Chromebook question.

[JohnnyG]

Can a few year old Samsung Chromebook be rescued with a new OS?
I have a 3 or 4 year old Chromebook that apparently is no longer getting updates and some banking websites are no longer interacting with the (Chrome) browser. Chrome says the version is current, but there is no way to get to the details on the OS.
Is there a version of Linux that I can install?
It seems to have adequate storage available, like 128 gb, but nothing will install nor update.

Tried a "Power Wash" but that didn't help. (like a half reset)

I suppose I just have to consider it obsolete, like an older cell phone.
Any suggestions?

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I don't have any technical details for you but I know it's possible on older ones at least. There is a lot of info out there, it's just a matter of combing though it. Any info I had or links I had saved previously are out of date now. But if it's 3-4 years old then you actually have more options. Knowing what CPU is in it is really your first step. I believe the Intel x86-based ones have more potential. The ARM-based ones, not so sure.

Just know there is a bit of 'hacking' involved. Removing a screw or something similar to put it in developer mode, burning custom firmware, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=install+linux+on+chromebook

Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[Capt W]

Is there a version of Linux that I can install?

You should be able to install Linux Mint 20 or 21, but you'll have to check out one of the Linux Mint forums for the how-to, as Chromebooks apparently require a few extra steps (which I'm not familiar with). Looks like plenty of folks have done it, though.

I just installed Mint 21 on a brand-new ASUS notebook in order to get rid of Win 11-S and its excruciatingly slow speeds, bloatware, and other Microsoft proprietary garbage. It now flies; but for what it's worth I only use the notebook for Internet & E-mail. I also have Mint 20 on an old spare desktop in the guestroom. It's like giving old machines a new life.

You'll have to burn the Mint ISO file onto a flash drive, but there's freeware for that (I used Balena Etcher).

 

[JustinH]

They are disposable 200 dollar computers. If you like chromebook go get another one. I had an old one like that and i put it on offerup someone came and bought it within an hour.

 

[y_p_w]

Yeah - that's kind of the way it is. I got a free (used Chromebook) back in 2019, and when I got it the thing was about 3 years old. Won it in a business card drawing at a trade show. But all I got was that and the power adapter. The display already had a backlight issue but it otherwise worked. Eventually I got warnings that ChromeOS would receive no further updates. And finally it died.

I bought an Acer Chromebook last year for $100. Only 32 GB but for basic web surfing and as a backup computer it's fine. I prefer my old Mac for almost anything, but there are some thing that don't work any more like Microsoft Teams unless it's with an educational account. But a newer Chromebook still works.

 

[JohnnyG]

You should be able to install Linux Mint 20 or 21, but you'll have to check out one of the Linux Mint forums for the how-to, as Chromebooks apparently require a few extra steps (which I'm not familiar with). Looks like plenty of folks have done it, though.

I just installed Mint 21 on a brand-new ASUS notebook in order to get rid of Win 11-S and its excruciatingly slow speeds, bloatware, and other Microsoft proprietary garbage. It now flies; but for what it's worth I only use the notebook for Internet & E-mail. I also have Mint 20 on an old spare desktop in the guestroom. It's like giving old machines a new life.

You'll have to burn the Mint ISO file onto a flash drive, but there's freeware for that (I used Balena Etcher).

I'm running Ubuntu 22.04 right now on this desktop, so I'm fairly familiar. I may have to do the same exact thing to a friends Win 11 notebook she just ordered. Hope not.

 

[JohnnyG]

I don't have any technical details for you but I know it's possible on older ones at least. There is a lot of info out there, it's just a matter of combing though it. Any info I had or links I had saved previously are out of date now. But if it's 3-4 years old then you actually have more options. Knowing what CPU is in it is really your first step. I believe the Intel x86-based ones have more potential. The ARM-based ones, not so sure.

Just know there is a bit of 'hacking' involved. Removing a screw or something similar to put it in developer mode, burning custom firmware, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=install+linux+on+chromebook

Good luck and have fun with it.

Thanks. Yes, this one has the ARM chip "upgrade" which was a downgrade, duh.

 

[uc50ic4more]

My daughters' Chromebooks, about the same age but not Samsung, actually have an option, accessible through a GUI menu somewhere, to install Debian. Debian is the distribution on which Ubuntu, and therefore also Mint, are based; and I'd wager that any of those 3 ought to extend the usable life of that thing for quite a long time. I am typing this on a 10-year-old Dell laptop with Debian (12); and have 12- and 13-year-old iMacs running it as well; in addition to a Dell Precision Xeon-based workstation that I use for my work and an old Lenovo tower that I use as a media and backup server for my family. On top of that, I am a web developer and my entire cloud-based network runs on Debian 11. It is as rock solid as you can get and works on darn-near anything.

 

[e36andy]

So ChromeOS just recently dropped something called ChromeOS Flex. It's meant for old windows devices but I actually installed it on my OLD Dell Chromebook from like 2015 or something and it works flawlessly. It will continue to get support for years.