What is ChromeOS Flex?
Try the cloud-first, fast, easy-to-manage, and secure Chrome OS for PCs and Macs. Chrome OS Flex is a free and sustainable way to modernize devices you already own. It’s easy to deploy across your fleet or simply try it to see what a cloud-first OS has to offer. -https://chromeenterprise.google/os/chromeosflex/
Things You Will Need
- A USB flash drive, at least 16 GB https://amzn.to/3wkR5ju | https://amzn.to/3qkrJ1p | https://amzn.to/3Nhu9b9
Creating the Installation Media
PRO TIP: I repeatedly had issues booting the flash drive created by the Chromebook Recovery Utility. I found that the utility downloads ChromeOS Flex to the user's local temp directory (%temp% or %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Temp). Browse through the scoped_dir directories to find the compressed ChromeOS Flex image. I grabbed the file and used Balena Etcher to write it to a flash drive to correct the booting issue
- Open a Chromium based browser, install the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension
- In Brave Browser, open a new tab and navigate to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions
- Search for Chromebook Recovery
- Click on Chromebook Recovery Utility
- Click the Add to Brave button > Click Add Extension to confirm
- After the extension installs, click the puzzle piece next to the hamburger menu > Click Chromebook Recovery Utility to launch it
- Inside the Chromebook Recovery Utility click the Get started button
- Click the Select a model from a list link
- Select Google Chrome OS Flex from the manufacturer dropdown
- Select Chrome OS Flex from the product dropdown > Click Continue
- Select the USB flash device to write ChromeOS Flex to > Click Continue > Click Create now
- Wait while Chrome OS Flex is written and verified
- Once the flash drive is setup, remove it and plug it into a USB port on the target device
Installing ChromeOS Flex
- Power on the target device and boot to the ChromeOS Flex flash drive
- After the Chrome splash screen displays, click the Get started button
- Click Install CloudyReady 2.0 to select it > Click Next
- Click Install CloudyReady 2.0
- Click Install to confirm erasing the hard drive
- After about two minutes the installation will complete and the PC will reboot
- Remove the USB flash drive during the reboot to avoid booting back into the installation media
- Once ChromeOS has rebooted, click the Get started button
- ChromeOS should detect an Ethernet connection, otherwise connect to a Wifi network > Click Next
- Uncheck the Help improve ChromeOS option > Click Accept and continue
- At the Who's using this Chrome device screen, select You > Click Next
- Login with Google account credentials
- At the Sync your Chrome device screen, click Accept and continue
- Uncheck the Let Google use your hardware data option > Click Accept and continue
- Select whether to use Google Assistant
- Select whether to connect to your phone
- Click Get started to complete setup
- Welcome to ChromeOS Flex