Do you have an old computer that can barely keep up with Windows? If you o, you can breathe a new life into it if you install Chrome OS. Being based around and on just the Chrome browser, it is light-weight compared to Windows. You won’t be able to do everything that you could on a Windows machine but at least your computer can do most other things. You can still watch videos, play music, browse the web, edit pictures, and game a bit. Just don’t expect any AAA titles to run on your machine. Now, we know Google does not release an official Chrome OS build for other devices. That means anyone interested will have to rely on unofficial Chromium OS builds, also not by Google. One of the best ways to install Chrome OS or Chromium OS on a laptop is Cloudready.
Cloudready is basically Chromium OS with a few additional management features and mainstream hardware support. Neverware sells Cloudready to businesses and schools that want to run Chrome OS on existing hardware. For home users, Cloudready is completely free. For me, something being free is reason enough to get it but here’s why you should consider it too. Older PCs, especially those from the time of Windows XP can get a new life with a light-weight browser-based OS such as Chromium OS. Instead of running a full-on operating system like Windows, the old hardware only has to run a browser.
Create Chrome OS installer on USB
Google only officially supports running Chrome OS on Chromebooks, but don’t let that stop you. You can put the open source version of Chrome OS on a USB drive and boot it on any computer without installing it, just like you’d run a Linux distribution from a USB drive.
- Once CloudReady is installed on your USB drive, you can install Chrome OS on your PC or Mac. But before you do, it’ll be wise to make sure your hardware is fully compatible. Insert the USB drive in the USB port on your computer while it is turned off. Turn the computer on.
- Install ChromeOS on your laptop Now that you have a bootable Chrome OS USB drive, shut down your PC, insert the USB drive and boot your PC with the USB drive. Make sure you have enabled the necessary requirements in the BIOS to be able to boot from a USB.
Creating the installer used to be a simple process as it was. Neverware though has now made it as simple as it possibly could be. All you have to do is head over to the official website and navigate to the Cloudready Home Edition page. Scroll down and click on DOWNLOAD USB MAKER. Once downloaded, insert your USB drive and run the USB maker. Keep in mind that the USB maker will first download the entire OS and then write it to the USB disk. You can also refer to my dedicated guide on running Chrome OS from a USB drive.
- As will be mentioned on the first page of the USB maker, you will need at least an 8GB or 16GB USB drive to install Cloudready on it. Insert the disk and click Next.
- Select the CPU architecture of your PC. If you really have a PC that came with Windows XP, chances are it is based on the 32-bit architecture. Even if you install a 32-bit version on 64-bit hardware, technically it should work. The only problem would be that your system won’t be able to use more than 4GB of RAM.
- Click Next when you’ve selected the right architecture and then click Next again on the next page. If you haven’t inserted a USB drive yet you won’t be able to click Next here.
- Select your USB drive and click Next again. The installer will now start downloading Cloudready. Immediately after the download is complete, it will start to install it on your drive.
- This process can take a while even if you have relatively good internet speeds.
Install ChromeOS on your laptop
Now that you have a bootable Chrome OS USB drive, shut down your PC, insert the USB drive and boot your PC with the USB drive. Make sure you have enabled the necessary requirements in the BIOS to be able to boot from a USB. If you are able to boot from the USB drive, you will see a bright white screen with the Cloudready logo. After this, you will be asked to log in with your Google ID. You can log in and try out Cloudready or Chromium OS first before installing it. In my experience though, logging in seems to do something, that I can’t exactly point out. The end result for me has always been that the installation gets stuck.
- Regardless of your choice about logging in, click on the bottom right corner of the Shelf (taskbar on Chrome OS) and select Install Cloudready…
- On the Window that opens up, select INSTALL CLOUD READY again, and then ERASE HARD DISK AND INSTALL CLOUDREADY. Needless to say, this will erase your entire hard disk and install CloudReady/Chromium OS + benefits on your PC.
- This process is really long and all you’ll see is an animation that does not give you any idea whether things are moving forward. It can be frustrating to wait so you should probably go out for a walk or something.
When it is complete though, you can reboot your system and pull out the USB Drive. You should see the Cloudready logo on a bright white background when your computer boots up. Now that you have installed Chrome OS on your old laptop or computer, you should also try these must-have apps for Chrome OS.
Read Next: How to Create a Bootable USB on Chromebooks
Have an old Windows laptop at home and don’t know what to do with it? You’ll learn today how to turn it into a Chromebook by installing on it Chrome OS for free and voila, now you have a new and fun computer. We will be downloading and installing an Operating Sustem called CloudReady, which is a free version of Chromium OS (similar to Chrome OS, used on Chromebooks). The installation steps are similar for a laptop or a desktop computer.
Download the Operating System
Simply download the OS here. The file is less than 700 MB in size. Note that there is a 64 bit and a 32 bit version. Depending on the computer type you want to install Chrome OS, select the version you need. If you are not sure if the computer is a 64 bit or 32 bit, simply Google your computer brand and number (usually printed on the front or back) followed by “specks” word and you’ll find the details there.
If you decide to install Chrome OS on the old rusty laptop you didn’t used since years, chances are that it is a 32 bit computer.
Can You Install Google Chrome Os On A Pc Using
Things You’ll Need to Install Chrome OS
- An old laptop or a desktop PC where to install Chrome OS
- A 8GB or 16GB USB stick to create the installer
- A Mac, Windows PC or Chromebook running Chrome browser
- An internet connection (since we are installing a browser based OS)
Installation Process
- Unzip the downloaded Chrome OS zip file
- From your Chrome browser, navigate to this link and install (click on the Add to Chrome) the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension.
- Navigate to your Apps page in Chrome browser and the Chromebook Recovery Utility will show up there.
- Launch the App and click on the “Get started” button.
- Locate the gray gear icon in the top right and select “Use local image”
- Now select the unzipped OS file and follow the onscreen instructions.
- When prompted, insert the 8GB or 16GB USB stick into your computer.
- You have now successfully created the USB installer.
- Turn off the computer on which you want to install the Chrome OS and plug in the installer USB
- Boot from USB (on Dell, HP and Lenovo press F12 when the Logo appears. On other computers is usually the F1 or F12 key).
- Follow the onscreen instructions and wait for the installer to finish.
- After the installation is done, the computer will shut down. Disconnect the installer USB and turn on the computer again.
- Complete your installation by adding your Google account and eventually your network details if you decided to skip this step during the installation.
- Done. You now have a fun new toy to play with.
What is Chrome OS?
Basically Chrome OS is an Operating System designed to by fast and dedicated to those that are doing all their stuff online. From reading emails, chatting, listening to music, using online document editors like Google docs to playing online games. If that type of a person are you, than you might not need a “full” computer OS. Just think about if it makes sense to you to open your computer if the internet is down. The guys from Google are explaining it better:
Install Chrome Os On Pc
Now you know what Chrome OS is and how to install it for free on your old PC or laptop. Let us know how it worked out.
P.S. Microsoft works on a alternative Cloud based OS called Windows 10 Cloud. We have covered it in depth here.