Chrome OS Flex is an ideal operating system to install on old computers over 10 years old, an operating system that is currently available in its stable and final version. We can also install it in a virtual machine In addition to any computer, although the latter is not advisable if we use the computer on a day-to-day basis if we need applications that are not available for Windows.
Chrome OS Flex allows us to enjoy Chrome OS as if we were using a Chromebook. During the installation, we can specify if the device is going to be used by us or if it is going to be used by a minor for whom we want to establish a series of limitations, limitations similar to those that can be found in this type of device provided by educational centers.
Chrome OS Flex requirements
To be able to install Chrome OS Flex on a PC as a functional operating system, it must be managed by a 32-bit or 64-bit processor, a minimum of 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage to perform the installation, since this operating system takes up much less space. If we are going to use Chrome OS Flex in a virtual machine, these requirements are met by any computer where we have VirtualBox or WMware installed, the two most widely used applications for working with guest operating systems.
Download Chrome OS Flex
If we want to try this operating system on an old computer, the first thing we have to do is download it. The only way to download Chrome OS Flex is by using the Google extension Chromebook Recovery Toolextension that we can download through the following link.
This tool is used to download the operating system of Chromebooks where it has stopped working, has problems, or we need to reinstall it from scratch, deleting all the content. But, in addition, it also allows us to download the Chrome OS Flex installer.
In order to use this extension it is mandatoryYes or yes, use the Chrome browser. Even though Edge, Opera, Vivaldi and Brave are Chromium based, they won’t allow us to make the installation USB drive citing drive write issues. But, if we use Google Chrome, we will not have any problem carrying out the process.
Once we have downloaded the Chromebook Recovery Tool extension in Chrome (I remember that it will not work in other Chromium-based browsers), click on the extension. The first thing to do is click on Try Chrome OS Flex in order to enroll in the program. Although it is intended for companies and educational centers, we can invent this data to be able to enter the program, except email.
Next, the first window will be displayed where it will invite us to create a recovery media for the Chromebook. In this window, click on Start to start the process. But first of all, let’s need a USB drive with at least 8 GB of space in order to create the recovery unit, although in this case, we are going to create an installation unit as we will see later.
In the next window, the extension invites us to identify the Chromebook model we have. As what we want to download Chrome OS Flex and not create a recovery media, click on Select a model from the list.
In the next window, we choose Google Chrome OS Flex and Chrome OS Flex and click on Continue.
In the next window, we must insert the USB drive into the USB port of our computer where we want to create the Chrome OS Flex installer. In Select the medium you want to use, click on the drop-down box and select it. Next, click on Continue.
In the next window, the extension will inform us that all the content stored in the drive we have connected will be deleted, along with the name of the drive we have selected. To start the process, click on create now.
This process can last between 10 or 15 minutes. Once it has finished we already have the USB drive to connect to any computer where we want to install Chrome OS Flex.
Install Chrome OS Flex in a virtual machine
Once we have created the Chrome OS Flex installation drive, we can use any virtual machine to boot a guest machine with the drive and perform the installation. The process is somewhat complicated since we must previously download an image that will allow us to create a virtual machine with which we will be able to start any USB that we connect to the computer, in the same way as if we were to start our PC and select the drive we want to start with.
The process is not complex, but it is laborious, so it is not within the reach of most users who just want to give this operating system a try. Ideally, Google would allow download an ISO image of Chrome OS Flexbut unfortunately it’s not like that
The solution to this problem is to download the CloudReady virtual machine designed to be used in any virtual machine, be it VirtualBox or VMware, since it is in .OVA format, the standard format for creating virtual machines. This image was available directly from their website, however, after being acquired by Google, it was removed.
Fortunately, it is impossible to delete any information from the internet and before its deletion, some users made a copy and we can still download it to our computer and install it. We can download this image directly from the following . If we have not yet installed VirtualBox we can do it from the following while the free version of VMware can be downloaded from .
With VirtualBox
Next, we open VirtualBox and, in the top menu, click on File – Import virtualized service.
Next, an assistant will be shown where it will indicate the steps to follow to use the virtual machine that we have downloaded from Chrome OS. In the File section, click on the yellow folder on the right and select the .OVA image that we have downloaded and click on Next.
In the next window, a summary of the virtual machine that will be added to VirtualBox will be shown, where we can see how the operating system is Linux. In the Machine base folder section, we must establish the address where we want to store it. Finally click on Import.
Depending on the power of the equipment, this process will take more or less time.
Finally, once the virtual machine has been installed, we select it in the left column, and in the right section, click on Start.
Using VMware
we execute vmware (Player, in our case, being simpler) on our computer. And what we must do from its main window is select “Open a virtual machine” to open the OVA that we have just downloaded.
We will give it the name we want, and we will choose the directory where we want to save the image. The program will take care of importing the system and leaving it ready to be used in Windows.
We will already have the system image loaded on the PC.
Now we only have to click on “Play Virtual Machine” to start the virtual machine and start testing the Google operating system. Or at least, the closest thing we can try without having to buy a Chromebook.
Although the configuration process wants to be as out-of-the-box as possible so as not to complicate users, there are some aspects that we must take into account. From the main interface of the program, we must click on «Edit virtual machine» to access the configuration options. From them we can configure the RAM memory, change the number of processors of the VM, etc.
What interests us, for example, is adjusting the network card. We will do this from the “Network adapter” section. Also, this virtual machine has no sound. For this reason, if we want the sounds of Chrome OSwe must add a sound card to our VMware.
It’s also important to make sure you always have the latest version of CloudReady. Therefore, when we have the virtual machine running, we will have to go to Settings> Help> Chromium OS Information (the same as in Google Chrome) and let the system download the latest available version. Although, unfortunately, the latest available version of this version is the one we have installed.
Getting started with Chrome OS
In order to use this system, the first thing we must do is log in (mandatory) with our Google account. The initial setup wizard is very quick and easy. In a few seconds we will have the system ready.
In addition, by default the same login password will be configured as in our Google account, to prevent anyone from having access to our Chromium OS session.