How to install Chrome OS on a PC

cloud ready

Chrome OS is a very interesting operating system, highly optimized and with remarkable performance. Even on systems with very limited hardware resources, Chrome OS often manages to be not only usable, but also fast and responsive. So much so that installing Chrome OS on PCs with outdated hardware is often recommended to bring an old computer back to life. In this guide, we will see in detail the correct procedure on how to install Chrome OS on a PC, indicating some precautions that you should take before proceeding with the installation of this operating system.

The easiest way to install Chrome OS on your PC is CloudReady, is a solution based on Chromium OS code. The latter is the open source version of the Google system, it has almost everything, only play store compatibility is missing.
However, Play Store support is likely to come soon, as Google has acquired Neverware, the software company running the CloudReady project.

Android apps are not required to use the system effectively, because there is also support for Linux.

The first thing to do is make sure your PC has at least 2 GB of RAM or with a processor able to bear instructions 64 bits.

Therefore, it will be necessary to check that it is perfectly compatible with the new operating system.
Neverware has compiled a list of 450 PC models that have been tested and work perfectly with CloudReady, on the Neverware site you can find the updated database web page.

NOTE:
If your PC model isn't listed, there's still a chance that the operating system is working fine, but the company hasn't tested it on that model yet.

At this stage, it will be necessary to equip to USB key at least 8 GB.

ATTENTION:
All data on the USB stick will be deleted.

Finally, it is recommended to remove and make a backup copy of all important files on the device on which you want to install the new operating system, because during the installation they will be deleted.

If it's a laptop, make sure you have connected it to powerso that the installation is not interrupted by the end of the battery charge.

CloudReady installation procedure (Chrome OS)

The installation procedure is very similar to windows and consists of two parts:

  1. creating a USB key containing the operating system;
  2. the actual installation of the operating system.

Creating installation media on Windows

The easiest and fastest way to create CloudReady media is to use the tool, which is only available to Windows. This is Newerware's recommended solution for everyone, regardless of what device you're going to install on.

To follow this path, all you have to do is:

  • Go to the CloudReady Site and press the «Install the family edition“;
  • Press «Download USBMaker“;
  • Once the download is complete, insert the key into a USB port from the PC and click on the executable;
  • Then on the system dialog screen, click “yes“;
  • Once the tool is launched, click «Next“;
  • Then you can check which key to use and press "again Next“;
  • At this point the installer will download what is necessary from the network and will proceed to copy the files to the stick, in about 20 minutes it should complete the operation (but it depends on the speed of the network connection and the writing speed of the USB key), at the end of the procedure you can press «End«.

Create installation media on other operating systems

To create installation media on MacOS or Chrome OS, click «Download 64-bit image«.
Once you've downloaded the installation image, you can follow the new software guide for macOS and the new software guide for Chrome OS.

Install Chrome OS (CloudReady)

The installation of the operating system is also very simple and the installation procedure is guided, let's see the steps:

  1. insert the previously prepared USB key into one of the USB ports of the PC on which you want to install Chrome OS;
  2. start the PC by pressing the power key and enter the BIOS (usually by pressing the CANC, F1, F12 or ESC key), then set it to boot from the USB drive;
  3. exit BIOS and reboot the system, after a while the CloudReady loading screen will appear.

After a while, the first setup procedure should appear, you can continue or go directly to the installation.

Our advice is to proceed directly with the installation if the device is present in the compatibility list.. Instead, it is recommended to perform the first configuration and test the system in direct mode to check that everything works correctly if it is not in the list.
In live mode the system may not be very responsive, this is normal as it is running from USB stick.

When you are ready to proceed with the installation, simply go to the bottom right, left click on the clock and then on the «Install the operating system«.

Then the installer will appear, here you will have to accept the license agreement by clicking on the «Install Cloudready«.

Later, we will be informed that everything on the hard drive will be erased (as planned), click «Erase the drive and install Cloudready«.

At this point, the actual installation will start, the operation cannot be interrupted, at the end, the PC will shut down.
Do not remove the key without making sure the PC is turned off.

Once the key is removed, you can start the system and continue with the guided setup.
In the order, we will be asked to:

  1. indicate the system language;
  2. connect to a network;
  3. authorize the processing of personal data;
  4. enter a google account.

At this point, we will be ready to use the PC with Chrome OS.


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