Download Chrome To Thumb Drive

Click Select Drive and choose the Chrome USB Drive you have created. Click Flash to begin the process of installing the image and validating the installation.

When you use Chrome to download files, it saves them to a specific file folder. You may want to change this folder location to better organize your downloads, to free up space on your primary hard drive, or to save downloaded files in a cloud-based location such as Dropbox or another online storage service. You can also set up Chrome to ask you for a download location each time you download a file.

Change the Default Download Folder

To change Chrome's default download folder:

  • My brother says he thinks you can put google chrome on a flash drive. I can't download it because my internet does not work. I have tried logging into yahoo messenger and aim.
  • Download Chrome To Flash Drive. Need to download install files for Google Chrome to USB flash. The file while immediately download to your computer. When prompted, insert your 8GB or 16GB USB flash drive. It just takes a quick download, a few steps and one USB flash drive to run Google.

Another way to complete steps 1–4 is to type chrome://settings/?search=ask+where in the address bar.

  1. Open Chrome and, in the upper-right corner of the window, select the menu (three-dot) icon, then choose Settings.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Advanced to see more settings.

  3. Navigate to the folder you want to use as the default download folder, then choose Select folder.

  4. Each time you use Chrome to download a file, it is saved in that folder.

Find a Downloaded File

To find where Chrome downloaded a file, open the searchable list of downloaded files. To access this list:

  1. In the upper-right corner of Chrome, select the menu (three-dot) icon, then choose Downloads.

  2. A list displays the downloaded files, the URL each was downloaded from, and an option to Show in folder.

    To create a copy of a downloaded file in a new folder without changing the Chrome settings, go to the Downloads list, select a file name, and drag it to the destination folder. This copies the file but does not move it from the original folder.

  3. Select Show in Folder to open the folder containing the file.

Ask Where to Save

To bypass the default download folder and specify where to save files each time you download:

If you deploy this option, you must select a default folder location in the event that you turn off the Ask where setting.

  1. In the upper-right corner of Chrome, select the menu (three-dot) icon, then choose Settings.

  2. At the bottom of the screen, select Advanced, then scroll down to the Downloads section.

  3. Turn on the Ask where to save each file before downloading toggle.

  4. Chrome will ask you for a download location each time you download a file.

Permission to Download Multiple Files

To adjust whether Chrome asks if you want to download multiple files from the same website, or does this automatically:

  1. In the upper-right corner of Chrome, select the menu (three-dot) icon, then choose Settings.

  2. Under Privacy and security, select Content settings.

    This screen also contains a list of sites you blocked from downloading more than one file at once. Add more websites or domains to the list in the Block or Allow section. For example, if you add a website in the Allow section, Chrome automatically downloads multiple files at once.

    If a website attempts to download malware to your computer and the site is listed in the Allow section, add it to the Block section or delete it from the Allow area.

  3. On the Content settings screen, select Automatic downloads.

  4. Turn on the Ask when a site tries to download files automatically after the first file toggle.

  5. Chrome will now ask permission before downloading multiple files from a single site.

You don’t need to buy a Chromebook to enjoy the features of Google’s desktop operating system (OS). In fact, all you need is a working computer and a USB Drive.

Google doesn’t officially offer a way to try it out, but developers have figured out ways for you to experiment with the open-source OS. This method works whether you are running Windows, macOS, or Linux. And no, you won’t be overwriting your existing OS.

Here’s what you need to know.

Running Chrome OS From a USB Drive

We will create a bootable USB drive, loaded with the Chromium OS disk image. But you will need a few things before you start.

  • A working computer with a USB port
  • A USB drive with at least 4 GB capacity
  • Download: 7-Zip for Windows (Free) | Keka for macOS (Free) | p7zip for Linux (Free)
  • Download: Etcher for Windows | macOS | Linux (Free)

Note: The USB drive will be completely erased in the installation process. If you have any valuable data on the drive, please save it elsewhere.

1. Download the Latest Chromium OS image

Download From Thumb Drive Windows 10

Google doesn’t have an official Chromium OS build that you can download. The best alternative source is Arnold The Bat.

Download:The latest Chromium OS daily build

2. Extract the Zipped Image

You will now have a 7-Zip file on your hard drive. Extract this file using one of the 7-Zip apps mentioned above.

