Google launched ChromeOS along with Chromebooks in 2011.
The idea was to deliver an economical laptop that could handle basic productivity tasks with ease.
It was a fairly lightweight operating system that didnt need many underlying hardware resources to work.
But do you know that you might use ChromeOS Flex from a USB drive without installing it?
Read on to know more.
What Is ChromeOS Flex?
Neverware built Neverware CloudReadyan 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, it’s possible for you to install ChromeOS Flex on most laptops.
Google is slowly increasing the number of supported models and continues updating the list on a dedicated webpage.
Check our guide oninstalling ChromeOS Flex on a laptopfor more information.
But you dont want to install it unless you are extremely sure.
Like Ubuntu, you’re free to try ChromeOS Flex before installing it on your system.
Even if you installed and tried a bunch of apps, it will delete everything after a restart.
But when you try out ChromeOS Flex, it retains all your files and preferences after you sign in.
you might do it by installing the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension.
To create a ChromeOS Flex bootable USB, launch any web online window and visit theofficial Chromium Dash website.
punch any version listed under theRecovery Imagescolumn.
The image will begin downloading on your system.
It may take longer if you have a slow internet connection.
The website offers an extremely compressed version of the ChromeOS Flex image file.
After the download completes,unzip the archive fileusing WinRar or 7-Zip to reveal the actual BIN image file.
Launch a web internet tool again and visit the official Rufus download page.
Scroll down and download the latest version of Rufus.
Download:Rufus
Launch Rufus with administrative privileges on your system.
select theDevicedrop-down list to grab the USB drive.
Next, choose theSelectbutton to add the ChromeOS Flex image file.
see to it to click onAll Filesotherwise you wont see the BIN file that you extracted earlier.
choose the image file and clickOpento add it to Rufus.
punch theStartbutton to begin creating a bootable drive.
ClickOkwhen you see a data wipe warning.
Wait for the process to complete.
The ChromeOS Flex bootable USB drive is now ready.
power cycle your system.
PressF10to enter the boot equipment menu.
TryEsc,F2, orF12keys ifF10doesnt work.
The ChromeOS Flex logo will flash on the screen.
Next, you will see the “Welcome to ChromeOS Flex” message.
tap on theGet startedbutton to enter the setup.
Then, select theTry it firstoption and punch theNextbutton.
Now, you’re gonna wanna connect the laptop to a Wi-Fi connection.
You cannot try ChromeOS Flex until you’ve internet access.
Pick your home/work internet from the list of available connections.
Enter the data pipe credentials and clickConnect.
If you face an issue while connecting to a wireless internet, plug in an ethernet cable.
Next, uncheck the option to send diagnostic data to Google present on the terms of services window.
press theAccept and continuebutton to proceed.
Now, you’re gonna wanna pick the punch in of user for ChromeOS Flex.
There is also aBrowse as Guestoption which gives you a sneak peek of ChromeOS Flex.
But it contains nothing except a online window, file manager, and a bunch of basic features.
So, dont go that route.
Instead, select theYouoption and clickNext.
Then, use a Gmail account to access.
If you have two-factor authentication enabled in your account, approve the login.
Keep the default sync options and punch theAccept and continuebutton.
Uncheck the hardware data collection option and clickAccept and continueagain.
Ignore theGoogle AssistantandConnect to your phoneoptions.
Select a display theme and proceed by clicking theNextbutton.
Then, clickGet Started.
Now, you will enter the ChromeOS Flex desktop.
Wait for the apps and files to load properly.
you should probably have an active internet connection to sign in to the operating system.
Most of the Google apps like Docs, Sheets, YouTube, Gmail, Chrome, etc.
all need an active internet connection to launch and work.
The only app that would work without an internet connection is the Files app.
We downloaded a 100MB test file which the internet tool saved on the USB drive.
you’re free to only pull up the files via the Files app.
You have to rely on common keyboard shortcuts for most tasks.
you might directly upload files to Google Drive from theDownloadsfolder.
It also supports the creation of new folders in theMy filesdirectory.
You will have to re-slide in your Gmail account password though!
We even tried using the USB drive on another laptop and picked theTry it firstoption again.
Surprisingly, after logging in with the same Gmail account, our files remained intact.
If you use a 16GB bootable drive, you’ll only get around 3.3GB for storage.
It is possible to use it for managing all your Google apps and services in one place.
