how to install linux on a chromebook

8/13/2019 How to Install Linux on a Chromebook

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How to Install Linux on a

Chromebook

Daniel Price
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/danielprice/http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/danielprice/http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/danielprice/http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/danielprice/


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On 18thFebruary, 2014

Google Chrome,Hardware Stuff,Linux

Do you need Skype on your Chromebook? Do you miss not having access to games

throughSteam?Are you pining to use VLC Media Player? Then start using Linux on your

Chromebook.

Installing a traditionalLinuxenvironment on your Chromebook is a quick and easy way to

unlock your machines true potential and improve its functionality.

Chromebooks have been getting a lot of news coverage recentlytheir market share has been

expanding rapidly and many onlookers now predict they are set to become one of the best-selling

gadgets of 2014. They are not perfect for everyone though, their inherentonline functionality

frustrates some users,the ongoing Google vs Microsoft war means no native Skype app, and themedia player isnt well-endowed with features.

Luckily, because the Chrome OS is a Linux-based operating system, users can install analternative Linux environment and get a fully-fledged Linux desktop on their Chromebooks.

Before you start please be aware that if you have a ARM-based machine, several Linux apps

(including Skype) will not work, as they are only designed to run on Intel architecture.

There are two main ways to install a traditional Linux environment on your device, either in adual-boot environment usingChrUbuntu,or in a chroot environment usingCrouton.Both
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methods are relatively painless to undertake, and this article will provide a simple step-by-step

guide on how to install them, whilst also looking at their advantages and disadvantages.

Putting a Chromebook into Developer Mode

Both methods of installation first require you to put your Chromebook into Developer Mode.

This is a special function built into Chromebooks which, amongst other things, allows you to

boot an unapproved operating system.

A few words of caution before progressing. Firstly, putting your device into Developer Mode

will wipe all locally stored data, so please ensure you have made adequate backups of everythingimportant. Secondly, you are removing an important level of Chromebooks security, as themachine will no-longer verify or authenticate the Chrome OS on start-up, which could leave you

open to potential attacks. Finally, remember any modifications you make are not supported by

Google and may void your warranty.

The method for putting your Chromebook into Developer Mode varies depending on the make

and model of the machine. Older Chromebooks have a simple physical switch underneath thebattery, however, newer versions do not have a removable battery and thus require you follow

these steps:

1. Hold down the Esc+Refresh, and whilst keeping them pressed, hit the power button. Once thecomputer restarts you will be in Recovery Mode.

2. Press Ctrl+D, which will bring up a prompt asking if you want to enter Developer Mode. PressEnter to proceed.

3. The Chromebook will start initialising Developer Modethis may take some time.4. When the setup is complete you will be faced with a screen that displays an exclamation mark

and the phrase OS verification is OFF. From now on you will see this screen every time you

turn on your Chromebook. If you wait 30 seconds your Chromebook will start automatically, oryou can press Ctrl+D to boot immediately.


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Lets have a look at how to install ChrUbuntu. Please make sure you have enabled Developer

Mode and you are connected to a Wi-Fi network before starting.

1. Turn on your Chromebook, but do not enter your details when presented with the login screen.Instead press Ctrl+Alt+Forward.

2. Type Chronos and press Enter3. Typecurl -L -O http://goo.gl/9sgchs; sudo bash 9sgchsand press Enter.4. You will see some on-screen information about the installation that is about to take place. Press

Enter.

5. You will be asked to decide how much of your Chromebooks local memory you want to use forLinux. The developer recommends no more than 9 GB. Press Enter.

6. The repartitioning of your hard-drive will then take place. Upon completion you will be returnedto the Chrome OS login screen, again, do not enter your details.

7. Repeat steps 1 to 4.8. The installation will start. Every time you see an on-screen prompt, select the default

option.Importanttowards the end of the installation you will be prompted to choose whereGRUB should be installed, please ensure you choose/dev/sda, failure to do so will cause the

installation to fail.

9. Reboot when prompted to complete the installation.Once the installation has finished, you will be returned to the screen saying OS Verification isOFF. Simply press Ctrl+L to boot into Linux, or Ctrl+D to boot intoChrome.

