chromebook back in early 2014, and I later did this, installing Linux with the default firmware, but later I installed Core boot on it by removing the protection screw. I used that Chromebook with Debian Linux up until last month due to it literally falling apart, love that little guy!
Similar timeline for me on an HP 14 Chromebook. Awesome journey running all types linux desktops on chroots that the crouton project allowed. Finally switched to Coreboot that allows for OS's running the latest kernels a few years back - in fact i am typing this on Ubuntu 22.04 on the Chromebook.
I also bought a C720. I installed Gallium on it kind of arbitrarily and it's done everything I've asked of it for almost 10 years, including fitting in the small backpack I use as my everyday bag.
Ah yes, brings back memories when I liberated my old(2016ish) 16gb emc 2 gigs ram chromebook and documented the whole process. Interesting to see how the newer generations get unlocked nowadays. We had limited selection of distros back then too but for different reasons (no sound and non functional touchpad and keyboard mismapping) After liberating my chromebook, the battery life actually got better on linux and it ran smoother and I use that old boy till this day and it runs like clockwork. Thanks for the video
My sister had an old Chromebook she discarded, and I kept. I don't know if these hacks will return this little lost device to some functionality, or when I might attempt it. But I want to thank you, ma'am , for your clear and functional explanation of the process. I especially love that you are straightforward and friendly in your video. I've had it up to my nostrils with the (almost exclusively) male techs forcing their egos and pretensions on their viewers. They are trying to be the Jealous Gods of TH-cam, like they were Gordon Ramsey with a soldering iron. Your approach is a ray of sunshine. Thank you and bless you.
I already know my Chromebook isn't supported, I fully just watched this because I love your videos. Your whole vibe is so simultaneously positive, serious, and silly. I feel like I'm in a class with my favorite teacher.
I like that your show explicitly lacks paid product placement. Thanks for keeping it real. Furthermore, thanks for making all of this wonderful content.
@@draoi99 Yes .I got a good deal on a HP C640 Chromebook , but I'm checking if audio would work before a get it..I hope the project goes on , it's a real cool project , and that it gets Ubuntu and Ubuntu based distros support.
So I managed to beat all odds when I used this guide. Not only did I manage to install Linux mint, but I managed to get it running with working sound right from the START. It seems that the latest version of mint, which is version 22, has upgraded its kernel to 6.8, so she can install! I did take some effort to get her to work, but oh man I’m so glad it did. My little Samsung ChromeBook 2, also known as the “XE500C12”. I got that old girl for Christmas all the way back in 2014, and 10 years later I decided it’s time she got a new lease on life! Thank you so much for this great guide!
I legit just got done installing Linux completely on my old chromebook a week ago. Google stopped supporting it so I wanted to save it from the landfill. Very glad to see you make a video about this subject, a lot of devices can be saved from turning into e-waste!
super super cool. I've been vaguely pondering this for a while. Not sure I'll actually ever do it, but I'm glad you've had success doing so, and that there's a community of folks doing it. Certainly if some old chromebooks fall into my lap somehow, I'll very much consider it.
Thank you so much Veronica!! Thanks to your video, I was able to install Arch Linux on a Chromebook that has been sitting on my desk doing nothing for over a year. Now it's my favourite laptop!!
Congrats for that amazing chrultrabook experience.. I happen to be given a lenovo Chromebook 2 years ago and keep it safe inside a cabinet.. so it's time to give it a try and see if it can be reused and given to someone who might need an operative machine in 2024.. Best wishes and hugs from Chile.
I've had a hell of a time putting Linux on a Lenovo ThinkPad x131e. Love the form-factor, but the hardware lock has proven hard to actually disable for older methods of Linuxing a Chromebook. This may actually work for my use case! You've done it again, Veronica! You're always teaching me new things!
I believe the x131e is the exact model I used the MrChromebox tools on last year. I don't recall any problems and now it runs Linux Mint just fine. I did swap the 16GB mSATA for a 64 GB one to gain some extra space but this isn't strictly necessary.
Great video. I'm on the same journey with the pixelbook go and your video is literally the only one on youtube with this topic. Thanks and have a nice day.
Never seen this channel before, but what a lovely host! Knows what she's talking about, clearly a nerd, and a very charming speaker! Very cool channel! :D
"Dont rush out and buy a brand new Chromebook for this kind of project", that is exactly what I did, found a brand new open box on ebay for $200, installed Fedora but it didn't work really well for my use case as I only needed it to do some streaming, so I reverted it to the original firmware with no issues, anyhow, you gave me a good project for the weekend, thanks
Thanks to this video, I have liberated an old Dell Chromebook and I'm putting SuSE on it as I speak. Thanks for inspiring me to do something that reminds me of the old days of IT. You're also starting to inspire me to quit my also totally unsatisfying day job. :)
This is exactly what I've been wanting to do with a couple of my old Chromebooks. I like Chromebooks for what they are. However, once they're out of support... You get the idea. Anyway, thanks for this. It's really great to hear your positive and enthusiastic take on Linux technology.
