How do I install a Linux system on a Chromebook?

Summary: First, you need a Chromebook. Second, you have to have a reason not to use Chrome OS—for freedom, freedom, freedom. Chromebooks are not only very cool, but also extremely cheap, and the operating system it runs is Chrome OS, a Linux kernel-based operating system developed by Google.

First, you have to have a Chromebook.

Second, you have to have a reason not to use Chrome OS—for freedom, freedom, freedom.

Chromebooks are not only very cool, but also extremely cheap, and the operating system it runs is Chrome OS, a Linux kernel-based operating system developed by Google.


Sometimes, though, you'll find that the operating system your Chromebook runs on is quite restrictive. As a result, many users install another GNU/Linux operating system on top, either dual-booting or simply replacing Chrome OS entirely. There are already many tutorials on how to dual-boot a Linux system on your Chromebook, but this guide will explain it better.

Yes, that's right, we're teaching you to replace Chrome OS with a GNU/Linux distribution. When Google no longer provides updates for your Chromebook, you'll need to decide whether to replace the restrictive operating system. Here, we replace it with a perfect operating system, Solus, which has just become a rolling release.

The best thing is that Solus looks a lot like Chrome OS, and it doesn't just look like it, it does what you want, while being stable, fast, and fully functional. Of course, the tutorials below apply to other distributions as well.

Turn on Chrome OS's developer mode and boot from USB
Before we start, we need to remind you of a few things. First, if you follow the tutorial below to install a GNU/Linux distribution, this will wipe your Chrome OS system - but you can restore it later in a few ways via Google's support site.

Second, every time you need to use your new Linux system, you need to press the CTRL-L shortcut.

Lastly, your Chromebook needs to be Intel architecture, not ARM, otherwise you won't see any boot loader information on some Chromebook models.

We tested this tutorial on an Acer C740 Chromebook.

First thing first is that you need to decide which Linux distribution you want to use, then go and download the latest ISO image (need to make sure it's a Live ISO with a graphical desktop environment) and write it to a USB on a memory stick. Plug it into your Chromebook when you're done.

Open your Chromebook lid and shut it down, now hold down the ESC and Refresh keys on your Chromebook, then press the power button for a few seconds until you see a warning screen. Immediately press CTRL+D to activate developer mode, which may take a few minutes.

When developer mode is enabled, you will be asked to enter your Chrome OS identity, and then all data will be synced back to your Chromebook. At this point, press the CTRL+ALT+T key combination to open the developer mode terminal, enter the following command:

shell
and press Enter. Now enter the following commands:

sudo crossystem dev_boot_usb=1 dev_boot_legacy=1
Hit enter, and make sure the USB stick of the Linux distribution you want to install is always plugged into your Chromebook. Shut down. Reboot, and when you see the warning screen again, quickly press CTRL+L to boot from USB.

Boot from the USB and install the Linux OS
Now the GNU/Linux OS will load from the USB stick and after about a minute or two you should see a live session. Connect to the Internet and install the system normally as you would on any other computer. When the installation is complete, shut down. Reboot after removing the USB stick, then quickly press CTRL+L.

Your new GNU/Linux distribution is now up and running!

Acer C740 Chromebook running Solus Linux
Acer C740 Chromebook running Solus Linux

To add again, on our Acer C740 Chromebook, we couldn't find an open source implementation of SeaBIOS for 16-bit x86 BIOS, so we can't choose a boot device at boot, but other Chromebooks possible.

The original release time is: 2016-07-13

This article is from Yunqi community partner "Linux China"


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