Hello e621, I am The Gnoll Scribe. I am typing this and using the web on an old Chromebook that my dad got me a few years ago. I already created a bootable USB of Linux Mint, now all I need to do is actually install Linux Mint and get rid of Chrome OS because it is literally the Fisher-Price toy of operating systems. There's nothing on the web for my specific model of HP Chromebook and I was hoping one of you knows a solution to install Linux Mint on my kind of Chromebook without anything possibly going wrong.

Model #: 14-db0060nr

Feel free to use this forum as a platform to help other furries and beginners with Linux operating systems. This is not the place for distro wars as an ideal distro vastly depends on your needs as a user doing stuff ranging from casual web browsing, gaming, or working from home. Please be civil.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Hello e621, I am The Gnoll Scribe. I am typing this and using the web on an old Chromebook that my dad got me a few years ago. I already created a bootable USB of Linux Mint, now all I need to do is actually install Linux Mint and get rid of Chrome OS because it is literally the Fisher-Price toy of operating systems. There's nothing on the web for my specific model of HP Chromebook and I was hoping one of you knows a solution to install Linux Mint on my kind of Chromebook without anything possibly going wrong.

Model #: 14-db0060nr

Feel free to use this forum as a platform to help other furries and beginners with Linux operating systems. This is not the place for distro wars as an ideal distro vastly depends on your needs as a user doing stuff ranging from casual web browsing, gaming, or working from home. Please be civil.

Dedicated hardware is better for linux, try getting a better computer if you have the means for it. On the offchance it works, to install Mint I'd recommend watching a tutorial on youtube or reading the official guide it takes a moment to read it, but you really don't wanna botch the installation process. Last tip: use a live boot to see if mint is the right distro for you.

wolfmanfur said:
Dedicated hardware is better for linux, try getting a better computer if you have the means for it. On the offchance it works, to install Mint I'd recommend watching a tutorial on youtube or reading the official guide it takes a moment to read it, but you really don't wanna botch the installation process. Last tip: use a live boot to see if mint is the right distro for you.

I'll ask MC.Morrado if he can show me how stuff works. He installed Linux Mint on a used 2011 MacBook Pro he bought pretty cheap for $80 and is now using it to dual boot Linux Mint and this thing called "Ubuntu" whatever that is. I've asked MC.Morrado if he knew how to install Linux Mint on my type of Chromebook but he doesn't know either. And what's a Live Boot?

...have you considered using the Linux Mint forums? I imagine you'll be more likely to find somebody there who knows how to do it there rather than here.

I know there are a good number of Linux users here, but I'm not too sure you'll find somebody who uses both Linux Mint and a Chromebook.

There's a reasonably in-depth guide how to install Arch Linux on a Chrome OS device here - I know that's not the distro you're interested in but some of the information on there might be enlightening somehow?

Try the Chrultrabook guide

I know the Chrome OS is contained in my Chromebook's SSD. I am in between jobs and cannot afford a new laptop at this time in my current situation. Is there anybody who knows how to open up my specific type of Chromebook and remove it's SSD? I have enough loose change in my car to buy a sufficient new SSD so I can use that chance to install Linux Mint or Ubuntu.

HP Chromebook:
Model #: 14-db0060nr

It feels weird having an obscure type of Chromebook that is basically what used to be part of the liminal spaces within computer stores. 99% of results when I try looking it up only point to other models of Chromebooks that don't even look like mine. I'm still on the fence whether I should use Linux Mint or Ubuntu since I plan on using it to work from home doing stuff including data entry and need something super stable, quick, and can allow future potential to automate work from home stuff using Python.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I know the Chrome OS is contained in my Chromebook's SSD. I am in between jobs and cannot afford a new laptop at this time in my current situation. Is there anybody who knows how to open up my specific type of Chromebook and remove it's SSD? I have enough loose change in my car to buy a sufficient new SSD so I can use that chance to install Linux Mint or Ubuntu.

HP Chromebook:
Model #: 14-db0060nr

It feels weird having an obscure type of Chromebook that is basically what used to be part of the liminal spaces within computer stores. 99% of results when I try looking it up only point to other models of Chromebooks that don't even look like mine. I'm still on the fence whether I should use Linux Mint or Ubuntu since I plan on using it to work from home doing stuff including data entry and need something super stable, quick, and can allow future potential to automate work from home stuff using Python.

You don't need to remove the ssd to change the OS. Please read the Chrultrabook docs. You'll either need to remove a write protection screw or flip a switch on the motherboard, depending on the model, and the docs have a table to tell you which you need to do.

cloudpie said:
You don't need to remove the ssd to change the OS. Please read the Chrultrabook docs. You'll either need to remove a write protection screw or flip a switch on the motherboard, depending on the model, and the docs have a table to tell you which you need to do.