3. Format the USB Drive

Plug the USB drive into a port and format it as FAT32. The process is simplest on Windows, but macOS and Linux aren’t difficult either.

For macOS users, the built-in Disk Utility can format it as FAT32. If you see it labeled as “MS-DOS FAT” instead, don’t worry, it’s the same thing.

Thumb

If the Windows or Mac methods are confusing or overwhelming for you, then you can also use the SD Association’s official card Formatter app.

Download: SD Card Formatter for Windows | macOS (Free)

For Linux users, we recommend using GParted for a quick format.

Download: GParted for Linux (Free)

For added comfort, when asked to name the new drive, give it the name “Chrome.”

4. Run Etcher and Install the Image

By now, you should have a fully formatted USB drive, named “Chrome”, plugged into one port of the computer (as shown in step three). You will also have an unzipped image file of the latest Chromium OS (as shown in steps one and two). And you have Etcher installed on your computer. Start Etcher.

  1. Click Select Image and browse to where the Chromium OS image file is. Add it in Etcher.
  2. Click Select Drive and choose the Chrome USB Drive you have created.
  3. Click Flash to begin the process of installing the image and validating the installation.

Etcher validates the burning process i.e. once it’s done creating the image on the USB drive, it will verify that everything is right. Make sure you wait till it says 100%. Once Etcher finishes, this will be a bootable USB drive with Chromium OS.

5. Reboot Your Computer and Enter Boot Options

“Boot” is the process of choosing the OS. Every computer lets you select which drive it should boot the OS from, whether it’s a hard drive, a USB drive, or even a DVD drive. You need to enter Boot and choose the USB drive you just created.

For a Windows or Linux PC: Different computers have different BIOS settings. Usually, the Boot Options menu has the keyboard shortcut F5, F8, or F12.

For a Mac: As soon the Mac shuts down and restarts, press and hold the Option key. You will be doing this while it’s a black screen, but that’s okay. Keep holding it till you see the boot menu, which lets you choose between a Macintosh hard drive or the USB drive you have plugged in (usually denoted as “EFI”).

6. Boot Into Chrome OS

Choose the USB drive in the boot menu, hit enter, and the computer will boot from the drive. You are now experiencing all the glory of Chrome OS, without affecting your main hard drive and OS.

You will have to setup Chrome OS the first time you use it, ideally with your existing Google account. Don’t worry, this setup is only during the first time you boot up. Whenever you run it in the future, it will go directly to the login screen.

Turn a PC or Laptop Into Chrome OS

Download Chrome To Thumb Drive In Mac

Now that you have Chrome OS running on a USB drive, take it for a spin. You’ll be surprised by how similar it is to full-fledged desktop operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can even install several Linux programs and some Windows software too.

If you like what you see and are ready to switch to Chrome OS, you don’t need to buy new hardware. You can turn any PC or laptop into a Chromebox or ChromebookHow to Turn Any PC or Laptop Into a Chromebook or ChromeboxHow to Turn Any PC or Laptop Into a Chromebook or ChromeboxWith this step-by-step tutorial, you can turn almost any computer into a Chromebook or Chromebox with CloudReady.Read More with an easy-to-use software called CloudReady. The installation procedure is actually simpler than the above method.

Download Chrome To Thumb Drive Windows 7

Explore more about: Chrome OS, Operating Systems, Portable App, USB Drive.

Download Google Chrome To Thumb Drive

  1. Which image do you use?

    I can't get this to work. I have to diskpart my USB drive every time to get it back...

  2. Further to my comment of April 14, 2009, I was able to locate a SPECIAL version of Chromium OS (which loads extra drivers). This version is running 'glitch free' as fast or in some cases faster than my iMac running Yosemite. At least for now, my Chromium OS live USB 3.0 is functioning like it was a full install.

    • Can you give me the source link?My OS don't have driver of network.

  3. This os ruined my thumb drive

  4. I have been experimenting with the newest version of Chrome OS after making a 32gb USB drive with Balena Etcher on a 2008 iMac running Mac OSX Yosemite. Even with the lower tech specs of my iMac, Chrome OS seems to run almost as fast as Yosemite. When I installed a number of extensions, the performance became very sluggish, not so with apps from the Web Store. I am using DuckDuckGo as my start page + my search engine. I use Firefox on Yosemite but am not into installing the Google Chrome browser on Yosemite. Since Chrome OS wipes a complete session after I use it, I can start from scratch every time I use it (great for banking, other sensitive tasks). Nice to have for the extra functionality, experience that Chrome OS offers.

