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Google ChromeOS Flex is an operating system specialized in the recovery and maintenance of personal computers. Although the company has aimed it at the education and business markets,
Google ChromeOS Flex is an operating system specialized in the recovery and maintenance of personal computers. Although the company has aimed it at the education and business markets, it will also be very useful for any user who wants to bring back to life equipment that is not being used due to its age or limited features, but could still work a lightweight cloud-centric system.
The original concept of this version is based on CloudReady software. While there were other ways to do this, the best solution was certainly to use ChromeOS on non-Google computers, such as Chromebooks. Google acquired its developer (Neverware) and from there a new path opened up that eventually took shape in Google ChromeOS Flex.
Of course, the system still retains the potential of CloudReady, but with official Google support and all that means in version updates, quality and security that the company has put on par with what it offers for ChromeOS. It has also added key features to an already well-established development, as it is derived from the open source ChromiumOS project with its Linux kernelweb browser, software of all kinds and native Google Apps.
It’s not a system for everything or everyone, but Google is improving it, and the truth is that it shows promise primarily for its proposed goal: updating an old device with a modern operating system to extend its life. Or make the ones we left out work again. Of course it is completely free and it is easy to install on PC or Mac as we are going to check in this guide.
As we mentioned above, their approach to older computers was met with few extremely minimal requirements by current standards.
Google actually ensures that the system will run properly almost any computer made after 2010 and even in the previous ones, although some of their components, such as the older integrated GPU, will not meet performance standards.
The system can be installed on the computer’s internal storage (hard disk or SSD) like any other Linux or Windows, and can also be used as a “Live-USB” without affecting the system you have installed. In both cases, we need to create the installation media USB with a capacity of at least 8 GB. From there, Google offers everything you need to create it from a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Let’s go step by step:
The process time will depend on the speed of your internet connection and your computer hardware. In our case, it is done in a few minutes using a USB 3.2 flash drive. We recommend using the most powerful media you have and connect it to the most advanced version of the port device where you test it to get the best possible performance.
We tested the system on several laptops, one with current hardware in which we used the “Live” format, and another older one where we installed the system to check that it was indeed “PC Recovery” as Google promises. The first step in both requires going into BIOS/UEFI and placing the created media as the first boot drive. If you don’t know how to do that, you can check out this tutorial for access keys.
“Live USB”
It is an extremely convenient and simple method of running software as it does not require installation. In addition, it does not change the partitions, files, data or configuration of the operating system installed on the machine, so It is an ideal choice for software testing whether systems or applications, antivirus media or rescue and maintenance discs.
Running Chrome OS Flex this way is trivial. After making the aforementioned BIOS change, the computer will boot from USB and all that’s left to do is follow the installer instructions and boot from there. It must be said that compared to other media of this type, this one uses persistent storage, so save the account and options you configured so you don’t have to repeat them the next time you run the same media. It can also store files you create/save.
Not all are advantages of this method, as we will see later when discussing the user experience, and the performance is always lower than with a standard installation or the use of virtual machines, even though we use fast connection ports and a high-end ASUS TUF 2021 laptop for the test.
Device
Because the real purpose of the test was to assess Flex’s ability restore and maintain older computers, we installed it on HP ENVY 2012 and there were a lot of production battles behind it. With a dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM, it is incompatible with Windows 11 and works well with Windows 10 and even standard Linux like Ubuntu. It is a typical candidate for testing this system, which is still “light Linux”.
Installation is similar to installing any other system. If you’re using a fast USB drive, the Chrome OS Flex settings screen should load in a few seconds. We’ll change the language and keyboard to Spanish (it has options for Spain and Latin America) and optionally activate ChromeVox, Chrome OS’s integrated screen reader.
At that point, you can also connect to Wi-Fi if you’re not using Ethernet and manage Bluetooth, accessibility options, screen brightness, or sound. It should be said that the installer Chrome OS Flex recognizes your computer’s hardware the first timeand also hotkeys for the screen brightness and multimedia of the notebook where we test it.