I don't know if my Chromebook has a write protection screw. MC.Morrado tried opening the Chromebook up using the screws on the back of it but what's weird is how you have to open it from the top. MC.Morrado wimped out last minute before opening it because he didn't want to risk breaking my only computer, everything about it is just so backwards compared to a regular laptop. He just struggled with his hands.... Mast cell disease really makes MC.Morrado's hands pretty bony, he's trying his best despite parts of him now looking a sickly purple like Michael Afton post-scoop.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
And what's a Live Boot?

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I know the Chrome OS is contained in my Chromebook's SSD. I am in between jobs and cannot afford a new laptop at this time in my current situation. Is there anybody who knows how to open up my specific type of Chromebook and remove it's SSD? I have enough loose change in my car to buy a sufficient new SSD so I can use that chance to install Linux Mint or Ubuntu.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I don't know if my Chromebook has a write protection screw. MC.Morrado tried opening the Chromebook up using the screws on the back of it but what's weird is how you have to open it from the top. MC.Morrado wimped out last minute before opening it because he didn't want to risk breaking my only computer, everything about it is just so backwards compared to a regular laptop. He just struggled with his hands.... Mast cell disease really makes MC.Morrado's hands pretty bony, he's trying his best despite parts of him now looking a sickly purple like Michael Afton post-scoop.

You're not ready for linux I'm sorry

wolfmanfur said:
You're not ready for linux I'm sorry

I hate to admit it but you're right. But it won't stop me from at least trying :), *Wimpers in broke a$$ yeen*.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I don't know if my Chromebook has a write protection screw. MC.Morrado tried opening the Chromebook up using the screws on the back of it but what's weird is how you have to open it from the top. MC.Morrado wimped out last minute before opening it because he didn't want to risk breaking my only computer, everything about it is just so backwards compared to a regular laptop. He just struggled with his hands.... Mast cell disease really makes MC.Morrado's hands pretty bony, he's trying his best despite parts of him now looking a sickly purple like Michael Afton post-scoop.

Are you a robot? This nonsense, the smart tv thing, and a lot of your image comments seem tangentially-related and keyword-heavy. It's genuinely like watching one of those skype spambots try to hold a conversation.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I don't know if my Chromebook has a write protection screw. MC.Morrado tried opening the Chromebook up using the screws on the back of it but what's weird is how you have to open it from the top. MC.Morrado wimped out last minute before opening it because he didn't want to risk breaking my only computer, everything about it is just so backwards compared to a regular laptop. He just struggled with his hands.... Mast cell disease really makes MC.Morrado's hands pretty bony, he's trying his best despite parts of him now looking a sickly purple like Michael Afton post-scoop.

Again, please read the Chrultrabook docs I linked earlier. It walks you through the entire process and will tell you what exactly you have to do for your model.

cloudpie said:
Again, please read the Chrultrabook docs I linked earlier. It walks you through the entire process and will tell you what exactly you have to do for your model.

I will hopefully get around to reading it as soon as I can; you've been pretty helpful, thank you so much. :D
I finally found one video of something relating to a chromebook that looks exactly like mine! Here it is: youtube.com/watch?v=AFnmufvma6U

Right now I'm too busy trying to apply to any places in my area that are hiring but they don't do walk-in interviews or give you a piece of yellow paper in the form of a physical job application anymore. It sucks how literally everything has to be online these days. Am I the only one who is finding it hard to get a job anywhere?

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Hello e621, I am The Gnoll Scribe. I am typing this and using the web on an old Chromebook that my dad got me a few years ago. I already created a bootable USB of Linux Mint, now all I need to do is actually install Linux Mint and get rid of Chrome OS because it is literally the Fisher-Price toy of operating systems. There's nothing on the web for my specific model of HP Chromebook and I was hoping one of you knows a solution to install Linux Mint on my kind of Chromebook without anything possibly going wrong.

Model #: 14-db0060nr

Feel free to use this forum as a platform to help other furries and beginners with Linux operating systems. This is not the place for distro wars as an ideal distro vastly depends on your needs as a user doing stuff ranging from casual web browsing, gaming, or working from home. Please be civil.