  5. Windows 10 ... latest version .....
    Using the latest Camd64 image, Etcher destroyed my Verbatim 3.0 16GB usb drive. The drive was no longer recognized by any system .... While Etcher was copying to the drive, at the end, it suddenly started created a bunch of disks that don't exists and was asking me to format them. Chromium would not boot when I tried to reboot from the USB. The drive was no longer recognized when rebooted back into Windows...
    Not happy having a USB ruined.

    • run diskpart from a cmd as admin
      run list disks
      select disk (number)
      clean

      be very very careful with this but will get you to a point you can format the usb again

  6. Doesn't work. I made the image file OK but Etcher creates loads of discs on the USB drive and none of my computers could boot from it. Either a bug in Etcher and there is no way of checking the img file is valid.

    • Make sure you are downloading the Camd64 file and not the CARMOS file, which is for ARM processors.

      • What is ARM processor?

  7. Can I install on HDD partition, making dual boot with W10?

  8. is it another way to install on linux without etcher , why you dont give the fdisk from the usb after install that will help us , i am sure it is possible to install without etcher

    • Hello Jean Michel,

      I don't know if you found out how, but on the web page referenced in the article (arnoldthebat.co.uk) it shows three methods to prepare this usb thumbdrive, none of which require etcher.io. If you have Windows, here's what is given:

      Use 7zip to extract IMG file from the downloaded file.
      Use Win32 Image Writer, then select the IMG file and select the USB device from the menu.
      Click on “Write”.
      Boot from USB stick

      If you're using another operating system (you did not specify which one you're using, be it Mac OS, Windows or Linux), then you'll find the methods on that page as well.

      Hope this help!

  9. My pc said that there is nothing on the usb. Can someone help me troubleshoot?

  10. Excellent. Not necessary to use chrome book recovery utility. Chrome os works excellently from my pen drive in my Acer laptop 5742G. Thanks a lot.

  11. Can i make a Chrome OS bootable USB that will work on a Win XP PC?

  12. I installed Chrome OS but when i choose it to load it gives 'white loading screen with image Chromium OS' please HELP

  13. I see Google Play on the last screenshot.
    No Google Play support on these builds!?
    How?

  14. I would be happy when Google Desktop comes out of the OS! They have already shown their talent in the open source operating system for mobile devices, now completely stop laptop, desktop OS.
    http://hpprintersupportnumbers.co.uk/

  15. THIS IS A TRAP!
    My usb drive was broke, because of this tutorial.

    • Mine too. i just gets corrupted.

    • It's okay, it turned into GPT, Make it MBR again.

  16. I had to run Etcher in admin mode for it to detect my USB drive on my 64-bit, Windows 10 machine.

  17. Thanks a lot! Wonderful useful post with all links!

  18. I fully installed Ubuntu onto my 32Gb USB pendrive which has 2 equal sized partitions, 1st is Ext4 with Ubuntu on and 2nd is Fat32 (pendrive default). I used VirtualBox on my Linux Mint PC to run installation because my PC has only 2 usb ports and 1 gets blocked whenever I insert 32Gb (it is quite wide). I later booted into USB and everything worked fine. Installed apps remained installed after reboot and 'Install UBUNTU' app doesn't appear on the screen.
    Note: this is a drive with MBR partition and system boots in Legacy Mode.
    Warning: Proprietary drivers aren't installed during installation because that would make OS device specific. Using open-drivers make sure it will be fine with (almost) every device.

  19. I nearly used this but did some research and found its loaded with bloatware and a bit coin mining tool so passed !

  20. Great way to spread a virus by having every cheap greedy user blindly follow your instructions. A vetted clean Chromium OS is from CloudReady. It's a clean uninfected version used by educational institutions. And it works on any old PC.

    • I SO agree...and use the chrome recovery tool to make the bootable USB from the local image. 10000x easier. It's what I recommend, and what I do to ant pre-7 machines I get in for refurbing and donating.

    • Does it work on Win XP PC?

  21. I try USB boot with version 999.999.333309.213456 and username and password doesn't work. When I type 'chronos' '@gmail' is automaticly added and always standig a message 'Network not connected and offline login fail'.

