Will a Chromebook take a alternative operating system ?

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

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Hello,

Will a Chromebook allow you to change the Operating system or are they some how locked to what it comes with ? I would be swapping to a Linux distro most Likely Lubuntu. The laptop I am using ( very old is literally falling apart, the screen is kaput, the keyboard is a pain in the butt and the CD tray no longer works.

Thanks all
 
Replacing the os is probably tricky. Google don't want you to do it so it's hard.

Adding an os is easy. Here's Google's instructions on how to run Debian (tl;Dr toggle a setting and wait 10 mins)

Set up Linux on your Chromebook - Chromebook Help

Linux is a feature that lets you develop software using your Chromebook. You can install Linux command-line tools, code editors and IDEs (integrated development environments) on your Chromebook. These
support.google.com

There are also many guides on how to install docker. And one you have that ...

Docker run -it ubuntu

Will have you running in no time.
 
Thanks everyone, I have been doing some further reading and now think I'm either going to go for a cheap Windows Laptop and scrap Windows or maybe a Raspberry PI and use my TV as the monitor and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, that way I can hide the Raspberry PI out of sight.. It seems the Chrome books are very basic and also the main idea is to remove myself from Google as far as I can.
 
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I use my Chromebook (bought off TP) just as my browsing machine in the kitchen. Useful, but limited value. I am curious about the Linux idea though... so thanks for creating the thread.
 
lindsay said:
I use my Chromebook (bought off TP) just as my browsing machine in the kitchen. Useful, but limited value. I am curious about the Linux idea though... so thanks for creating the thread.
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I was having a play with Chromebooks a little while ago as I fancied trying a Pixelbook so tried the Linux development environment mentioned above and it all seemed to be quite easy to set up and could install the applications I wanted. The only restriction with it is I don't think it works with the USB bootable version of Chrome OS which I was using for testing.
 
I've just brought a Windows Laptop and cannot even get the thing to boot as I have no Microsoft account and don't want one, I'm presently downloading a Linux variant and will wipe the Hard drive.
 
I've spent the day trying to get the Laptop working. In the end I looked in the BIOS and they have locked it to only boot from the Hard Drive with Windows on. So booting from USB is impossible, I cannot wipe Windows and install my usual Linux. It sounds as bad as Google locking their machines. The thing will have to go back tomorrow and I will most likely get my self a Raspberry PI which is much more user friendly.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
I've spent the day trying to get the Laptop working. In the end I looked in the BIOS and they have locked it to only boot from the Hard Drive with Windows on. So booting from USB is impossible, I cannot wipe Windows and install my usual Linux. It sounds as bad as Google locking their machines. The thing will have to go back tomorrow and I will most likely get my self a Raspberry PI which is much more user friendly.
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I very much want to know what that laptop is so I can avoid buying one. I'm happy to use Windows as my desktop (and always it up without a microsoft account), but disabling USB boot sounds absurd.
 
onomatopoeia said:
...but disabling USB boot sounds absurd.
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My guess is that it's seen as a security measure, to prevent naughty people accessing data they shouldn't.

I doubt it would stop anyone who really wanted to get at the data.
 
onomatopoeia said:
but disabling USB boot sounds absurd.
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I would agree and it sounds like something that shouldn't be, has been, turned off (or on). If USB boot had been permanently disabled, how would you reload the operating system in the event of a hard drive failure [and replacement with new]? Microsoft's own instructions for making a boot drive specifically tell you to turn on booting from USB after you make a recovery disk.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
My guess is that it's seen as a security measure, to prevent naughty people accessing data they shouldn't.

I doubt it would stop anyone who really wanted to get at the data.
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In a corporate environment it would be disabled in the BIOS and the BIOS locked with a password by corporate IT so users can't mess with the machine.

In a domestic environment and anything supplied though the retail sales channel, USB boot should be available, even if it needs a BIOS settings change to access. Not having it available in the BIOS at all seems like a massive error by the manufacturer as it renders the machine unmaintainable.
 
onomatopoeia said:
Not having it available in the BIOS at all seems like a massive error by the manufacturer as it renders the machine unmaintainable.
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I can't argue with that.

