In the previous issue, we introduced Chrome OS Flex, a new operating system that is great for breathing new life into old PCs or laptops. In the meantime, the first test versions are available.

Wim Dewijngaert

Although Chrome OS Flex is not yet finished, we would like to tell you how you can get started with this so-called developer builds. But let’s refresh the memory first. Chrome OS Flex can be considered the little brother of Google’s Chrome OS, the operating system that runs on Chromebooks. Visually, both are like two drops of water. The main difference is that Google Play and Android apps are not supported: you add new software via Google’s WebApps portal.
Chrome OS Flex is therefore primarily intended as a shell around various web apps from the Google range and is particularly suitable for use in education, among other things. Once installed, the operating system – just like with Windows Update – is regularly updated automatically. Google considers safety of paramount importance: software runs in a so-called sandboxpreventing insecure applications from immediately accessing the entire device.

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A look at the settings screen

Requirements
If you have an old laptop at home that has become too slow for Windows, then thanks to this operating system it can still be used perfectly by people who do not need software with many bells and whistles. There are a number of conditions that your old material must meet. For example, there must be an Intel or AMD x86-64-bit processor on board with at least 4GB RAM, a hard drive of at least 16GB must be built in and booting from a USB stick must be possible. The memory requirement is especially challenging. Google does not recommend using machines made before 2010. In addition, there is a warning that the Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600 and 3650 graphics cards are not fast enough to run the OS. To make things easier for you, Google has published a list of verified models (https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11513094), but unfortunately it is not complete. So it’s a matter of trying it out to see if your machine is compatible.
To be clear, a wide variety of peripherals are not usable in Chrome OS Flex, including CD and DVD drives, Firewire and Thunderbold ports, input pins, biometric scanners, and shortcuts or hot keys on your keyboard.

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Your first introduction to the operating system

Installation
Chrome OS Flex is installed via a USB stick. The operating system can be downloaded on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. This is done via a plug-in of the Chrome browser; so you need this anyway. Open the url https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions and search for Chromebook Recovery Utility. You add this extension to Chrome. To activate the tool, click on the puzzle piece at the top right of the screen. Then choose Manage extensions and activate the recovery plugin. After this, the extension becomes available in the toolbar and Chrome OS Flex can be installed on a USB stick (minimum 8GB). When the stick has been described, place it in your old PC or laptop. It is important to check in the BIOS settings whether the so-called UEFI boat is activated, and whether the presence of a USB stick is first checked when starting. If this is not the case, please read the BIOS workshop (Getting started with the BIOS).
If all goes well, the Chrome OS logo will appear when you start up your old PC. If your PC or laptop does not have a USB3 port, this process will be very slow. There is no progress bar to see, so it is difficult to estimate whether the machine is stuck or not.
Finally appears Welcome to Chrome OS Flex on screen. After choosing the language – Dutch is in the list and there is support for a Belgian keyboard – the choice is offered between installing the OS on the hard disk, or testing the operating system without erasing your hard disk. We have often seen the latter possibility in the past with a so-called live cd, but in this case your data will also be stored on the USB stick; this really makes Chrome OS Flex a fully portable OS. The wizard then proceeds to ask for information about your Wi-Fi network. You can then indicate whether a child will use the device. If you select this option, it is possible to set certain usage restrictions. Finally, you can choose whether you want to use Chrome OS Flex as a guest or as a Google user and whether you want to use your mobile phone to unlock the device (the so-called smart lock).

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The shortcut menu appears after clicking at the bottom right of the screen

desktop
After startup, a dark-colored bar at the bottom of the desktop immediately stands out, which Google de shelf and very similar to the Windows taskbar. The shelf can be displayed on the left, bottom or right by clicking the right mouse button.
The desktop photo can also be set in the same way. There is a round ball in the bar on the left. Clicking on this will open the main menu. There is a search bar at the top of this window. Here you can search tabs, files and apps. Just below that, you’ll see the icons of the most recently used files and programs, followed by a list of all installed apps. At the top right is the icon of the Google Assistant. You can ask a question by voice or text and it works in the same way as the application we know from Android phones.
In the middle of the bar we find a number of shortcuts, which can be adjusted by dragging icons to them. On the right is an icon that indicates the Phone Hub opens. Here you can set things like smart lock (to unlock your laptop via your mobile), tethering (to share a 4G connection), messages (to read your incoming apps), parts (to share the open Chrome tabs with your phone) and wifi (to synchronize your access points). On the far right are settings icons for your keyboard, network and battery and finally there is also a clock. By clicking with the mouse on this right part, a control panel opens in which the bluetooth connection, the sound volume and the brightness of the screen can be set, a screen recording can be made and where you can adjust your account settings.