Hi, I've actually installed Linux on a Chromebook before(different model but still) and it's a little tricky. Have you looked into crouton at all? It allows the Chromebook to have most of the functionality of a full-blown Linux install with a lower risk of breaking the Chromebook. It essentially lets you run a Linux VM alongside the main Chrome OS install. If you need good performance I would probably eventually try installing Linux properly but it sounds like you don't know a whole ton about Linux and this would allow you to do urgent things in Chrome OS and less urgent things you can figure out with the Linux distro you installed alongside it. Here is the link to the project on GitHub: https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton
Anyway hope that helps :3

dininabo said:
Hi, I've actually installed Linux on a Chromebook before(different model but still) and it's a little tricky. Have you looked into crouton at all? It allows the Chromebook to have most of the functionality of a full-blown Linux install with a lower risk of breaking the Chromebook. It essentially lets you run a Linux VM alongside the main Chrome OS install. If you need good performance I would probably eventually try installing Linux properly but it sounds like you don't know a whole ton about Linux and this would allow you to do urgent things in Chrome OS and less urgent things you can figure out with the Linux distro you installed alongside it. Here is the link to the project on GitHub: https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton
Anyway hope that helps :3

I wonder if I can do that using just the Chrome OS terminal. You'll have to condense the instructions down to be read like how you would read instructions on the box for something like a TV dinner or Kraft dinner. Life is making it hard to do stuff on my only computer... and this is coming from a gnoll who still uses one of those old Blackberry phones from when they were still popular. Do you have any way to install Crouton using only the Chrome OS command line? That would be very much appreciated.

Update: I downloaded Linux developer tool environment on my Chromebook.

Another question, how do I put images into comments like this? I am also new to forums. I screenshotted what I did and want to show my progress to see if I'm doing it right.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I wonder if I can do that using just the Chrome OS terminal. You'll have to condense the instructions down to be read like how you would read instructions on the box for something like a TV dinner or Kraft dinner. Life is making it hard to do stuff on my only computer... and this is coming from a gnoll who still uses one of those old Blackberry phones from when they were still popular. Do you have any way to install Crouton using only the Chrome OS command line? That would be very much appreciated.

Do you have any important files you need to back up? The first step is to enable developer mode which wipes your Chromebook. It also decreases the security of your Chromebook so you have to keep that in mind as well.

Ok here is the crouton guide if you decide to go that route:

Please read the whole post before starting, the process will require rebooting so you may want to open this on a different device or take a picture or something before you get started. This process can be dangerous though I've never had any issues so I would reccomend keeping your chromebook plugged in throughout the whole process. Good luck :3
If you want to install crouton first you will need to enable developer mode this will wipe ALL YOUR FILES so be sure to save anything important to a thumbdrive or sd card or something. First you need reboot into recovery mode by pressing esc+refresh+power(refresh is the little circle arrow thingy and power is the power button). It might look scary and say that chrome os is missing or something like that but it will be fine, just remeber that once you get to that scary screen press ctrl+D and when it asks if you want to disable os verification or enable developer mode or something(i would be more specific but as you said it's hard to find information about your specific model of chromebook) select yes and press enter. you might have to press ctrl+D again. You should now have developer mode enabled.
Now that you have developer mode enabled, a spooky screen will pop up saying that os verification is off and if you leave it for long enough it will beep at you. It will say press space to re-enable. Don't do that, instead press ctrl+D again and it will boot normally. The first time it might ask you about enabling debugging features but for now you don't have to worry about that unless you want to properly install linux in which case you should say yes and then enable booting from external media or whatever it says, though for now I would stick to crouton if you can get it to work. It might not look as spooky and just say it's in recovery mode when you boot but either way just press ctrl+D to boot.
Now that you have the hard part out of the way you'll probably want to install this https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/crouton-integration/gcpneefbbnfalgjniomfjknbcgkbijom though honestly I've never used it but that's what the crouton github page reccomends.
After that I would follow the instructions here to get crouton:https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton#the-easy-way-assuming-you-want-an-ubuntu-lts-with-xfce
I would reccomend using "crouton -r list"(sorry if there is a better way of formatting that I'm new to fourum posting) to find a distribution that suits your needs and then when you install it running "sudo crouton -r DISTRIBUTION -t DESKTOPENVIRONMENT"(for the desktop environment I reccomend xfce because it requires less resources and chromebooks need all the help they can get).
For added security I would also reccomend encrypting the chroot using the "-e" parameter though don't do this if you are bad with remembering passwords as you will be locked out if you forget it.
Anyway hope this was helpful and I hope all goes well for you :3

cloudpie said:
You don't need to remove the ssd to change the OS. Please read the Chrultrabook docs. You'll either need to remove a write protection screw or flip a switch on the motherboard, depending on the model, and the docs have a table to tell you which you need to do.

Yeah, I was about to go look up the official methods that I used to remove the protection flag. You have to disable the physical security first, THEN write the flags using something like you linked. I followed this route to basically the same information: chromebook changing security flags "remove screw" -> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36989569 -> Mr Chromebook
Even just disabling the stupid timeouts and dark pattern "LOL, OK, disabling thing you spent effort making work" behaviors is worth it. The OP's model isn't that special - there's a very limited list per generation, by design. They heavily reuse basic design per manufacturer per generation.