Bless you! I love using my old Chromebook and wasn't sure why it was made so difficult to run Linux. I've tried a lot of different ways to use this device without unscrewing the write protect screw. I even used crouton xfce4 virtual space. However, I'm trying to upgrade this device to it's maximum potential, and to do so i need to read and write it. I will be doing this operation soon, hopefully before i decide to swap to a new computer for work. I will not waste this device's capabilities and usefulness though, as it's ability to run apps is impressive. I know this video will come in handy later when i finish fixing this PC. Thanks to you and some other helpful Chromebook teachers, i feel like this task has become way easier now. Thank you Veronica!
This was such an excellent resource when I stumbled across this video months ago. So good, that I came back the other day to navigate through the process with my new HP Chromebook Yahiko! It runs great on Arch after a few stumbles with bugs on other distros using slightly older kernels. Thanks for the video
Veronica you are awesome! Thank you for this video! - For fans of linux mint you can get the "Edge" version of Mint. It uses Kernel version 6.5 as opposed to 5.15. I had to wait a day to comment this so I could test it out on my own Lenovo Ideapad 3 (Lick model). I followed along Veronica's video with the UEFI firmware replacement, and I worked quite well. I am enjoying my Linux mint on my Ideapad that was otherwise destined for the trash bin.
I'm so glad this video came up. I've always been extremely disappointed with the idea of throwaway landfill laptops. This is exactly the kind of work I approve of. Excellent video!
I just got the hp Dragonfly Pro chromebook yesterday, and it's my first chromebook ever. I've always used Windows. I don't regret it at all. Thanks for the video.
Thank you so much for this Video! I have now turned my old Chromebook into a Linux machine. Which has now boosted it usability. Wouldn't have done it (successfully) without finding this Video.
Wow, I stumbled upon your channel and I'm already hooked on your videos! You explain things so clearly, Veronica. really got me interested - I might actually give installing coreboot on a laptop a shot!
Very cool info! I didn't realise that chrultrabook was a thing but having recently had a fight to make my old HP Stream 7 tablet more useful by installing Linux this seems quite easy.
Really nice. Keep up your work on promoting hardware for linux and linux in general. I recently also installed Linux on a device not meant for it, but it wasn't a chrome book. I specifically wanted a 2in1 device and MS Surface Pro was my way to go for the great build of the hardware. Luckily, dedicated people, like you, were so dedicated to build support and documentation on how to do it.
that was some legit troubleshooting like I would do in that situation! I feel like most youtubers would just say they couldn't get it to work. It's good to show people who are learning how to solve a problem when the first internet search result isn't a step by step guide. Also, a nice organized breakdown on grub would be nice! If it breaks I generally just mess with it until it works for some reason and then try not to look at it too hard.
Jeez when I bought this chromebook I didn't realize it would be this involved to get arch on it, but thank you and thank the chrultrabook community, wish me luck
Your video was very helpful. Trying to read the MrChromebox documentation to learn how to do this was painful. After watching your video, I can actually understand the documentation. You picked a perfect subject to cover. Now I'm running Pop! OS on my Acer Chromebook 315 from 2020. Thanks.
I had a similar issue with Audio after installing Gallium on my old Chromebook, I found that installing the OS without selecting to download updates cleared the issue and it works and sounds great
As someone who was using those very articles almost a decade ago, and getting frustrated in the process, it warms my heart to see it's actually possible for old Chromebooks to get some new life.
Who would have thought projects about freeing a device from Google would have hard time being found with Google search result, lol. But I am glad you got to highlight them.
Great video! A few years ago I bought a HP chromebook with the idea of trying out chrome os & maybe installing linux. I knew about mrchromebox but it took a couple of years before firmware was released for my chromebook model. I had to use the battery disconnect method but it all went extremely smoothly. It now runs Linux Mint xfce like a charm!😀
This is well explained, I always think this is possible and thank you again for the hardworking people who are just interested just like me, nice find, this is a good project, might contribute and be involve in this. thanks! will need to read a lot :)
Great video, very informative! You did a great job emphasizing all the warnings that come with a project like this. I work on Chromebooks for a living, so I've converted quite a few to Linux. Currently my main laptop is a Dell Latitude 5430 Chromebook running Debian.
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
Just spent a wet Sunday afternoon getting a time-expired Chromebook (Acer C720) up and running Fedora Workstation. Thanks for the inspiration and superb guidance! 👍
The mrchromebox script is also useful for installing ChromeOS Flex on devices that have reached EOL. I did this to an Asus Chromebook and it worked well, though I had to use a USB device for audio output. I also find it really annoying you have to take most of these machines apart to remove the write protection. I'm totally blind and not really into tinkering with the hardware directly, but I had help for this part of the process.
Very cool. Seeing your approach to debugging the issues you hit was instructive too. Some of those would probably have stopped me in my tracks. Nice to learn from a real sysadmin.
luv your channel. I was actually looking for a guide for ARM chromebooks, just 'cause they're dirt-cheap used and a good thing to test ARM-stuff on. But this is still pretty useful ^^ hope you reach 100k soon
I have done this twice over the years. First time was in 2016 installing GalliumOS on a $90 used Chromebook with terrible specs, but GallliumOS ran fairly well on it. Did it again recently with a more modern Chromebook with a 10th gen i5 and 8GB of RAM that I got on eBay for about $115. Debian 12 XFCE runs like a champ on it. Great video!