  22. Do you want to install Chrome OS on your hard disk,alongside your existing operating system? See this...
    [Broken Link Removed]

  23. though it really was slow and temperamental it made my whole day. I can't wait for the full version i will be the first one to buy a chrome netbook. I can see the concept unfolding just from the start. It's going to be amazing. So simple its too cool. SIGN ME UP!

  24. When you boot chrome off a thumb drive, do files, web browsing history, etc. show up on the computer hard drive or does the thumb drive act as a separate 'hard drive' and nothing spills over to the main computer hard drive?

    thanks

  25. i'm downloading torrent and it may work. i'm using internet from my cell phone through pc suite. how to connect to net in chrome os from
    phone?

  26. can i run this ox without internet?

    pls tell us in the link srahasan@gmail.com

    • No, you need the tubes to run this OS.

  27. I'll be happy when google comes out with a desktop os! they've already shown their talents in open source operating systems for mobile devices, now laptops, next stop a full on desktop os.

  28. I have an 8GB SDHC Card. It has only 1 Primary Partition (tried to Format in FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) with 7,6GB. Tried to Format with DISKPART, also used the CLEAN Command. I have copied all files (.img and win32diskimager) to: 'C:/Imager'. Now, the Software always says 'Not enough Space on Disk'. I already read the Comments on this page referencing on that problem. Do i need a Linux File System on my SD Card or what could be my Problem?

    • Now, i have installed it on a 4GB USB Drive. Its working on my Asus 1101 ha. It also likes my WiFi Adapter. But its running really slow. Maybe my USB Drive is USB 1.0, i don't know. Might there be any other configurations to be done?

  29. Worked like a charm on first try.
    I have an HP nx9420 laptop
    It just doesn't like my wireless adapter.
    wired worked immediately

    just a bit sluggish.
    can't wait for the definite version

    great article

  30. I have a 8 gig flash drive and after reformatting on a friends computer it works fine on theirs (Windows 7)
    But now it doesn't work in any of my USB ports (Windows Vista)
    The ports work fine and can read other USB flash drives and mice just fine. I don't wanna just give this flash drive away to them and it wasn't the other issues found in these comments about it being reduced to 900 mb. I tried that tool at http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197
    and it did nothing. why won't it read on my sony vaio? It shows up in the task bar to 'safely remove' but no pop-up window that you usually get when initially plugging a USB flash drive in. and it doesn't show up in 'my computer'. HELP!

    • Hi Caleb

      It could be that when the flash drive was formatted on win 7
      it also assigned a drive letter. On your pc check your drives have you got any other drive letters that are not in use.
      If so use this command in a dos prompt or simply
      copy and paste the text into notepad and save as (all files) the file as deletedrivemaps.cmd then double click the file

      net use e: /delete
      net use f: /delete
      net use g: /delete
      net use h: /delete
      net use i: /delete
      net use j: /delete
      net use k: /delete
      net use l: /delete
      net use m: /delete
      net use n: /delete
      net use o: /delete

      hope this hels

  31. Great watching top gear on the bbc iplayer. Running from a 4gb stick on an Asus f3f centrino duo. The laptop was heading for the bin as the motherboard won't recognise the hard drive.
    This os runs great from the stick perfect for the kids

    thanks

  32. crap!!
    it doesnt work for any of my computers i really was looking fwd to it
    _sad face_

    • I had the same problem, I couldn't run it (from USB) on HP mini 311 or Dell 10V or my MacBookPro. VirtualBox ran it on all systems.

  33. hey ... you should try hiding old comments becuz other wise you have a hug webpage

    love the webpage by the way geeky fun is the best!!!

  34. Hey can I know how to shut down the os if running on a computer......Google tells that u can just put down the lid of a laptop but what about computers...... Please Help and thats weired that google didn't make a shut down button............

    Please Help......
    Thanks.....

    • Power off the computer!

    • (ctrl) + (alt) + (t)

      then write

      sudo shutdown -h now

      (enter)

  35. Great idea, but 3 Gig image size? C'mon guys, get real.
    If this is the future in OS's, we have a lot to worry about.
    A 600meg CD image of Knoppix can do 10 times what ChromeOS can do, and it doesn't rely on some airy fairy Cloud to operate.
    A big WTF. o.O

    • Rob,
      Remember you made this comment. A year or so from now you'll be eating some humble pie.
      :)

  36. After some problems with a U3 flash drive, which I had to reformat etc, etc,, I got this working fine on an Aspire 100 netbook. WiFi is fine once I broadcast my SSID, and then entered WPA password.