The installer will ask you if you want to install the system on the internal storage drive or boot from a USB device. If you install it like we did in the test, it will overwrite all the data on your computer.
After managing the Internet connection and agreeing to the terms of service, we can configure a user profile, a work or personal account or another, if the youngest members of the household will use it. We start with our Google account, complete the two-step activation and activate (optionally) Google Assistant.
Installation Done in just 5 minutes. It must be said that the original hard drive of the laptop has been replaced with an SSD and this makes work easier.
Although it was not our main goal, we comment that the direct implementation on USB It was not as satisfying as we expected. Google itself warns of performance (and storage) limitations if we use this method. We tested with the second flash drive also with the 3.2 interface and the performance improved slightly, but not to the desired extent. It might be worth it for a simple test and a look at the system, but not for continued use.
The opposite happened when installing the system. Very fast at booting up and running apps despite only having 4GB of RAM. In addition, it perfectly recognizes system hardware, Internet connection via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and peripherals that we additionally connect, such as a Logitech mouse.
Flex is Chrome OS with the advantages of simplicity, ease of use, management or security that we know, and with the basic features and functions that Google offers in Chromebooks, but without having to buy a special machine and with official support from Google, which guarantees that we will have updated versions, quality and security in the future.
Like Chrome OS, Flex is derived from the Chromium OS open source project based on Linux kernel and Chrome web browser. From there, Google adds software of all kinds, with an emphasis on native Google Apps, the ability to run progressive web apps, native apps available in the Chrome Web Store, and thousands available from Android once the Play Store is officially supported. Today, any Android app can run on Chrome OS and Flex.
Google has also started supporting Linux apps on some Chromebooks, and the upcoming arrival of Steam to Chrome OS promises to cover that great games outside the Stadia cloud platform, although we will need a device with higher performance than the one we used for the Flex. We can also run desktop applications such as the great image editor Gimp in the cloud via rollApp, the Creative Cloud graphics suite (Project Photoshop Streaming) or even the Office suite after a significant agreement with Microsoft.
When checking out the interface, if you haven’t used Chrome OS in a while, you’ll be surprised at the huge progress since the beginning of development in and for the cloud and without the typical desktop elements. Based on the hardware-accelerated graphical environment “Aura”, Google has completed an interface that, without losing its simplicity and ease of use, does not clash with Windows or macOS and offers all the components of a modern desk such as multiple desktops, taskbar, animated transitions, status bar for each of the open applications, desktop backgrounds, overlapping windows with the ability to maximize or vary the size and much more.
In terms of internal tools, and as expected, the capacity to sync with Android phones stands out, even serving as a way to use it to authenticate on a PC, while the feature Sharing nearby can be used to transfer files between Android and Chrome OS devices or from Chromebook to Chromebook.
There is no file manager, media player, notification system, Wi-Fi synchronization, parental control or, as usual, the simple general configuration in which Chrome OS has excelled since its inception, as well as device management and management. for the educational and business sectors.
The entire system is of course mounted around Google’s software ecosystem starting with the Chrome browser, continuing with the Docs office suite and its applications for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, and continuing with other great applications such as Gmail, Maps or YouTube. If you use the Google ecosystem, you will be pleased, and in any case, the system offers the use of other alternatives. Even Microsoft’s Office suite.
In conclusion. We liked this Chrome OS Flex (a lot).. This device is ideal for web browsing, multimedia playback and basic office automation, while other uses such as editing or gaming will require a higher hardware configuration.
Chrome OS “for the masses”, which looks, feels and works just like the system pre-installed on the Chromebook. It works really well on older hardware and that opens up the field for millions of machines that originally ran Windows.
After improvements and leaving the beta phase, we don’t know how far Google will want to go in its goal to reach higher levels in computers. Until now, ChromeOS was the only “Linux” capable of outperforming Windows in some markets and Flex goes one step furtherwith the ability to install on any computer, no matter how old it may be, and as another alternative to Windows and macOS.
Source: Muy Computer
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