Went ahead and grabbed some more info.
https://chromebookdb.com/chromebook/hp-chromebook-14-db0060nr Specs including board type
https://chromebook.wiki/chromeosdevices/hpcareena More info on this family (HP Chromebook 14). It shows how to recover original firmware if needed.
Notice the boardname and codename is "Careena" and "Grunt". If your OS you're trying to install is not driver-compatible with those, no amount of firmware patching/replacing will fix it. I basically just got lucky with this Acer CB3-531/532 model and the tools just work. Annoyingly, sometimes you can only get this stuff working on SD cards or specific USB ports, according to things I read. Rambi/Banjo is 4 years older than that HP model - it's old!

That last link looks like it was copied directly from the HP website's manual.

dininabo said:
Ok here is the crouton guide if you decide to go that route:

Please read the whole post before starting, the process will require rebooting so you may want to open this on a different device or take a picture or something before you get started. This process can be dangerous though I've never had any issues so I would reccomend keeping your chromebook plugged in throughout the whole process. Good luck :3
If you want to install crouton first you will need to enable developer mode this will wipe ALL YOUR FILES so be sure to save anything important to a thumbdrive or sd card or something. First you need reboot into recovery mode by pressing esc+refresh+power(refresh is the little circle arrow thingy and power is the power button). It might look scary and say that chrome os is missing or something like that but it will be fine, just remeber that once you get to that scary screen press ctrl+D and when it asks if you want to disable os verification or enable developer mode or something(i would be more specific but as you said it's hard to find information about your specific model of chromebook) select yes and press enter. you might have to press ctrl+D again. You should now have developer mode enabled.
Now that you have developer mode enabled, a spooky screen will pop up saying that os verification is off and if you leave it for long enough it will beep at you. It will say press space to re-enable. Don't do that, instead press ctrl+D again and it will boot normally. The first time it might ask you about enabling debugging features but for now you don't have to worry about that unless you want to properly install linux in which case you should say yes and then enable booting from external media or whatever it says, though for now I would stick to crouton if you can get it to work. It might not look as spooky and just say it's in recovery mode when you boot but either way just press ctrl+D to boot.
Now that you have the hard part out of the way you'll probably want to install this https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/crouton-integration/gcpneefbbnfalgjniomfjknbcgkbijom though honestly I've never used it but that's what the crouton github page reccomends.
After that I would follow the instructions here to get crouton:https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton#the-easy-way-assuming-you-want-an-ubuntu-lts-with-xfce
I would reccomend using "crouton -r list"(sorry if there is a better way of formatting that I'm new to fourum posting) to find a distribution that suits your needs and then when you install it running "sudo crouton -r DISTRIBUTION -t DESKTOPENVIRONMENT"(for the desktop environment I reccomend xfce because it requires less resources and chromebooks need all the help they can get).
For added security I would also reccomend encrypting the chroot using the "-e" parameter though don't do this if you are bad with remembering passwords as you will be locked out if you forget it.
Anyway hope this was helpful and I hope all goes well for you :3

Thanks. I will write it down. I don't do anything important on my Chromebook besides paying bills, web browsing, looking at gay furry porn, usual business stuff that can all be done in Google Chrome without Chrome OS. I have a habit of actually writing stuff down with pen and paper. My dad is retired and bought me this thing a few years ago from one of those predatory rent-to-own places. To give you an idea how old I really am: Windows XP was the hot new thing when I entered my first accounting job.

Here's what I got so far...
- Powerwash chromebook first? (or do I not do that?)
- (Enable developer mode) (at bootup screen) escape+refresh+power button
- At "Chrome OS is missing or verification is off" press 'ctrl+D' to enable developer mode and press enter, (maybe press ctrl+D afterwards to enable developer mode)
- press ctrl+D to boot normally
- use terminal to type in 'crouton -r list', press enter, then type in 'sudo crouton -r DISTROBUTION -t DESKTOPENVIRONMENT'

Are parts of that last command in all caps? what if I can do crouton using only the terminal, I feel more comfortable using command lines than websites I've never heard of. My desktop PC, a Windows 7 tower I bought brand new in 2009, broke somehow and doesn't work which is why I have the Chromebook in the first place.... So I apologize if I come off as just slightly cautious on my end. I've been a Windows user for longer than most of you guys on e621 have been alive and I can confirm that I do not like Chrome OS or the newer versions of Windows starting with 8.1 where Microsoft started getting lazy.