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List of installed applications

Twenty applications are supplied as standard with a new installation. A large part of the apps will not work without an internet connection. You start up by clicking on the icon. If you restart your PC, you can choose to automatically open all apps that were in use last time.
It is useful to know that the documents you edit can also be printed. Your printer must then have a special IPP(S) protocol; because it is impossible to install a driver, as we are used to in Windows. The same goes for VPN connections, which normally don’t work without installing additional software. Google provides a solution for this out-of-the-box via the protocols IPsec, L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN and WireGuard.

Conclusion
After playing with the operating system for a few days, it is easy to conclude: Chrome OS Flex runs quickly, can be operated well without much PC knowledge and comes with a nice standard package of applications. For the seasoned IT person, however, the offer is quite disappointing. In addition, working on the go is difficult because most apps need to be connected to the internet. For this target group, a light distribution of Linux may be a better solution.
An old HP Elitebook 2540p laptop from 2010 was used as a test machine, with 4GB of memory and an I7 processor running at 2.3MHz.
The developer version of Chrome OS Flex we were using sometimes suffered from a touch pad that fell out. The unlocking via the Android phone also did not seem to work properly. When installing the Linux environment, the progress bar stuck at 90 percent and the installation never completed. Finally, the laptop occasionally had a hard time waking up from sleep mode. Undoubtedly teething problems, because – just to be clear – this is about an unfinished product. In the meantime, we can confirm that updates appear regularly, so that bugs are quickly addressed. When Google will roll out the final version, it was not yet known at the time of writing this article.

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Chrome OS Flex was tested on a 12-year-old laptop

The developer version of Chrome OS Flex we were using sometimes suffered from a touch pad that fell out. The unlocking via the Android phone also did not seem to work properly. When installing the Linux environment, the progress bar stuck at 90 percent and the installation never completed. Finally, the laptop occasionally had a hard time waking up from sleep mode. Undoubtedly teething problems, because – just to be clear – this is about an unfinished product. In the meantime, we can confirm that updates appear regularly, so that bugs are quickly addressed. When Google will roll out the final version, it was not yet known at the time of writing this article.

Without and with internet

The included applications that can be used without internet are:

  • Files: Access the saved files and Google Drive
  • Camera: Allows you to take a photo, scan documents, scan QR codes and record video
  • Settings: here you can change a number of OS settings
  • Calculator: a simple calculator
  • Explore: step-by-step instructions on how to switch, info on how to open and save files, find apps, keyboard shortcuts and more
  • Chrome Canvas: simple drawing program with three markers, a crayon and an eraser, with the possibility to adjust color and pen thickness
  • Gallery: Edit images, fill PDFs, watch videos, listen to audio
  • Text: a kind of notepad-like word processor with limited options (adjust the font size, choose the tab size and display the line numbers)
  • Linux apps: allows you to open a Linux prompt; for this you have to enable developer mode in the settings and download an extra component
  • Chrome: opens the well-known Chrome web browser

These apps do not work without an internet connection:

  • Messages: opens messages.google.com (allows messages to be shared to your phone)
  • Gmail: open mail.google.com (Google’s mail program)
  • Google Meet: Open meet.google.com (to conduct video meetings)
  • Google Chat: opens Google Workspace from mail.google.com (chat service)
  • Documents: opens docs.google.com (word processor)
  • Presentations: opens docs.google.com (presentation software)
  • Spreadsheets: opens docs.google.com (spreadsheet editor)
  • Google Drive: open drive.google.com (store your files in the cloud)
  • Google Keep: Open keep.google.com (to take notes)
  • Google Calendar: open calendar.google.com (calendar application)
  • YouTube: opens youtube.com
  • YouTube Music: open music.youtube.com
  • Play Movies: Open play.google.com (to rent movies)
  • Google Maps: opens maps.google.com (maps)
  • Web Store: Open chrome.google.com (to install additional apps)
  • Play Books: open play.google.com (to rent books