    Only problem is - not being a Linux man - where do I find my hard drive for setting Downloads location?

    PS: Don't think I'll be using this as default OS for a while! I'm fine with Win7 Home Premium for now! But it's fun to play with.

    • (I should have said this is running on an Aspire One (Model ZG5) netbook, not Aspire 100!)

      On the subject of USB drive, I used an 8gb drive. According to Win7 Disk Management, the imagewriter divided this into 3 950mb partitions, and 4gb+ of unallocated space. I can see and delete the 2nd and 3rd partitions (although, presumably, doing so would corrupt Chrome), but I cannot use them in Windows, and cannot assign drive letters. (I presume this is because they are Linux partitions.) I also cannot create a partition in the unallocated space. I also cannot see the USB drive in Partition Wizard to see what that can do! From what I read in another post at http://www.lancelhoff.com/multi-partition-a-usb-flash-drive-in-windows/ this may be a restriction that Windows that does not allow partitioning of removable media. There is a workaround posted at the link above, which I might try!

      • Workaround above doesn't work. The Lexar program (BootIt) doesn't even see the removable drive, again, presumably, because the drive is not useable in Windows once the Chrome image has been written to it.

  37. Really want to try this! What types of internet connections will it work with at this stage? Hear people have problems with wifi. What about 3g modems? Those of you that got it to work, was it only with wired connections?

  38. Definatly the OS of the future for netbooks !!! Even the XP run like a 90 year-old granpa in the marathon :) ... And you have the chance to have a blue screen . I use Ubuntu 9.10 on my netbook and run 100x times faster than the XP !!! I definatly give my vote to this OS . Well done Google you shut the mouth of Bill Gates and his useless Windows 7. Power to free OS !!!! Also very nice post !!!

  39. Can you build the latest version of Chrome /Chromium OS and update/upload to torrent, rapidshare, megaupload etc? Please?

  40. test, ignore this comment!

  41. Very exciting, but before I try: is there any chance this will work with my internal 3g modem on my Aspire one? That is my only Internet connection right now. I guess I would have to be very lucky to make that work since people don't even get wifi to work? Anybody knows anything about this? The app that came with the pre-installed win xp for the 3g modem is called globetrotter connect. Thanks.

  42. I can see the utility of this OS for running the likes of a cheap sub-PC-type machine like the old Psion Organisers or such like, but i'm not sure about running it on a netbook - seems like an exercise in 'how to disable as many of your netbook's features as possible, leaving you with just the very basics so you spent all that money for nothing'.

    Jorge, well done! One question: I need to change the network TCPIP settings as I run static IP, how would I do this? Presumably bring up a command window and... what? Need to set ip, subnet mask, gateway and DNS. Please help!

  43. I have tried booting from USB on Dell Mini 10v, HP Mini 311 and now my MacBook Pro 13'. I have had to resort to VirtualBox and VMware Fusion. I was able to load Android too!

  44. I have an article about running Chrome OS in VirtualBox. You can view it by visiting http://it-nthusiast.blogspot.com/2009/12/google-chrome-os-on-virtualbox.html . Thank you!

  45. Is the Chrome OS running directly on you computer much faster than on a virtual machine?

  46. Hej! nice work, only one sad thing that it not so good on ho thin client. I would like that kind on thinstation :)

  47. F*k... my 8gb thumbdrive is now rendered useless and it is showing only 900mb as useable space..

    I've tried Camron and Manmadehuman solution and it does not work in giving back my 8gb! FU**K...

    CAN YOU PLEASE PUT A DISCLAIMER AND HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM OF THE THUMBDRIVE!

  48. I've just starting playing with this OS tonight. So far I've had it running on a laptop Lenovo T400, laptop Dell Inspiron 1720, laptop ASUS eee pc 1101HA and finally an older stationary pc. All of them ran ChromeOS and boottime was around 30/35 seconds including bios time (fastest is the Lenovo). This from an USB stick. Not bad at all. Wireless networking does'nt seem to work but I can live with that for at while. Then again I did not try hard to make it work... Looking so much forward to get it on a SSD drive.
    Thanx for the torrent.