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
@@famousmwofficial8046 other than running Debian in a VM, I don't think GNU is used at all, lol. Edit: ChromeOS does use GNU Bash but not really much more than that.
Thanks for the video! I just flashed my Chromebook and installed pop!_OS with no issue. I am a first time Linux user and this will be my first Linux device ever. Excited to dive in!
I use an old chromebook as a headless debian server running my open vpn server. works great. I have done this twice myself. In both cases I needed to remove a "write screw" from the motherboard before being able to install a new bios.
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
When you use Linux apps from Chrome OS it splits resources to a VM. Alot of chromebooks lack any horsepower and if you use Linux this is an awesome way to go...especially if your Chrome device is near its end of life on updates. I have done this open boot/Linux install on a chromebook and a Chrome box. Awesome video! I love upcycling old stuff or stuff that would otherwise be unused.
I have a chromebook that had 32gb emmc storage. When I would run a Linux app it would start a Linux vm. You pick how much disk space and how many cores to give the Linux machine in settings.
It made it drag! Now it has ubunutu22.04 and has worked flawlessly for over a year. I did have issues getting my audio working on the acer chromebook but the little box I switched over to Ubuntu22.04 just worked. I use it for a second portrait mode monitor and run
It made it drag! Now it has ubunutu22.04 and has worked flawlessly for over a year. I did have issues getting my audio working on the acer chromebook but the little box I switched over to Ubuntu22.04 just worked. I use it for a second portrait mode monitor and run barrier to use only 1 kb and mouse.
I love that this project is being showcased more and more nowadays, Chrultrabook revived my HP Chromebook 11 G5 ee, a slow, low end Chromebook from 2016. Even with its low end specs, it has become my daily driver on the go as I dont need much more than a netbook OTG.
I'm so grateful to you for this video! I have a Chromebook Pixel 2017 whose hardware I absolutely adore. I de-googled my life (for the most part, Hi TH-cam!) a couple of years ago so I haven't used it much, but now...!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!
Really cool video! I already met a guy on FOSSDEM who did this but expected it to be quite difficult. Turns out it's very doable. Looking forward to the Haiku video.
I've quite liked Chromebooks for a while, mainly because my laptop use case tends to be something that can be done browser based anyway and I love the simplicity + great battery life. For any "real" work, I tend to sit down at my desktop. That being said, a second life for my Chromebook as a Linux laptop when the support ends is a fantastic idea! On why someone might dual boot, one of the Chromebook draws for me was the easy access to Google Play apps. Now in the end I don't think I actually use that feature, personally, I know some workplaces allow "Bring You Own Device" access to apps/tools on their secure network and it's usually done through android/iOS apps, so that might be where the someone might use dual boot. Great video!
You can actually bypass the 30 second wait and the beeps with control-d Also, the mrchromebox firmware script lets you change the delay to 3 seconds out of the original 30.
I've had good luck getting Peppermint Linux running 95% properly out of the box on old Chromebooks. Mostly just had to remap some of the keys (volume, brightness) and nearly everything worked after a clean install.
Hi. Thanks for the comment. What were the specs on the Chromebooks? I have a bunch of Chromebooks (4GB RAM & 16GB emmc drive) that I'm trying to get Linux installed on and I'm not having much luck. Any help would be appreciated.
@markmarion6942 I've installed it on the old education edition HPs with similar specs to that. You'll only have about 6-8 GB of usable space after the Linux install, however. Look up mrchromebox for your exact model and instructions.
As someone who just installed chrultrabook on my main Chromebook (ASUS C425, leona board) it runs like a charm on Fedora! I love it, and I was able to get keyboard brightness and all the other stuff. It's perfect and allows me to do much more outside of Chromebrew and the Debian VM.
7:55 to be able to use an od that does not take up much battery for when you’re away from power, and a full Linux experience for when you have extra juice
Also as a browser device, they pair with android really well being able to seamlessly connect text messages and hotspot tethering very easily. Like a Mac for android.
Thank you for this video. I've had a Samsung Chromebook Pro that went out of OS support last year but is still a fantastic machine that didn't need to get thrown out. I've been sitting on it for awhile to determine if I wanted to bother going down this road. Turns out that removing the Write Protect screw is a major hassle on this device, requiring me to remove the entire motherboard to remove the heatsink from the reverse side so I could insulate one of the mounting posts and not reinstall that screw for the heatsink, but was able to successfully do it. Now I'm back running a patched version of ChromeOS Flex, just like I wanted!
I love it when people use proprietary stuff like Chromebooks in a way contrary to what was intended. You're exercising your freedom to bust outside of the Microsoft/Apple/ChromeOS tri-opoly, and I appreciate that very much.
If you're about to comment "ChromeOS is Linux", skip it and just watch the video. I go into what I mean pretty early in the video.
"ChromeOS is Linux" in the same way "Android is Linux" or "WSL is Linux": an academic way that has little bearing on my day-to-day use for a laptop.