Note:Power users can use the shell to see what other versions of Ubuntu are available by

entering curl -L -O http://goo.gl/9sgchs; sudo bash 9sgchs -hat the second time of entering thecommand.

Removing ChrUbuntu

If you have installed ChrUbuntu locally and then decided it is not for you, the only way to

remove the OS and restore the drive partitions to their factory state is toperform a system

recovery.

When performing a full system recovery, all your data in the cloud will automatically

resynchronise with your machine, but all local data will be wiped, so please ensure you have

adequate backups before you commence the process.

The simplest way to recover the system is by creating a recovery disk directly from your

Chromebook. Enter chrome://imageburnerin the browsers address bar, and follow the onscreeninstructions. You will need a USB stick with at least 4 GB of memory.
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When the disk has been created you can enter Recovery Mode by holding Esc+Refresh and

pressing the power button. Once in Recovery Mode, you will be prompted to enter the USB

recovery disk and the process will begin.

How to Install Linux as a Chroot Using Crouton

The alternative to using ChrUbuntu is to use software calledCrouton,which will install Linux ina chroot environment. In practice, this means you can switch between the two operating systems

seamlessly by using a simple keyboard command, and the machine will not require rebooting.

Further benefits include the/Downloadsfolder being shared across both systems, meaning filescan be easily accessed from both environments, whilst removing a Linux operating system that

has been installed using Crouton does not require a full system recovery.

The software itself was developed by a former Google employee and is, therefore, optimised to

run extremely quickly, even on older machines. All drivers are also shared between the two

environments, so they should work immediately and without problems.

The process of installing Crouton is very simple. Please check you are connected to a WiFi

network and you have Developer Mode enabled, then follow the steps below.

1. Download Crouton to your devices local hard-drive.2. From your Chromebooks desktop press Ctrl+Alt+T to launch the devices terminal.
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3. Type shell and press Enter.4. Typesudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfceand press Enter5. Near the end of the installation you will be prompted to enter a username and password for your

new Linux system. Choose something suitable, press Enter, and the installation will compete.

To start your new OS, make sure you are in the Chromebooks shell (from your desktop press

Ctrl+Alt+T, type shell, press Enter), then typesudo startxfce4and press Enter. After you have

done this once, the new OS will continue to run until you either turn off your computer or log outof the Linux desktop environment.

The following keyboard shortcuts enable you to switch between the original Chrome OS andyour new Linux environment:

o Arm-based machines:Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Forward and Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Backo Haswell/Intel-based machines:Ctrl+Alt+Back and Ctrl+Alt+Forward then Ctrl+Alt+Refresh

Once you have successfully installed your new environment there are a couple of actions you

should take to improve your experience.

1. Enable your keyboards brightness and volume keys to workinside the new OS. To do this,access the Chrome OSs shell (from the Chrome OS desktop, press Ctrl+Alt+T, type shell, and

press Enter), and typesudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -r precise -t keyboarduand press Enter.

2. Remove the new environments screensaver as it has been known to cause graphics errors. Youcan do this from the terminal inside Linux by typingsudo apt-get remove xscreensaverthen

pressing Enter.


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Recommended Apps to Download

As stated at the beginning of the article, one of the main benefits of installing a new Linuxenvironment is to improve offline functionality, get access to a native Skype app, and get an

alternative media player. Below are someLinux apps you should consider.

Linux can be confusingfor a first-time user, but the ubiquitousVLC Media Player can be easily

installed by entering the terminal inside your new environment, by typingsudo apt-get install

vlcand pressing Enter.

Skype is only available on non-ARM-based machines, to install it you can visit

theSkypewebsite and download the 32-bit release for Ubuntu 12.04+, following the on-screen

instructions.

Further recommendations include theOpenOfficeproductivity suite,Wine(for installing

Windows programs) andSteamfor your all gaming requirements. These packages can all beinstalled via the Ubuntu Software Centre or Synaptic.

Which is the Best Method?

Ive tried both methods on my Chromebook, and found Crouton to be faster, easier to use, and

less hassle to fix if something goes wrong. The ability to switch between operating systems is a
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big bonus, and integration of the/downloadsfolder makes working between the two

environments a much smoother experience.

how to install linux on a chromebook

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