  49. ....I mean chronos and password....*sigh*

  50. I feel kinda retarded right now. I'm a tech that can't log in to this! I type in chromium and @gmail.com goes at the end automatically and when I put password in as the password and hit enter it just gives me the 'Network not connected and offline login fail'. What am I doing wrong?

  51. Thanks for the information that you have provided. I also got some information about the Installation of Crome with Virtual Box from
    http://www.techarena.in/guide/18379-installing-google-chrome-os-virtualbox.htm

  52. thanks for sharing info..very helpfull..

  53. i tried this stuff but when i reboot all i find is blank screen i waited for 5 min but nothing came on.... and i came back to my xp

  54. SOME BUDDY HELP ME OUT!!!
    I TRIED ALL THIS STUFF BUT DINT WORK AND WHEN I FORMATTED MY PEN DRIVE MY 8 GB PEN DRIVE BECAME 949 MB PEN DRIVE.
    PLEASE HELP ME OUT OF THIS>>>
    PLS....

  55. I also installed in a VirtualBox. It is fairly straight-forward as Jorge pointed out. I have tried it booted off a pen drive too. But, I already have a browser on my laptop and Linux boots there in 8 seconds! (^: BTW, newer Linux distros boot in 5 seconds.

    I can see non-technical computer use of Google Chromium OS with a handheld device or a green netbook non-techie. However, I cannot imagine using this OS personally (except, perhaps, to contribute to the OS, itself). Local disk storage and non-browser applications are absolutely essential to software developers. I guess that I am atypical for this type of OS.

    What about computer games that are not cloud-based? There are 1000s of Linux and Windows games now that people use. Wait for browser-based equivalents running on the cloud?

    Another potential roadblock: cloud-based storage. There is a (perhaps a somewhat irrational) fear of storing the 'family jewels' on a cloud, however protected it may seem to be. Data examples of concern are corporate proprietary/strategic data, address/contact books, and family/personal information. I suppose one could keep this type of data on a local pen drive or portable USB hard drive if you are traveling but how would I access a spreadsheet, for example? Package OpenOffice as the configured application for specific file types (DOC, ODT, XLS, ODS, etc.) in Chrome? Maybe I answered my own questions about data protection. (:

    For me, I'll try to keep an open mind on cloud appliances.

  56. Thank you very much for this. I've got an Acer Aspire One A150 and it works very well, and is fast too! Thank you.

  57. Still a lot of work to be done. Google is starting to fall down the trap Microsoft fell into in thinking people will follow enmass if they have enough incentive and if they don't - then sideline the buggers.

    Googles paypacket rests on people going online Microsofts paypacket rests on people buying their offline products. This is another attempt by Google to step into Microsofts castle but most people who use a netbook don't use it solely for online services and the cloud and Google are irrelevent in that respect.

    • I don't think people are picking up on the fact you need a good broadband connection to use this software. The point of a netbook is its extreme portability; I use my netbook in the depths of the countryside where a weak GPRS signal often has to suffice. I also use offline software like OpenOffice and will store browsed information for later use when there is no signal. To my mind the 'everything is in the cloud' concept has a fatal flaw, in that a netbook has to be able to run 'standalone'.

  58. a netbook is a small and inexpensive laptop intended for very casual use such as web browsing and simple office tasks.

  59. I downloaded it and installed on USB drive. But when I reboot and try to boot from the pen drive, it says 'Boot Error'.... Do I need to try writing again?

    • Creating a pen drive image on a POSIX system (Unix, Linux, or Mac)

      Keep in mind, that the output of `dd` should be a path at the device level. If not, you can get all sorts of boot errors.

      Case in point: Recently, I sleepily specified of=/dev/sdb1 (first volume on device /dev/sdb, a pen drive). The dd utility happily wrote a boot image into that volume. I was supposed to specify of=/dev/sdb in order to copy the disk iamge (IMG) to the entire device. Lol@myself.

  60. Anyone else experiencing a slow trackpad? I have tweaked it using the OS properties and it is still slow.

    • Hi Its Sunny (Google Chrome OS private beta tester) . The trackpad issue is due to a bug, we are working on it.
      Cheers

      for details contact me at - sunnyguha(at)neversaydie(dot)co(dot)in

  61. How do OS updates work with Chrome OS? Is there a way to update a build that lives on a USB drive? If I replace the disk image, are all my personal settings saved i the cloud? For example, there's supposedly a change to the source that will support WiFi on the EeePC1000. If I install a build from that source, what will I have and what will I lose? There must be *some* way to update the OS, but perhaps it hasn't been implemented yet. ...doug

    • Oops. I should have searched the comments for 'updates' before posting that. Found my answer.

