Don’t Throw Away Your Old Laptops! ChromeOS Flex Can Breathe New Life into Failing Devices

For the last two years at Hubbs Center, we have been using ChromeOS Flex to revive 5- to 10-year-old laptops and have been pleased with the results. We now have about 30 laptops we’ve converted to Flex and integrated into our student loaner program. The operating system has transformed our lagging devices into user-friendly student devices that now run well with the lighter, simpler OS installed.

ChromeOS Flex Basics

ChromeOS Flex is similar to ChromeOS but stripped down to the basic features needed for online browsing and cloud-based apps. For a comprehensive explanation of the differences, check out this article. The OS (operating system) can be installed on most laptops built after 2010, and Google provides a detailed list of certified compatible models.  Generally, laptops that meet these minimum specs will work:

• Architecture: Intel or AMD x86-64-bit compatible device
• RAM: 4 GB
• Internal storage: 16 GB

How to Install

To install Chrome OS Flex, the process is fairly straightforward. You need a USB drive with 8 GB or higher to create the installer. You will then download it from Chrome and use the USB drive to install it onto your computer. You can follow Google’s Installation Guide for detailed directions and watch this installation video. After you create the USB installer, it usually only takes about 5-10 minutes to install the new operating system onto a device. Be aware, though, that installation of ChromeOS Flex will erase all data and applications on your computer, so you will need to first back up any files that you want saved.

Our Experience

At Hubbs Center some of our newly-revived laptops were personal devices donated by staff, and many were school-purchased computer lab devices that were decommissioned and heading to the e-waste bin. It’s worked out well to offer these new “Chromebooks” as free loaner devices for students to check out for 3-6 months. (Note that our more valuable, Windows-based laptops require a refundable cash deposit.) When students open the Chromebook, they are asked to log in with their Google account (or log in as a guest) to start browsing and accessing Google apps. After they’ve logged in and set up a Google profile, we then help them set up bookmarks for distance learning platforms and their Google Meet link if registered for an online class.

Overall, using ChromeOS Flex has been an excellent way to offer a no-cost loaner device to students while also helping our program creatively upcycle some old devices.