Another example of "It seemed like a good idea at the time"?
 
Microsofts theory behind it (they claim) is the average user will never need it and having it locked down prevents various rootkits and other low level nastys installing themselves via dodgy websites/email attachments etc, and more advanced users can reactivate it via the bios If they so wish….
 
It's only a question of holding the right key on boot up and you're in the BIOS, or more likely these days, EUFI

Read THIS for the difference.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
I've spent the day trying to get the Laptop working. In the end I looked in the BIOS and they have locked it to only boot from the Hard Drive with Windows on. So booting from USB is impossible, I cannot wipe Windows and install my usual Linux. It sounds as bad as Google locking their machines. The thing will have to go back tomorrow and I will most likely get my self a Raspberry PI which is much more user friendly.
Click to expand...

This is pretty standard with laptops nowadays its called secure boot and all UEFI bios have this built in
basically it stops people who steal your machine boot up and wipe it using a USB stick hence rendering it useless.

you can disable / change the way this behaves but you will need to go through the windows install and activate (just create a windows email account) and if you google it you can get into the bios to then enable legacy boot and alter the boot sequence but beware doing this will then render it open for if it is stolen it can then be wiped as above.

Maybe you should just try windows 11 it has come a long way and the anti theft UEFI BIOS is now pretty damned good.
 
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The Laptop is a ASUS Vivobook, Having done some research and having a few suggestions from another thread on here it seems it is set on secure boot but there is another method after changing the bios which lets you use USB boot to fix Windows/the laptop should there be a failure. This can then be used to boot Linux and wipe the Hard drive pre Linux install.
This would bypass any security as all you have to do is hold a key down whilst booting which gives you access to the BIOS. This would be made harder if the BIOS was password protected of course.

You can only use the preinsatlled Windows after you have given them your details ( helps massively with their data Farming if you tell them who you are) This is part of the reason for using Linux as online privacy is very important to me. I'm presently waiting for a USB drive to be delivered so I can install linux ( A corruption problem with my original one has stopped me at this point).
 
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BADGER.BRAD said:
This can then be used to boot Linux and wipe the Hard drive pre Linux install.
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One thing I will mention at this point is the feature which has "sold" Windows 10 and 11 to me: the Linux susbsystem.

Most of what I use Linux for are the text mode commands, so I didn't miss the absence of the Linux GUI. However, it now seems that you can use the GUI from inside Windows:

learn.microsoft.com

Run Linux GUI apps with WSL

Learn how WSL support running Linux GUI apps.
learn.microsoft.com

I hasten to add that I haven't tried this yet... :exit:
 
Yep it was me that told you about Secure Boot its standard on all new kit now.
surely linux must support secure boot it is an essential part of modern device security

you can turn it all off and just set it to legacy boot but then it really is wide open.
However if you disable secure boot/eufi bios and change it to legacy mode you will have to recreate your
usb boot drive to MBR
 
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LC2 said:
Be aware that installing WSL breaks Virtual Box.
There is plenty of noise about this if you look hard enough - Unfortunetly I didn't look before installing it...
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I haven't used any other virtualisation since I discovered WSL, so not a problem I'm likely to face.
 
LC2 said:
However, if you want the option to run Free BSD, Haiku, Windows Server (Testing) etc. then WSL kind of stuffs you and it's worth knowing about.
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When I was doing that sort of thing, I used a solid Linux distro as my base operating system and put everything on top. However, it's ten years since I had a need for it, so irrelevant in my case.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
When I was doing that sort of thing, I used a solid Linux distro as my base operating system and put everything on top. However, it's ten years since I had a need for it, so irrelevant in my case.
Click to expand...

As somebody off to the side with a foot in management and development who has some interest in being able to deal with some development materials but runs a range of other stuff then I've found Windows + WSL2 + Docker flexible enough for my needs over the last three years or so.

(If Windows hadn't offered up WSL I'd probably have gone back down the Mac route by now).
 
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