  62. I have tried two different images, both from Hexxeh. (chromiumos.tar.gz and ChromeOS-Cherry.tar.gz)
    I hope I'm not posting to the wrong area using these images.
    So far, I haven't had any unexpected problems that aren't covered somewhere on the net.
    I have a Dell Mini-10 (not the 10v) Using the latest build, ChromeOS-Cherry, I am able to connect to my wireless with my built-in Broadcom 4312 card. It takes several minutes to acquire my AP, but that has already been discussed.
    It doesn't load any drivers for my Intel GMA500 graphics, but does display at 1024x768 with no problem.
    My native resolution, using GMA500 drivers, is 1366x768.
    I don't know if the video driver issue is causing this, but everything I do with the mouse and keyboard is in slow motion.
    If I type in a URL into the browser, I have to wait a couple seconds for my characters to appear in the address bar.
    Using the terminal, my typed characters appear onscreen 2-3 seconds after I typed them.
    Clicking various GUI elements also have the same delayed effect as the above input from the keyboard.
    I'm having fun exploring this latest cutting edge OS. :)

  63. Does anybody know how to change the keyboard layout? I assume that it would require building my own disk image, since the system is read-only after install.

    Can anyone confirm this?

  64. Trying on an Asus EeePC 1000HE. Entering username 'chronos' auto-expands to 'chronos@gmail.com' but login fails (Incorrect username or password). No WiFi, but hardwire Ethernet seems to work. No mouse/touchpad, at least on the login screen. Can't get past that due to the login problem. But I'm not giving up yet! Using 999.999.33309.213456 build.

    • Got it working now. I was using a build from another site. This one works fine, except for wifi.

  65. Actually I did. I downloaded chrome-os-0.4.22.8-bootable-usb-gdgt.zip from http://chrometecha.blogspot.com/2009/11/install-chrome-os-to-usb.html. That was wrong =) After downloading the zip from site site it worked like a charm.

  66. I tried 'installing it' twice now, testing also on an Acer Aspire One with the same result. My desktop computer just displayed a black screen =/ I am doing something wrong, aint I?

  67. Hi, thanks for the guide!
    I tried to boot my usbdevice on my Asus Eee PC but It gets stuck showing 'chromium os' on a blue background, no login fields. Is it a hardware problem perhaps? Any idea of how to get past it?

    • Im having the same problem, what was your solution?

  68. it does not recognize my network adapter

  69. I have one hell of a question for the guy who put up the torrent.
    How do you compress an image file of roughly 3 GB into a zipped file of roughly 300 MB.
    Are the setup files that highly compressible types or is it some secret compression technique that you used for it.

  70. Good article and worth comments.
    As you said 'I did all that work just to log into a freakin’ browser?”', which is very true. For some people it could be annoying, techies like me.
    I was expecting more than just a browsers with Chrome OS. Honestly it Chrome OS disappoints me, I rather choose linux OS for my netbook than Chrome OS.

  71. useful and good post. For installing Chrome OS in Virtual Box check out this link

    • Abhishek you are quite fast in the web. Any way you've chosen a best place to publish your site url.

  72. Its needs a media player, music and video is a huge part of waht alot of people do with their computers, laptops etc

    This is the same

  73. I used the Vmware Image, now the OS boots, and logins, but No internet access, how to configure that, I can use a direct ip of a proxy, but dont know where to put in the configurations :(

  74. @Xander installer was fine on w7 for me, think it might need to be readable by windows though, try formating the flash drive as fat32 first.

  75. Typing this from Chrome OS running off my flash drive on my Dell 9400/E1705.
    Ethernet works, WiFi works (Intel 4965AGN), sound works. =)

  76. Can't get the installer running in Win7 (Home Premium OEM). Tried compatibility modes (vista,xp) and as Admin... nada.

    Any thoughts?

  77. Thanks for posting this! My Asus EEEPC 900A booted up fine. After I entered the key for my wireless router, it's connected smoothly to the internet every time.

  78. One question: how can we trust that when we type our Google credentials into an image that you made that you're not sniffing them and sending them to Russian spam bots?