I plan on using Linux to work from home as someone who is finally transitioning from Windows and wants to use Linux to work from home doing data entry or customer service. MC.Morrado reccomends Ubuntu for a noob like me. How do Linux Mint and Ubuntu compare in terms of practicality for working from home?

alphamule said:
Yeah, I was about to go look up the official methods that I used to remove the protection flag. You have to disable the physical security first, THEN write the flags using something like you linked. I followed this route to basically the same information: chromebook changing security flags "remove screw" -> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36989569 -> Mr Chromebook
Even just disabling the stupid timeouts and dark pattern "LOL, OK, disabling thing you spent effort making work" behaviors is worth it. The OP's model isn't that special - there's a very limited list per generation, by design. They heavily reuse basic design per manufacturer per generation.

Do you know anything about my Chromebook's model? Any information here helps and is very much appreciated. If there is a write protection screw, do you know where it is?

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Do you know anything about my Chromebook's model? Any information here helps and is very much appreciated. If there is a write protection screw, do you know where it is?

All you need to know is that it uses "careena". I believe this is correct, near the end: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/HP_Chromebook_14 It might have changed if newer than that guide. I'm currently (re)reading here: https://wiki.mrchromebox.tech/Supported_Devices Seeing if it even has been made to work will save a lot of hassle. XD

HP Chromebook 14A G5 CAREENA CR50 (battery) <--- That line has a link to the method for that model.

BTW, regarding CCD . From what I recall, the Suzy Q cable clones don't need the Android support so are wayyyyyy simpler than the official cable. People use the little breakout boards just because they're easy and available. On yours, you can just pull the battery, though. ;)

I have been bookmarking quite a few of the websites you've all been reccomending on my Chromebook and this has been pretty nice of you all to search for what makes my laptop tick. Learning things about what I use has been quite eye opening. Can any of you guys post an image of actual blueprints of the 'HP Chromebook 14' so I can take it apart confidently? Visual maps and/or blueprints/diagrams help a lot more than walls of text.

Is the SSD replaceable? Is the RAM upgrade-able or soldered in? My specific model of Chromebook is like the 2003 Kia Spectra of laptops meaning it's the computer equivelant of camouflage among what normies think is E-waste today. I think the factory SSD is only 16GB but I'm not certain; it would be hilarious if I bought a 128GB SSD to make the laptop actually useable for remote work because you have to have files, PDF's, documents, business stuff in folders on a desktop. Chromebooks like mine are largely cloud-based and require an internet connection to be useful hence the abysmal storage capacity.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
I have been bookmarking quite a few of the websites you've all been reccomending on my Chromebook and this has been pretty nice of you all to search for what makes my laptop tick. Learning things about what I use has been quite eye opening. Can any of you guys post an image of actual blueprints of the 'HP Chromebook 14' so I can take it apart confidently? Visual maps and/or blueprints/diagrams help a lot more than walls of text.

Is the SSD replaceable? Is the RAM upgrade-able or soldered in? My specific model of Chromebook is like the 2003 Kia Spectra of laptops meaning it's the computer equivelant of camouflage among what normies think is E-waste today. I think the factory SSD is only 16GB but I'm not certain; it would be hilarious if I bought a 128GB SSD to make the laptop actually useable for remote work because you have to have files, PDF's, documents, business stuff in folders on a desktop. Chromebooks like mine are largely cloud-based and require an internet connection to be useful hence the abysmal storage capacity.

Update: I found my laptop's model number on Hewlett-Packard's website! support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06243126

I found out it has a 32GB SSD..... Man, Chrome OS is pretty bloated. I remember the days when 2 gigabyte hard drives were seen as like what 2 terabyte hard drives are today; my old Windows XP I had in the past worked so much better than Chrome OS despite being limited to a 2 gigabyte hard drive and barely one hundred and twenty megabytes of RAM. I have a feeling modern proprietary operating systems have insane system requirements just to get you to buy a new computer. I am not a computer gamer so the Chromebook's (pathetic by today's standards) 4GB of RAM isn't a problem for me, I just need something supposedly more lightweight like Linux Mint

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Thanks. I will write it down. I don't do anything important on my Chromebook besides paying bills, web browsing, looking at gay furry porn, usual business stuff that can all be done in Google Chrome without Chrome OS. I have a habit of actually writing stuff down with pen and paper. My dad is retired and bought me this thing a few years ago from one of those predatory rent-to-own places. To give you an idea how old I really am: Windows XP was the hot new thing when I entered my first accounting job.

