Google launched ChromeOS in 2011 with Chromebooks. The idea was to deliver an affordable laptop that could handle basic productivity tasks with ease. It was a fairly lightweight operating system that did not require many built-in hardware resources to function.
After a few years, Google decided not to limit it to Chromebooks and released a lightweight OS that everyone can run on an average system.
Google also launched ChromeOS Flex, an operating system that you can install on any supported laptop model. But did you know that you can use ChromeOS Flex from a USB drive without installing it? Read on to know more.
What is chromos flex?
Neverware created Neverware CloudReady—an operating system based on the open-source Chromium OS. Google bought the company and made some modifications and the end result is ChromeOS Flex. Unlike the ChromeOS found in Chromebooks, you can install ChromeOS Flex on most laptops.
Google is gradually increasing the number of supported models and continues to update the list on a dedicated webpage. Check out our guide on installing ChromeOS Flex on a laptop for more details.
How to use ChromeOS Flex from a USB drive
Let’s say you like the idea of a new lightweight operating system and want to try it out. But you don’t want to install it unless you’re extremely sure. Like Ubuntu, you can try out ChromeOS Flex before installing it on your system.
The difference between trying out Ubuntu and ChromeOS Flex is that the former doesn’t save the changes you make to the system. Even if you have installed and tried a bunch of apps, it will still delete everything after restart. But when you try out ChromeOS Flex, it keeps all your files and preferences after you’ve signed in.
Creating a ChromeOS Flex Bootable USB
First of all, you need to create a bootable USB for ChromeOS Flex. You can do this by installing the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension. But you can also download ChromeOS Flex image files directly and create a bootable drive using Rufus.
To create a ChromeOS Flex bootable USB, launch any web browser and visit the official Chromium Dash website.
Click on any version listed under the Recovery Image column. The image will begin downloading to your system. It may take longer if you have a slow internet connection.
The website provides a highly compressed version of the ChromeOS Flex image file. After the download is complete, unzip the archive file using WinRar or 7-Zip to reveal the actual BIN image file.
Relaunch a web browser and go to the official Rufus download page. Scroll down and download the latest version of Rufus.
Launch Rufus with administrative privileges on your system. Click on the Device drop-down list to select the USB drive. Next, click on the Select button to add the ChromeOS Flex image file. Make sure to click on All Files otherwise you will not see the BIN file that you extracted earlier.
Click on the Start button to start creating the bootable drive. When you see the data wipe warning, click OK. Wait for the process to complete. Then, hit Close.
ChromeOS Flex bootable USB drive is now ready.
Boot Using a Bootable ChromeOS Flex USB Drive
After successfully creating the ChromeOS Flex bootable USB drive, you need to access the Boot Device menu and boot using the USB drive.
Restart your system. Press F10 to enter the Boot Device Menu. If F10 doesn’t work, try the Esc, F2, or F12 keys.
The ChromeOS Flex logo will flash on the screen. After this, you will see the message “Welcome to ChromeOS Flex”. Click on the Get Started button to enter setup.
Now, you need to connect the laptop to a Wi-Fi network. You can’t try ChromeOS Flex unless you have internet access. Select your home/work network from the list of available connections.
Enter the network credentials and click Connect. If you encounter any problems while connecting to the wireless network, plug in an Ethernet cable.
Next, uncheck the option to send diagnostic data to Google present on the Terms of Services window. Click on the Accept and Continue button to proceed further.
Now, you have to choose the user type for ChromeOS Flex. There’s also a Browse as Guest option that shows you a glimpse of ChromeOS Flex. But it has nothing but a browser, file manager and a bunch of basic features. So, don’t go that route.
Instead, you choose the option and click Next. Then, use a Gmail account to log in. If you have two-factor authentication enabled for your account, approve the login.
Keep the default sync settings and click on the Accept and Continue button. Uncheck the Hardware data collection option and click Accept and continue again.