Edit: also, yes I know the "Linux Mint Edge" ISO exists. I decided not to recommend that because, according to them: "The Edge ISO image is not as stable as the other ISOs and may not support as many proprietary drivers."
Why don’t you just say GNU/Linux if that is what you mean?
We realy have a serious smart-ass problem in our profession 😂- so no wonder, non tech-people are not interesstet to lern/become more souveren in tech-stuff. If there is always a tech smart-ass with a ego-problem, who needs to profile himself, with "actuaaaaalyyyyyyy" 🙄
That's, why i love your channel, I love ur attitude and as a teacher in softwaredevelopment I follow the same path. It's more importand to understand the concepts, than "use the exact right wording".... these are only importand for the exam/test 😂(which in my opinion only tests, if you can past the test, and not any qulification...).
Espacly because in general, every framework needs to invent new terms for pre-existing things, so they are unique and may set the standard (I think, these are ideas from marketing, rather then from tech-people)
My fav. example:
"Promis"/"Task"/"Future"
Which all is the exact same thing in diffrent programing-languages....
So cool! So unique. So diffrent. SO DISRUPTIV!
I hate the colleagues in my profession... 😂
"Come on! Who threw that? Who threw that stone? Come on. -- Go to the back. -- Always one, isn't there? Now, where were we?" 😜🤣😂
@@motoryzen It’s four extra characters, it isn’t that inconvenient to acknowledge the work of the GNU project in creating a free operating systems.
@@thebristolbruiserI say "Linux" because it's what the general population says. I don't need to change my wording to be clearly understood.
It's not a slam on GNU, I'm just not a pedant.
"It's my choice, and I made it" = good. The facial expression sending that point home = priceless
Came here to say this knowing it had already been said!
Couple years ago, I was given 10 chromebooks to install Linux to from my teacher. I tried contacting the school board to request the enterprise enrolment to be removed from them but then I found the mrchromebox firmware and with a USB eeprom programmer, had them all booting into linux in no time. The chromebooks then went onto serve the class once again!
thats based
Is the IT department aware that you did that, especially if this was district hardware? All of their security schemes are probably based around Windows and Chrome OS, which they often fork over a lot of money on on a yearly subscription basis. As a result, they're typically not too happy about people throwing a bunch of Linux systems into the mix.
I know, from experience, that teachers also like to get sticky fingers and appropriate whatever tech they like that they may perceive as having no current purpose without informing anyone.
@@xb0xisbetter it's been 4+ years. I did contact the IT department at the time to get the enterprise enrollment removed but they were still deciding to do it when I discovered I could eeprom flash them. I messaged them again saying I did it and I didn't get in trouble.
Our local school board recycles old computers regardless of anything. So it was nice to save some for extended use.
@@raypals4468 I'm surprised that you did not get in trouble. Going straight to the board sounded odd to me, unless IT had already said no.
Any government bureaucracy like that is, unfortunately, wasteful. The district obviously cares more about making sure all of their systems are secure than the usability of 10 individual devices.
I've seen them recycle systems that were still more powerful than the ones they intended to replace them with, and they had no interest in things like CloudReady (When ChromeOS was still minimalist and fast) for aging systems even though they were already managing Chromebooks.
They're very quick to recycle older systems because they have very limited room to store spare systems and replacement parts.. In my district, it was literally one small old classroom and some wiring closets in the various buildings. 3/4ths of this space could be filled up with carts loaded with old tech waiting to be recycled if they haven't done a run in a while.
Another factor is all of the bureaucratic red tape involved in giving away, or selling older hardware. It is too much of a logistical headache so everything is recycled.
You may be happy to hear, however, that most systems that are "recycled" usually end up repurposed by the recycler. The one we went with would literally outfit entire non profits with hardware that had been "recycled".
Amazing job!
Such a weird coincidence, my friend was asking me yesterday if I can install linux on her Acer Chromebook, since Google has discontinued support. I said I wasn't sure and I'd check it up. Then BAM you're in my recommendations today :D Thanks for your videos, they're great!
Hahaha, nice timing! Well, you've checked it up now, I guess! :D (Or at least started that process.) I hope you're able to get things done for her smoothly!
There are no coincidences. The devices are listening to you!
I'm glad you found my video! If you want to watch my videos via RSS feed or on Mastodon, I have a PeerTube set up at tinkerbetter.tube. PeerTube, at present, doesn't seem to spy on you to serve you content! :P
I was also pulling apart a donated Acer Chromebook manufactured in 2020 and end of life in 2022. Two years?? Then scrap heap?? Nope. Not if I can save it! Then Blam! Veronica Explains is right in the feed. Awesome timing, Veronica. You have save me from hours of connecting dots. Also, I will have to look at PeerTube as YT is creeping on me a bit much. 😂
There are no coincidences. The devices are spying on you.
Using that Fender pick to remove the NVMe cover is peak awesomeness.
You rock our world, Veronica. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise... AND for the inspiration and the laughs. Your skills and your irreverent and DFWM attitude is always a delight (see: the "meeting you halfway..." parenthetical comment. Perfect!) Be well! xoxo, Allen & Mike 😍👍
Thanks for the positivity in the comments! Always a breath of fresh air, and I'm glad you two are enjoying the videos! :)
I'm content with my current laptops (none of them Chromebooks) but I watched this all the way through just for your personality, energy, intelligence, and sense of humor. I always feel better after viewing one of your presentations!