Here's what I got so far...
- Powerwash chromebook first? (or do I not do that?)
- (Enable developer mode) (at bootup screen) escape+refresh+power button
- At "Chrome OS is missing or verification is off" press 'ctrl+D' to enable developer mode and press enter, (maybe press ctrl+D afterwards to enable developer mode)
- press ctrl+D to boot normally
- use terminal to type in 'crouton -r list', press enter, then type in 'sudo crouton -r DISTROBUTION -t DESKTOPENVIRONMENT'

Are parts of that last command in all caps? what if I can do crouton using only the terminal, I feel more comfortable using command lines than websites I've never heard of. My desktop PC, a Windows 7 tower I bought brand new in 2009, broke somehow and doesn't work which is why I have the Chromebook in the first place.... So I apologize if I come off as just slightly cautious on my end. I've been a Windows user for longer than most of you guys on e621 have been alive and I can confirm that I do not like Chrome OS or the newer versions of Windows starting with 8.1 where Microsoft started getting lazy.

I plan on using Linux to work from home as someone who is finally transitioning from Windows and wants to use Linux to work from home doing data entry or customer service. MC.Morrado reccomends Ubuntu for a noob like me. How do Linux Mint and Ubuntu compare in terms of practicality for working from home?

Ok, so i did forget a couple of steps to make it work reading over the guide I wrote. After enabling developer mode and before running the crouton commands you need to install crouton. The process is pretty simple you just need to download the file from this link:https://goo.gl/fd3zc (if you would rather look for the link on the github page you can find it here:https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton?tab=readme-ov-file#usage) and then run the following command in the terminal: "sudo install -Dt /usr/local/bin -m 755 ~/Downloads/crouton" (you have to press ctrl+alt+t then type shell to get a proper shell for any of the commands you need to run).
For the powerwashing part you don't need to do that, enabling developer mode does that already.
For the all caps command you need to replace the parts in all caps with the desktop environment and distribution you want (e.g. "sudo crouton -r trusty -t xfce")
For the Linux Mint vs Ubuntu, honestly IDK.
Though after knowing a bit more about why you want Linux on your Chromebook, it might honestly just be better to either install Linux on it (like get an installer and install it directly without messing around with the chroot stuff) or try to fix your other computer. What is wrong with your desktop(like what are the symptoms of the malfunction) depending on what's wrong with it you might be able to install Linux on that instead and if you can you would likely have a much better experience that way. Are you able to get into the BIOS?

If you would like to install linux to the chromebook properly you can do it pretty easily (like no messing around with write protect screws or anything) but it will be less stable in the sense that if it ever fully runs out of batteries you will have to install chrome os, go through the linux installation process again, then you'll be good until it runs out of batteries again). That's the way I installed Linux on my chromebook(before giving it to my brother) and I only ran into that issue when I was taking it apart to see if the ssd was upgrade able(i didn't think about the fact that disconnecting the battery would reset the firmware flags). Apparently the GalliumOS people made a recovery image that fixes the flags without wiping the drive(so then you could just boot into it normally again) but I don't know anything about that as I never used that. If you are able to keep your chromebook constantly plugged in and still use it I would recommend going with that method, otherwise you would have to mess around with the write protect stuff, but either way once you have the legacy bios stuff working it should be pretty simple to install linux by just flashing a usb drive with an installer image then following the normal installation process and you would get much better performance that way than when you are using crouton. If you do go with the easy method I would probably keep a recovery drive somewhere(either chromeos or galliumos flag setting thing) so that if it does happen to run out of batteries you can fix it. I still think you would probably be better off trying to fix your desktop pc though.

If you want help with either fixing your desktop or installing linux on the chromebook I'd happily write a guide like I did for the crouton thing. I think you would probably like installing linux better than crouton given your use case, and it's not actually harder it's just more likely for something to go wrong, though I never had anything catastrophic happen with my chromebook other than the whole battery thing but if you want to fix that I can also try to help find resources on how to do the more permanent firmware modifications, no promises on results though. Seeing as right now the Chromebook is your only working computer right now it might be safer to start by trying to fix that desktop though if that isn't possible for whatever reason as I said I'd gladly help with the linux installation process.
Sorry for the rambling, I have no good excuse.

dininabo said:
If you want help with either fixing your desktop or installing linux on the chromebook I'd happily write a guide like I did for the crouton thing. I think you would probably like installing linux better than crouton given your use case, and it's not actually harder it's just more likely for something to go wrong, though I never had anything catastrophic happen with my chromebook other than the whole battery thing but if you want to fix that I can also try to help find resources on how to do the more permanent firmware modifications, no promises on results though. Seeing as right now the Chromebook is your only working computer right now it might be safer to start by trying to fix that desktop though if that isn't possible for whatever reason as I said I'd gladly help with the linux installation process.
Sorry for the rambling, I have no good excuse.

That would be lovely, good sir. However you'll have to seriously dumb down the instructions because of my dyslexia (Why I take longer to write comments. Sometimes my brain keeps mixing up words or letters) and hopefully that isn't too much trouble for you.

