Turning your old computer into a Chromebook is very easy and could help you during this quarantine period. At a time when working from home is becoming a necessary evil, you ought to be at your ‘A-game. These online times might need that old machine repurposed. In case you have any old computer that has been neglected for a while, let’s awaken the dead for a purpose. Computers are now widespread all over the market at some pocket-friendly rates. Looking at operating systems (OS), we can now brag that you don’t need Windows for your PC to survive just like some old days.
Computers/Laptops are now run on different OS like Apple Mac Os, Linux, among others. We want to assume you already have an old laptop and you are wondering what to use it for. You don’t need to throw it away in the name of cleaning since you are in a lockdown. Your son at home could benefit from that machine. In 2011, Google announced the release of Chrome OS. The Google Chrome OS is a simple inexpensive operating system that helps you browse the web. It powers low-cost computers, runs android apps, and supports most of the Google services.
Contents
Here is what you need to turn your old computer into a Chromebook
- Laptop with at least 1GB RAM, supporting Wifi, and 8GB of local storage. That’s to say Laptops introduced in May 2007 or later.
- Internet access
- Flash disk (At least 8GB to be safe)
- Cloud-ready Installer
Before we get started, you will need to back up your information from the old laptop in case you need it. We are going to use Neverware’s excellent and free CloudReady: Home Edition, which is based on the same open-source Chromium OS that’s the basis of Google’s Chrome OS as used on store-bought Chromebooks.
Step by step guide
Downloading process:
- Go to CloudReady: Home Edition to get started.
- Tap the Install the Home Edition.
- Neverware gives you two download options to follow according to the status of your laptop.
- Click the “Download USB Maker” button. Even if you’re going to install this on a Mac, you can still create the USB Maker on a PC. You can also create an installer manually on a Mac or Chromebook—just follow the instructions in the right-hand column.
- Once the download is finished, you should have a bootable USB stick. The idea is to put the USB stick in the computer you want to turn into a Chromebook.
- Boot it up, and install the CloudReady operating system.
- My advice would be to insert the USB stick and boot the machine first just to see if it works. If all is well, move on to the next step.
- If your laptop doesn’t boot into the CloudReady software, don’t get discouraged. You’re going to have to interrupt your machine’s normal boot sequence and instruct it to read the USB stick first. To do that, boot up the machine and, depending on the make of the computer—see the list here—repeatedly tap the corresponding button as it’s booting.
Installation process:
- Once your machine boots from the USB stick you created, you may get a funny version of Chromium running directly via USB.
- Just reboot the computer without the USB stick inserted and it’ll go back to whatever it was running previously.
- If you’re ready to permanently install CloudReady, click your way through the initial screens—you’ll set your network and log in to your Google account—and then click the clock icon in the lower-right corner and select the “Install OS” icon.
- When it’s done, restart your PC and boot from the USB drive. The CloudReady installer will load. Set your language, keyboard, and network, then click Continue to begin the installation process.
- Choose a picture to use for your account and you’ll be offered the chance to take a tour of your new device. All the apps can be accessed through the launcher in the bottom-right corner. The System Tray provides access to the settings, which is where you’ll find the option to install CloudReady.
Conclusion
This 20 minutes to the one-hour process should begin your Chromebook virtual world with a smile. Enjoy a perfect homestay browsing the web. In case you are wondering about the similarity between CloudReady and Google Chrome OS. Both CloudReady and Chrome OS are based on the open-source Chromium OS. These two are closely related yet different. See more from Neverware.
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