When I read on Patreon that you were playing around with some Chromebooks, I immediately went to my step daughter's room to find her old Chromebook from high school. An ASUS C202S with the big thick blue rubber bezel going around the whole thing. I had a blast getting coreboot working and Mint XFCE. Albeit the device is slow and I had to use a flash drive to store /usr and /home since the eMMC filled up rather quick, this is one of my favorite machines to use now since the keyboard is great. This is a fantastic use of these devices. So glad you back the MrChromebox and Chultrabook community. Good peoples.
I like the choice of books holding the laptops up!
i like how veronica casually flexes about being able to install arch
They actually fixed the automated installer so it actually works now.
So actually, installing Arch is dead simple now!
@@braelinmichelus As someone who used to do Gentoo installs for fun, Arch made the PTSD well up instantly. Thankfully, yes, they've really simplified it as of late.
Don't have a chrome book, don't plan on getting one, but watched this all the same because I enjoy your videos :)
same
lol. true. but also I always get to learn something new.
Exactly the same for me as well lol 👍
You never know when one will fall into your lap, so file this away.
Likewise. Not on my short list, but if a Chromebook magically appears in my house, it’s a good candidate for making it really useful 👨🏼🏫
Your Chrultrabook tutorial was both informative and fun! Your clear instructions and eco-friendly approach to repurposing Chromebooks for Linux made the process a joy. Thanks for turning tech into an adventure while helping us save the planet, one Chromebook at a time! 🌎
I bought an Acer C720p Chromebook back in early 2014, and I later did this, installing Linux with the default firmware, but later I installed Core boot on it by removing the protection screw. I used that Chromebook with Debian Linux up until last month due to it literally falling apart, love that little guy!
Similar timeline for me on an HP 14 Chromebook. Awesome journey running all types linux desktops on chroots that the crouton project allowed. Finally switched to Coreboot that allows for OS's running the latest kernels a few years back - in fact i am typing this on Ubuntu 22.04 on the Chromebook.
I also bought a C720. I installed Gallium on it kind of arbitrarily and it's done everything I've asked of it for almost 10 years, including fitting in the small backpack I use as my everyday bag.
I have the same Acer 720p. What distro recommend? Most of the times, brightness keys don't work :(
@@ScimitarRaccoon hey any tips on the acer Chromebook C740 series
Ah yes, brings back memories when I liberated my old(2016ish) 16gb emc 2 gigs ram chromebook and documented the whole process.
Interesting to see how the newer generations get unlocked nowadays. We had limited selection of distros back then too but for different reasons (no sound and non functional touchpad and keyboard mismapping)
After liberating my chromebook, the battery life actually got better on linux and it ran smoother and I use that old boy till this day and it runs like clockwork.
Thanks for the video
My sister had an old Chromebook she discarded, and I kept. I don't know if these hacks will return this little lost device to some functionality, or when I might attempt it. But I want to thank you, ma'am , for your clear and functional explanation of the process. I especially love that you are straightforward and friendly in your video. I've had it up to my nostrils with the (almost exclusively) male techs forcing their egos and pretensions on their viewers. They are trying to be the Jealous Gods of TH-cam, like they were Gordon Ramsey with a soldering iron. Your approach is a ray of sunshine. Thank you and bless you.
Looking Forward to the Haiku Video 😃
I already know my Chromebook isn't supported, I fully just watched this because I love your videos. Your whole vibe is so simultaneously positive, serious, and silly. I feel like I'm in a class with my favorite teacher.
I thought about putting Linux on my old Chromebook, I had no idea that there would be so many quirks. Anyhow, thanks for going down the rabbit hole!
I like that your show explicitly lacks paid product placement. Thanks for keeping it real. Furthermore, thanks for making all of this wonderful content.
I love watching your videos. they're comforting to watch.
I cast hugs and good vibes in your direction
This is gold! I've been searching about how to run Linux on a Chromebook for sooo long! Great info as always thnx Veronica!
Take note that not all hardware is supported. I could put Linux on my Asus C434 but I would have no audio and there is no fix for that.
@@draoi99 Yes .I got a good deal on a HP C640 Chromebook , but I'm checking if audio would work before a get it..I hope the project goes on , it's a real cool project , and that it gets Ubuntu and Ubuntu based distros support.
So I managed to beat all odds when I used this guide. Not only did I manage to install Linux mint, but I managed to get it running with working sound right from the START. It seems that the latest version of mint, which is version 22, has upgraded its kernel to 6.8, so she can install! I did take some effort to get her to work, but oh man I’m so glad it did. My little Samsung ChromeBook 2, also known as the “XE500C12”. I got that old girl for Christmas all the way back in 2014, and 10 years later I decided it’s time she got a new lease on life! Thank you so much for this great guide!
Amazing to read as I have the XE510C24 and planning on updating it!
I legit just got done installing Linux completely on my old chromebook a week ago. Google stopped supporting it so I wanted to save it from the landfill. Very glad to see you make a video about this subject, a lot of devices can be saved from turning into e-waste!
