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Thursday, February 17, 2022

Google ChromeOS Flex (formerly CloudReady) - Create a USB Recovery Media

Chrome OS Flex - Download and create a USB installation recovery drive boot media
  • Google bought CloudReady, so now it's called "Chrome OS Flex".
  • Take note that Chrome OS Flex is currently released for early access testing and is not suitable for production use.
  • For a list of certified computer models, see here. You can run Chrome OS Flex on most computers with Intel or AMD processors. Chrome OS Flex does not support ARM architecture.
  • Important! Chrome OS Flex does NOT currently support Android apps or Google Play.

1. Open Chrome browser on your Win/Mac/Linux work machine (doesn't have to be the machine you'll be installing ChromeOS Flex on), and add the following extension: Chromebook Recovery Utility

2. Make sure the Chrome Recovery Utility extension is turned on (it should be on by default after you install it).

3. In Chrome browser, launch the Chrome Recovery Utility extension.
    Click Get started > From the drop-down list, select manufacturer "Google Chrome OS Flex".
    For Select a product > Chrome OS Flex (Developer-Unstable) > Continue.
    When prompted, insert your USB drive > select the USB drive > Continue > Create now.
  • NOTE 1: During the process, it is normal for Chrome Recovery Utility to show unusual percentages (higher than 100%).
  • NOTE 2: The utlity downloads a "chromeos...zip" file to %TEMP% (over 1GB). Inside the zip, there's a large BIN file. It is automatically extracted by the utility.
  • NOTE 3: If the installation fails/crashes, launch the Chrome Recovery Utility extension again > Click the cog wheel > Use local image > select the BIN file and continue from here. This will prevent re-downloads and use the already extracted BIN file.

4. When you get a message that your recovery media is ready, eject the USB drive.

  • The USB drive should contain 13 partitions, plus an un-allocated space. roughly ~6GB will be taken.
  • Win10/Win11 file explorer will only be able to see the EFI-SYSTEM partition, but won't be able to access it.

5. Attach the USB drive to a computer that you wish to install ChromeOS Flex on, and boot from it. Installation should take just a few minutes to complete. Now all you need to do is connect it to the internet and enter your Gmail address to login.

source: https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11541904