1. Battery #C12N1432. You could be prompted to enter your PC's password or grant the necessary permission during the process. If we dont have a guide, you can Google (or DuckDuckGo!) The company says that existing multi-year license agreements will be honored by Google, and that there are no other changes to plans or pricing to announce at this time. Select the USB stick that you want to use, and click or tap Next. Luckily thats quite easy on old Mac models. The first step is to download a CloudReady image to place on your USB stick: Navigate to Neverware.com. Select the USB drive from the dropdown menu. Remove the USB drive or ensure your PC does not boot from it again after the reboot. Though I don't need to do this yet, I think the idea is terrific (like Crouton, which also has added surprising value to these modest machines), and appreciate the clarity and thoroughness with which this was written. Want to give it a spin? I upgraded my 2012 MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and a new 240GB SSD for around $70. Comment actions Permalink. Open Google Chrome on your Windows, Mac, or Chromebook. Make sure your device's USB ports are functional. This is a great way to know how well the OS will perform on your old PC and whether you will encounter any problems. Chrome OS has become a viable alternative to Windows and macOS, especially on the lower end of the market. Click or tap Install the Home Edition . Chrome OS Flex is currently in early access testing and not suited for production use, Google warns. Its a good thing were hacking this firmware, because youd have to do this every time you booted your Chromebook, otherwise. Some devices only successfully install ChromeOS Flex with. This means you'll receive an OS update about every four weeks, while minor security fixes can be rolled out once every couple of weeks. You can do this even after youve enabled developer mode or removed the write-protect screw. Setup steps Create your USB installer with the ChromeOS Flex image. CloudReady offers a free Home Edition of Chrome OS that is compatible with most old Intel Macs and PCs, as long as the computer has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of disk . Since Google cannot control the distribution of this version, Chrome OS Flex is missing a few features. Before we wipe the Chromebook, you might want to use it to create the USB stick for installing CloudReady Home Edition. 3D Printing Android Auto Android Mods Android TV Apps & Games Themes Wear OS Smartwatches . It can only run Chrome apps, progressive web apps, and websites. Click on the clock in the lower right corner and select Install OS from the menu that pops up. Its just like a regular laptop now does it mean you could now install some other Linux distro? You can try for either the generic name of your Chromebook (Acer Chromebook 14), or look on the device for the specific model number (CB3-431-C5EX). If you're a school or corporate IT administrator starting to transition your enterprise to Chromebooks, being able to convert your existing hardware will save you thousands of dollars on replacement machines, especially considering the converted Chromebooks will work perfectly with Google's administrator console. Just continue through the setup process without installing the operating system.