This is awesome! I have a few old Chromebooks and will look into this. Today is my birthday and this video seems like a really cool present! Thanks!
super super cool. I've been vaguely pondering this for a while. Not sure I'll actually ever do it, but I'm glad you've had success doing so, and that there's a community of folks doing it. Certainly if some old chromebooks fall into my lap somehow, I'll very much consider it.
Thank you so much Veronica!! Thanks to your video, I was able to install Arch Linux on a Chromebook that has been sitting on my desk doing nothing for over a year. Now it's my favourite laptop!!
My new favorite channel, binging your videos one after another!
Congrats for that amazing chrultrabook experience.. I happen to be given a lenovo Chromebook 2 years ago and keep it safe inside a cabinet.. so it's time to give it a try and see if it can be reused and given to someone who might need an operative machine in 2024.. Best wishes and hugs from Chile.
I've had a hell of a time putting Linux on a Lenovo ThinkPad x131e. Love the form-factor, but the hardware lock has proven hard to actually disable for older methods of Linuxing a Chromebook. This may actually work for my use case! You've done it again, Veronica! You're always teaching me new things!
I believe the x131e is the exact model I used the MrChromebox tools on last year. I don't recall any problems and now it runs Linux Mint just fine. I did swap the 16GB mSATA for a 64 GB one to gain some extra space but this isn't strictly necessary.
Thanks!
Thank you for the tip, very appreciated!
Veronica. You have great stage presence. Thanks for the lesson.
Great video. I'm on the same journey with the pixelbook go and your video is literally the only one on youtube with this topic. Thanks and have a nice day.
Never seen this channel before, but what a lovely host! Knows what she's talking about, clearly a nerd, and a very charming speaker! Very cool channel! :D
Awesome video, and it's super cool to know that there is an emerging community dedicated to making these things actually useful.
"Dont rush out and buy a brand new Chromebook for this kind of project", that is exactly what I did, found a brand new open box on ebay for $200, installed Fedora but it didn't work really well for my use case as I only needed it to do some streaming, so I reverted it to the original firmware with no issues, anyhow, you gave me a good project for the weekend, thanks
good video, have a good week !!!
Thank you! You too!
Thanks to this video, I have liberated an old Dell Chromebook and I'm putting SuSE on it as I speak. Thanks for inspiring me to do something that reminds me of the old days of IT. You're also starting to inspire me to quit my also totally unsatisfying day job. :)
This is exactly what I've been wanting to do with a couple of my old Chromebooks. I like Chromebooks for what they are. However, once they're out of support... You get the idea. Anyway, thanks for this. It's really great to hear your positive and enthusiastic take on Linux technology.
Bless you! I love using my old Chromebook and wasn't sure why it was made so difficult to run Linux. I've tried a lot of different ways to use this device without unscrewing the write protect screw. I even used crouton xfce4 virtual space. However, I'm trying to upgrade this device to it's maximum potential, and to do so i need to read and write it. I will be doing this operation soon, hopefully before i decide to swap to a new computer for work. I will not waste this device's capabilities and usefulness though, as it's ability to run apps is impressive. I know this video will come in handy later when i finish fixing this PC. Thanks to you and some other helpful Chromebook teachers, i feel like this task has become way easier now. Thank you Veronica!
Terrific video, Veronica. Thanks for publishing videos like this.
This was such an excellent resource when I stumbled across this video months ago. So good, that I came back the other day to navigate through the process with my new HP Chromebook Yahiko! It runs great on Arch after a few stumbles with bugs on other distros using slightly older kernels. Thanks for the video
Veronica you are awesome! Thank you for this video! - For fans of linux mint you can get the "Edge" version of Mint. It uses Kernel version 6.5 as opposed to 5.15. I had to wait a day to comment this so I could test it out on my own Lenovo Ideapad 3 (Lick model). I followed along Veronica's video with the UEFI firmware replacement, and I worked quite well. I am enjoying my Linux mint on my Ideapad that was otherwise destined for the trash bin.
I'm so glad this video came up. I've always been extremely disappointed with the idea of throwaway landfill laptops. This is exactly the kind of work I approve of. Excellent video!
Very nice thanks for the post Veronica,Very intriguing for sure.☺️😊
Thanks for making this video, Veronica. The process worked well on my out of support Acer!
I just got the hp Dragonfly Pro chromebook yesterday, and it's my first chromebook ever. I've always used Windows. I don't regret it at all. Thanks for the video.
Did you convert it into Linux?
Your a riot, keep it up. I wish I had found a write up this good when I did it a while back. Thank god tenacity pays off.
Thank you so much for this Video! I have now turned my old Chromebook into a Linux machine. Which has now boosted it usability. Wouldn't have done it (successfully) without finding this Video.
What are the specs of your Chromebook please?
I love it! I just did this on an old Acer Chromebook, now running LMDE perfectly. WAY more portable than my 17" Ubuntu daily driver.
Nice vid - Bonus points for Fender Heavy Picks!
Wow, I stumbled upon your channel and I'm already hooked on your videos! You explain things so clearly, Veronica. really got me interested - I might actually give installing coreboot on a laptop a shot!
