Earlier this week, Google announced Chrome OS Flex, its official solution for breathing new life into aging Macs and Windows PCs with the help of the lightweight operating system. The software is designed to support hardware as old as 13 years. Interestingly, end-of-life Chromebooks might also be able to benefit, even though Google doesn’t recommend it.
Users with Chromebooks that have hit their Auto Update Expiration (AUE) have been installing Chrome OS Flex with relative success (as noted by 9to5Google). Some Redditors have reported the operating system working well on their Acer C720, Asus Chromebox CN60, HP Chromebook 14 G1, and Lenovo N21 machines.
The process of installing Chrome OS Flex on your old Chromebook is not as straightforward as with Macs and Windows PCs, though. To try it out, you first need to disable firmware write protection, which ensures your system is secure before use. The steps to disable it vary based on the device, but they all involve cracking open your hardware.The whole process is daunting enough that Google doesn’t officially recommend it. The company acknowledges that it works but cites potential firmware and hardware compatibility, installation, and update issues.
Windows PCs and Macs, on the other hand, are much simpler to get up and running. All you need is a USB stick with sufficient capacity to create a bootable Chrome OS Flex image. You can then try out the OS on your current hardware, using that drive before going ahead to install it on your device if you’re happy with the experience. Google even supports network deployment for enterprise users.
It stands to reason that if more people and businesses utilize the platform, they’re likely to become interested in switching over to ready-made Chromebooks, especially if they value Android and Linux support. Even if they don’t make the switch, Google can still earn from its enterprise services for management and distribution — it’s a win-win for the company.
If you muster enough courage to disable write protect and install Flex on your EOL Chromebook, let us know how it goes.