Update:
I just shucked a 3TB external hard drive I found at Goodwill for dirt cheap and put it into my broken PC. Turns out the problem was that the original hard drive died. A younger relative kindly helped me diagnose the problem and all I had to do afterwards was install the latest version of Ubuntu on a bootable USB I borrowed from a friend. Another question arises how I plan on using my ressurected Windows 7 rig now running Ubuntu to use as a "work from home" setup. Two things I want to do with Ubuntu is set up automatic updates and make LibreOffice compatible with Microsoft Office since the bussiness world has been running on Windows for decades.

I still plan on using my Chromebook because it would be wasteful for me not to. Anybody on e621 know some pretty lightweight Linux distros that I should install? I was thinking of Lubuntu but I've heard of many other options too many to list.... What do y'all think? I'd love to hear your suggestions. Having something lightweight that can be used as a "Work from Home" rig within the Chromebook's hardware of a 32GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. Looking at R/overemployed has amazed me at how creative Gen Z is at automating their jobs using Python and kicking back to get a sandwhich while the program does work for you..... Hell, I would've loved to have automation like that or the know-how at my first accounting job in 2001.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Update:
I just shucked a 3TB external hard drive I found at Goodwill for dirt cheap and put it into my broken PC. Turns out the problem was that the original hard drive died. A younger relative kindly helped me diagnose the problem and all I had to do afterwards was install the latest version of Ubuntu on a bootable USB I borrowed from a friend. Another question arises how I plan on using my ressurected Windows 7 rig now running Ubuntu to use as a "work from home" setup. Two things I want to do with Ubuntu is set up automatic updates and make LibreOffice compatible with Microsoft Office since the bussiness world has been running on Windows for decades.

I still plan on using my Chromebook because it would be wasteful for me not to. Anybody on e621 know some pretty lightweight Linux distros that I should install? I was thinking of Lubuntu but I've heard of many other options too many to list.... What do y'all think? I'd love to hear your suggestions. Having something lightweight that can be used as a "Work from Home" rig within the Chromebook's hardware of a 32GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. Looking at R/overemployed has amazed me at how creative Gen Z is at automating their jobs using Python and kicking back to get a sandwhich while the program does work for you..... Hell, I would've loved to have automation like that or the know-how at my first accounting job in 2001.

That's great! I would still probably be willing to help with the Chromebook, but I will likely be pretty busy soon so it may take me a bit to reply. I don't know much about using Linux for work because I currently work in a job that doesn't require a lot of computer use. Though if I have time I may look for resources to help with that. I also don't know much about lightweight Linux distros but maybe someone else could help you with that. Sorry I'm not much help besides with the Chromebook stuff.

dininabo said:
That's great! I would still probably be willing to help with the Chromebook, but I will likely be pretty busy soon so it may take me a bit to reply. I don't know much about using Linux for work because I currently work in a job that doesn't require a lot of computer use. Though if I have time I may look for resources to help with that. I also don't know much about lightweight Linux distros but maybe someone else could help you with that. Sorry I'm not much help besides with the Chromebook stuff.

Take your time, you probably still have a full head of hair and things to look forward to offline. Transitioning to Ubuntu from Windows was pretty seemless, adjusting to the new operating system only took about half an hour. The first OS I learned how to use a computer on was obviously Windows 95 because of the price compared to a Macintosh computer. Getting used to Ubuntu and taking time to become more familiar with stuff like LibreOffice and Firefox. My biggest source of electronics is thrift stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army; looking fancy with my PC's does not concern me, everything's about function over form and nothing else. One man's E-waste is a another man's treasure.

the-gnoll-scribe said:
Take your time, you probably still have a full head of hair and things to look forward to offline. Transitioning to Ubuntu from Windows was pretty seemless, adjusting to the new operating system only took about half an hour. The first OS I learned how to use a computer on was obviously Windows 95 because of the price compared to a Macintosh computer. Getting used to Ubuntu and taking time to become more familiar with stuff like LibreOffice and Firefox. My biggest source of electronics is thrift stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army; looking fancy with my PC's does not concern me, everything's about function over form and nothing else. One man's E-waste is a another man's treasure.

I feel the same way about computers, I never want to get rid of a working (or even non working but fixable) computer because I know there will always be something I can do with it even if it's something as stupid as booting up a Minecraft server for my friends or something as simple as setting up a tor relay.

Plus computers are just fun to play with, even if they have pretty bad specs.

dininabo said:
Plus computers are just fun to play with, even if they have pretty bad specs.

I would only do sleeper gaming PC's to save money and I don't like the look of LED light strips or anything RGB. I'm a bit old school in a way that I prefer sitting in a dark bedroom only illuminated by the computer monitor. I also avoid RGB equipment or anything with un-necessary lights because one of my friends has ADD+Autism and he has a hard time focusing on tasks when distracted by colorful lights. I am not a PC gamer personally but I'm just saying how I would build things.