Very cool info! I didn't realise that chrultrabook was a thing but having recently had a fight to make my old HP Stream 7 tablet more useful by installing Linux this seems quite easy.
Really nice. Keep up your work on promoting hardware for linux and linux in general. I recently also installed Linux on a device not meant for it, but it wasn't a chrome book. I specifically wanted a 2in1 device and MS Surface Pro was my way to go for the great build of the hardware. Luckily, dedicated people, like you, were so dedicated to build support and documentation on how to do it.
Great video Veronica
that was some legit troubleshooting like I would do in that situation! I feel like most youtubers would just say they couldn't get it to work. It's good to show people who are learning how to solve a problem when the first internet search result isn't a step by step guide.
Also, a nice organized breakdown on grub would be nice! If it breaks I generally just mess with it until it works for some reason and then try not to look at it too hard.
Jeez when I bought this chromebook I didn't realize it would be this involved to get arch on it, but thank you and thank the chrultrabook community, wish me luck
Dedicated and instructive video Verónica. My respect to your knowledge, very admirable. Cheers from Argentina!!!👏👏👏👏👏
Your video was very helpful. Trying to read the MrChromebox documentation to learn how to do this was painful. After watching your video, I can actually understand the documentation. You picked a perfect subject to cover. Now I'm running Pop! OS on my Acer Chromebook 315 from 2020.
Thanks.
You're a lot smarter than me. If I get any problems installing a new OS, I'm usually done for. Nice work!
it was just an outdated kernel version for the current requirements most these chromebooks need
These videos are highly entertaining! Greetings from Finland!
Practical Vim being the most prominent book propping up a Chromebook is the content I'm here for. ❤ vim.
I had a similar issue with Audio after installing Gallium on my old Chromebook, I found that installing the OS without selecting to download updates cleared the issue and it works and sounds great
All in on the GRUB video please Veronica. Top notch video as always!
Just what I was looking for, just what I needed. Consider yourself sent virtual wine & roses!
As someone who was using those very articles almost a decade ago, and getting frustrated in the process, it warms my heart to see it's actually possible for old Chromebooks to get some new life.
Who would have thought projects about freeing a device from Google would have hard time being found with Google search result, lol.
But I am glad you got to highlight them.
Great video! A few years ago I bought a HP chromebook with the idea of trying out chrome os & maybe installing linux. I knew about mrchromebox but it took a couple of years before firmware was released for my chromebook model. I had to use the battery disconnect method but it all went extremely smoothly. It now runs Linux Mint xfce like a charm!😀
Good video.
I like that you did the full mod instead of just the command line options inside Chrome .
This is well explained, I always think this is possible and thank you again for the hardworking people who are just interested just like me, nice find, this is a good project, might contribute and be involve in this. thanks! will need to read a lot :)
Great video, very informative! You did a great job emphasizing all the warnings that come with a project like this. I work on Chromebooks for a living, so I've converted quite a few to Linux. Currently my main laptop is a Dell Latitude 5430 Chromebook running Debian.
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
Just spent a wet Sunday afternoon getting a time-expired Chromebook (Acer C720) up and running Fedora Workstation. Thanks for the inspiration and superb guidance! 👍
Great video and very well focus. Everything explained in clear terms.
The mrchromebox script is also useful for installing ChromeOS Flex on devices that have reached EOL. I did this to an Asus Chromebook and it worked well, though I had to use a USB device for audio output. I also find it really annoying you have to take most of these machines apart to remove the write protection. I'm totally blind and not really into tinkering with the hardware directly, but I had help for this part of the process.
Very cool. Seeing your approach to debugging the issues you hit was instructive too. Some of those would probably have stopped me in my tracks. Nice to learn from a real sysadmin.
luv your channel. I was actually looking for a guide for ARM chromebooks, just 'cause they're dirt-cheap used and a good thing to test ARM-stuff on.
But this is still pretty useful ^^ hope you reach 100k soon
I have done this twice over the years. First time was in 2016 installing GalliumOS on a $90 used Chromebook with terrible specs, but GallliumOS ran fairly well on it. Did it again recently with a more modern Chromebook with a 10th gen i5 and 8GB of RAM that I got on eBay for about $115. Debian 12 XFCE runs like a champ on it.
Great video!
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
This video helped me with the firmware flashing, thanks you so much!
I've got a Chromebook and I really like the mix of Chrome OS, Android and GNU/Linux all on one device. 😊
@@famousmwofficial8046 other than running Debian in a VM, I don't think GNU is used at all, lol.
Edit: ChromeOS does use GNU Bash but not really much more than that.
Thanks for the video! I just flashed my Chromebook and installed pop!_OS with no issue. I am a first time Linux user and this will be my first Linux device ever. Excited to dive in!
I use an old chromebook as a headless debian server running my open vpn server. works great. I have done this twice myself. In both cases I needed to remove a "write screw" from the motherboard before being able to install a new bios.
I understood you installed debian on a chromebook, i started debian 12.5 bookworm stable installer but when i click install it boot loops like it reboots, i can access grub terminal please give me the commands to fix this. :)
Thanks for this Veronica, have just put openSuse on my Acer R11 and am loving it!
