Installing Chrome OS on A PC

If you know anything about Chromebooks, then you know that they are great. They are efficient. They are secure. They are fast. They have online storage. Best of all, they are cheap. You may already be thinking about buying one, but you have a perfectly good PC and do not want to have to shell out for another device (even though it will be better).

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your slow and clunky PC into a Chromebook? Well, do not fear, because help is at hand. You can, in fact, download Chrome OS and turn your PC into a Chromebook. Here is how you do it.

Download the Software

It was not long ago that it was impossible to download and install Chrome OS. Google still does not offer a download of their operating system, but another company does. The software, CloudReady, uses a version of Chromium OS, which is what Chrome OS is built on. It is through CloudReady that you will gain the download.

The first thing to do is to make sure you have enough space for the download. Around 640MB should be enough (if you do not have that, what kind of relic are you using?). Head over to the CloudReady website and download the software onto your computer (you will need the Chrome browser to do this). You will then want to find Chromebook Recovery Utility and download that too. So in this step you are going to:

• Download Cloud ready
• Download Chromebook Recovery Utility

Back up Data

It would be a good idea to back up anything which you do not want to lose. Chrome OS uses a cloud storage system, so there will be nothing stored on your PC. You can skip this if there is nothing which you want to save. If you do have data to save, then find a USB which has enough space. You will also use a USB (a different one to the one you are using for storage) to store and run Chrome OS so that you can try it out before installing on your actual PC.

Cloud-ready Install

Run the Recovery Utility you downloaded. There is a cog icon at the top corner of the screen one run. Click on that and then choose ‘use the local image.’ Find the CloudReady zip file. Select the USB flash drive and then click on continue. The process will take about 15 minutes, and your USB flash drive will be turned into a bootable drive. This will allow you to check that the OS works on your PC without everything being erased to test it.

If you downloaded the software on another computer, take the USB flash drive and insert it into the PC you wish to run it on or leave it in the PC if that is where you downloaded from. Turn off your PC (if it is not already), and turn it back on. The OS should then boot from the flash drive. You will then be able to choose your default language and set up your Wi-Fi. After that, you will be able to sign into your Chromebook.

If you get this far, then your PC is able to run Chrome OS. You can run your PC this way, but it will not be as fast. It is now time to install on your PC.

PC Install

At the bottom-right of your screen, you will find the system tray. Click on this and choose ‘Install CloudReady.’ You will then come to a screen which will ask you if you would like to dual-boot your system. This will allow you to use Chrome OS and Windows.

The drawback is that most of the older systems cannot do this, so you will run into errors and not be able to install properly. You are here to convert to a Chromebook so let’s choose the standalone version. Before you do this, make sure you have everything backed up that you want to have backed up.

Installing Chrome OS on your PC will erase everything, so be sure to check that there is nothing you want or need.

Installation on your PC will take around 20 minutes. If you are using an old machine, you may find that the installation freezes or does not work. If that happens, then turn off the PC and start the process again. Older machines can be frustrating, but a little patience and perseverance can go a long way.

When the OS is installed, your PC will turn off. Once it does this, take out the USB flash drive and turn your laptop back on. When your PC turn back on, you will be taken to the Chromebook login screen. Here you can enter the details you used to log in when you ran it from your USB flash drive.

Alternative

If you find that you are having problems downloading or installing the software, or if you do not like Chrome OS, there is an alternative. You can use a minimalist Linux distribution on your old PC, and use it to run Chrome (or any other browser you like).

Linux software is easy to download and install, and you can have a Chrome browser up and running in no time. This is not identical to using Chrome OS on its dedicated Chromebook, but it is very similar. You will benefit from the increased speed at the expense of features.

In Conclusion

You can see how easy it is to download and install Chrome OS on your old PC. This is a great way of turning an old machine, one which you may not use anymore, into a fast Chromebook (obviously it will not look like a Chromebook, but you get the idea).

The only downside to this installation is that it can take some time to do, but that is not a big deal if you are doing it alongside other things. Put aside an hour, and you will have enough time to try the OS from a USB flash drive and then have it installed on your PC.

Always remember to back up your data first. Besides here is another good old Read to How to install chrome os on your PC.