Most of the people I talk to about computers and operating systems are at least 20 years younger than me. I learned how to use a computer on Windows 95 when my dad bought his first PC to do some paperwork digitally and do stuff regarding an office job by storing stuff in floppy disks. I got my first job in accounting pretty young because of nepotism which helped.... Unfortunatley wages do not keep up with inflation like they used to which is why I'm looking to find fully remote jobs. The days of sitting in traffic for hours and dealing with office drama are way behind me; I'm too old to deal with that, I need to expand my horizons and do something better.

I love this fandom because we can talk about literally anything and forget about our human differences. Imagine how much happier the world would be if more people like us came together to help each other instead of tearing another down. Age, what you look like, what you believe in, etc doesn't matter when the only thing that matters is enjoying the fandom for what it is despite its many odd quirks and features. I prefer not touching any furry drama with a thirty nine and a half foot pole because that's not my thing but maybe you're into that sort of thing and that's alright as long as I don't get roped into any of it.

I've been in the closet for more than 23 years but it doesn't matter here when only who one is as a person matters in this fandom. Ironed slacks, leather pennyloafers, a tucked in white dress shirt, and a tie is my usual outfit when going to work in any professional setting. Many others in the fandom have at least one characteristic unique to them and one of mine is wearing leather pennyloafers and ties. My style of outfit hasn't changed since entering the workforce in the 1990's.

Being late to start using Linux and learning how to use Python is still better than giving up or not trying at all. We are a lot more productive when we put energy into our common ground instead of drama and ideological differences.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/HP_Chromebook14_G5 That seems to be correct hardware. They're not super hard, most of the time. As a bonus, spare parts are easy to get ahold of because you can just find a broken one and swap parts. You'll probably notice that many models are similar but not identical on that site. They reuse a lot of design... See also: Kindle HD from Amazon. Only the batteries are obnoxious. Everything else is trivial to work on.

They're basically disposable computers, so no, you can't upgrade the main SSD or RAM trivially. Think of it like a tablet PC with a keyboard. You can however use cheap-as-dirt SD cards and USB drives. Don't cheap out on getting a slower-speed or offbrand USB stick if wanting to run the OS directly on it. There are SanDisk models in the Extreme family as examples that should be tolerably fast (>100MB/s). I wouldn't go insane and buy one of those 1000MB/s drives, even if the Chromebook's USB port could keep up with it, haha.

From what I saw, about 5GB of that 32GB was used for the actual OS. Far better than Windows 11! TBF, Ubuntu is basically the Windows of Linux distros. Kitchen sink all the way.

alphamule said:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/HP_Chromebook14_G5 That seems to be correct hardware. They're not super hard, most of the time. As a bonus, spare parts are easy to get ahold of because you can just find a broken one and swap parts. You'll probably notice that many models are similar but not identical on that site. They reuse a lot of design... See also: Kindle HD from Amazon. Only the batteries are obnoxious. Everything else is trivial to work on.

They're basically disposable computers, so no, you can't upgrade the main SSD or RAM trivially. Think of it like a tablet PC with a keyboard. You can however use cheap-as-dirt SD cards and USB drives. Don't cheap out on getting a slower-speed or offbrand USB stick if wanting to run the OS directly on it. There are SanDisk models in the Extreme family as examples that should be tolerably fast (>100MB/s). I wouldn't go insane and buy one of those 1000MB/s drives, even if the Chromebook's USB port could keep up with it, haha.

From what I saw, about 5GB of that 32GB was used for the actual OS. Far better than Windows 11! TBF, Ubuntu is basically the Windows of Linux distros. Kitchen sink all the way.

I know cheaper Chromebooks are basically disposable but that is not how I see computers. with the 32GB SSD, the "system image"/Chrome OS take up 17GB of that 32Gb (based on a Google search). I will solidly say I'm going to try Lubuntu which only requires 512 megabytes of RAM and 2GB of memory. Thanks so much for the link, alphamule! I use Ubuntu since I'm just getting into Linux and plan on using it for everyday stuff but with more privacy, yesterday I installed the latest version of Python using only the command line!

Right now I applied for a couple jobs at Best Buy to get an inside look and probably network with some guys from Geek Squad to hang out with and talk tech. Besides, I could use more money than living off of doing Craigslist gigs.

Update: Looking at the repair website has given me hope. The Chromebook does have a replaceable SSD, I just have to remove the keyboard. What is the part number for it? Here's a link to the ifixit.com picture for reference: guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/yNnRIUMUvbWArbIH.huge