When you use Linux apps from Chrome OS it splits resources to a VM. Alot of chromebooks lack any horsepower and if you use Linux this is an awesome way to go...especially if your Chrome device is near its end of life on updates. I have done this open boot/Linux install on a chromebook and a Chrome box. Awesome video! I love upcycling old stuff or stuff that would otherwise be unused.
Does it really run a full VM and not a docker / distrobox container? That's ridiculous.
I have a chromebook that had 32gb emmc storage. When I would run a Linux app it would start a Linux vm. You pick how much disk space and how many cores to give the Linux machine in settings.
It made it drag! Now it has ubunutu22.04 and has worked flawlessly for over a year. I did have issues getting my audio working on the acer chromebook but the little box I switched over to Ubuntu22.04 just worked. I use it for a second portrait mode monitor and run
It made it drag! Now it has ubunutu22.04 and has worked flawlessly for over a year. I did have issues getting my audio working on the acer chromebook but the little box I switched over to Ubuntu22.04 just worked. I use it for a second portrait mode monitor and run barrier to use only 1 kb and mouse.
Dang you have really nailed Technology Connection's style. Nice work!
Thank you for covering this! ☺️
I love that this project is being showcased more and more nowadays, Chrultrabook revived my HP Chromebook 11 G5 ee, a slow, low end Chromebook from 2016. Even with its low end specs, it has become my daily driver on the go as I dont need much more than a netbook OTG.
Thank you very much for giving such a thoughtful introduction to getting Linux onto Chromebooks.
I'm so grateful to you for this video! I have a Chromebook Pixel 2017 whose hardware I absolutely adore. I de-googled my life (for the most part, Hi TH-cam!) a couple of years ago so I haven't used it much, but now...!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!
Really cool video! I already met a guy on FOSSDEM who did this but expected it to be quite difficult. Turns out it's very doable. Looking forward to the Haiku video.
I'm afraid I'm not a "guy", assuming you've met me at OSFW stand (fairly tall, blonde hair reaching below shoulders, mint hoodie) :)
Thanks for the video, can't wait to try this.
I've quite liked Chromebooks for a while, mainly because my laptop use case tends to be something that can be done browser based anyway and I love the simplicity + great battery life. For any "real" work, I tend to sit down at my desktop.
That being said, a second life for my Chromebook as a Linux laptop when the support ends is a fantastic idea! On why someone might dual boot, one of the Chromebook draws for me was the easy access to Google Play apps. Now in the end I don't think I actually use that feature, personally, I know some workplaces allow "Bring You Own Device" access to apps/tools on their secure network and it's usually done through android/iOS apps, so that might be where the someone might use dual boot.
Great video!
You can actually bypass the 30 second wait and the beeps with control-d
Also, the mrchromebox firmware script lets you change the delay to 3 seconds out of the original 30.
Wow that was awesome and very thorough. I wasn't aware of the chrultrabook project either, kinda wish I had a chromebook to try it out.
I've had good luck getting Peppermint Linux running 95% properly out of the box on old Chromebooks. Mostly just had to remap some of the keys (volume, brightness) and nearly everything worked after a clean install.
Hi. Thanks for the comment. What were the specs on the Chromebooks? I have a bunch of Chromebooks (4GB RAM & 16GB emmc drive) that I'm trying to get Linux installed on and I'm not having much luck. Any help would be appreciated.
@markmarion6942 I've installed it on the old education edition HPs with similar specs to that. You'll only have about 6-8 GB of usable space after the Linux install, however.
Look up mrchromebox for your exact model and instructions.
How do you remap those keys? I can't solve that issue on an Acer 720p :(
Thanks for the video. I bought a cheap used chromebook for my daughter's first computer and installed Endless OS on it pretty easily.
As someone who just installed chrultrabook on my main Chromebook (ASUS C425, leona board) it runs like a charm on Fedora! I love it, and I was able to get keyboard brightness and all the other stuff. It's perfect and allows me to do much more outside of Chromebrew and the Debian VM.
7:55 to be able to use an od that does not take up much battery for when you’re away from power, and a full Linux experience for when you have extra juice
Also as a browser device, they pair with android really well being able to seamlessly connect text messages and hotspot tethering very easily. Like a Mac for android.
Thank you for this video. I've had a Samsung Chromebook Pro that went out of OS support last year but is still a fantastic machine that didn't need to get thrown out. I've been sitting on it for awhile to determine if I wanted to bother going down this road. Turns out that removing the Write Protect screw is a major hassle on this device, requiring me to remove the entire motherboard to remove the heatsink from the reverse side so I could insulate one of the mounting posts and not reinstall that screw for the heatsink, but was able to successfully do it. Now I'm back running a patched version of ChromeOS Flex, just like I wanted!
I love it when people use proprietary stuff like Chromebooks in a way contrary to what was intended. You're exercising your freedom to bust outside of the Microsoft/Apple/ChromeOS tri-opoly, and I appreciate that very much.
Now I have another reason to buy another Thinkpad lol. Great video as always!
This was really interesting, thanks for another brilliant video !!