    • @SL
      Trust is always something given, it cannot be demanded or proven. Trust is a choice *you* make.

      It can, however, be avoided - if necessary create a new google account just for use with this image & don't bother reading the emails ever. ;-)

    • ps: any particular reason it was Russion spam bots, or was that just an example?

  79. Hello Jorge,

    Thanks a ton. My dead netbook just came back to life :-)

    It works perfectly on Asus EEE PC.

    Do you intend to update the version, if yes, where can I check for the updates.

    Thanks Again!

    Imi

  80. I have successfully compiled the ChromeOS and then converted the image to vdi and used it in my VirtualBox.
    So, it works like a live CD.
    And no installation is needed - It just comes up.
    And there is nothing other than the browser!
    So, I don't know why it should occupy so much space, just to bring up the browser.

    If ChromeOS is having nothing other than the browser, then we can have the same browser on any other OS.
    What is there other than browser in Chrome OS!?

    I don't see any development tools such as a terminal, compiler, etc.
    In that case, how to use this OS for development?

    -Narendra

  81. I just tried it and was somewhat unimpressed. I don't see the utility of this project when there are plenty of full-blown Linux OS's that can run off of a flash drive, unless they are trying to compete with Splashtop-like features on laptops where you don't have to boot into the real os but still do basic web surfing. If you can only use it when you are connected to the internet, what's the point, if they cannot expand it beyond a simple cloud OS then I don't see this being a very successful venture. However, Google may give the open source community valuable publicity and help the average user see Linux in a more favorable light. What would be really cool is if they could make this distro bootable to small devices like phones and tablets (like the nokia n810) and provide a full featured web experience without high resource usage.

    • I take it all back; I am using ChromiumOS on my wife's Asus eee 904hd and it is awesome, I can actually stand to use the thing; it does all you really need from a netbook.

  82. it worked on my nokia 8gb card. But after i formatted,it shows only 980mb! Chrome OS eat my space..
    Any how to recover..?
    thnks

  83. Installed per directions worked fine on my new 1005ha but the wireless doesn't work, so there is basically nothing I can do with it. Installed onto an 8gb SDHC card.

    Any suggestions?
    Thanks in advance!

  84. Jorge, this works great off a thumb drive on my ASUS EeePC 900. I ran the chromeos-installer but it doesn't boot of the SSD once I'm done. Am I missing a step setting a partition active or something? Odd that it would work great off USB but not off SSD...

  85. Thanks for the great support Jorge! It was interesting to get a preview of Chrome OS so soon :)

  86. Wireless on Asus EEE PC 901 failed =(

  87. I'll test it for my Netbook but also the Dell version.
    Click here

    and post back with the results.

    Cheers

  88. Yes so great but now my usb drive is useless. I can't formate the whole 8gbs only 900mbs.

  89. Here is a link to another .img file that Dell assembled for the Dell Mini 10v:

  90. I think I broke it.

    Yesterday it worked fine (alebit slow and a bit clunky, due to it running off a stick), but today it refuses to work properly at all. First attempt would only load the calculator gadget in full screen and wouldn't allow me access to the browser - every other attempt and it can't seem to get my resolution right, like it's running in 'Safe Mode' or with the wrong drivers.

    My major gripe with it is probably the panel system - I never much like the blocking of pop-ups in Chrome and this seems to be an extension of that. As a developer, the little screen space you get would be very restricting, however I can understand that this is supposed to be point. Similarly, are all smaller apps going to run in panels? Should they be kept open down the bottom all the time? Won't that get busy? Why aren't there shortcuts on the main screen? Are we going to get shortcut keys?

    Still, it's over a year away now. I'm sure they're come up with something.

  91. When I Click write after I choose the img and the usb drive letter I get the error 8 and doesn't proceed further. Please help!!

    • You need to run the 'clean' command from DISKPART - I had the same problem until I followed those steps. Unfortunately you can only do this in Vista and Se7en, as XP won't pick up removable drives in DISKPART.

      • It's not help. Also I tried 0.1 Win32 Disk Image - it's not work too. I tried other programs that can write IMG to USB? but nothing, only Error 8. I try write to 8GB USB if it's does meter.

        • I did it! When I copy it to just c:[folder for win32di] it start work.

        • Thanks, it works!

  92. I used chrome os in the virtual box ..... The notepad,Contacts and To-do lists are working perfectly....any problem in compiled image?

  93. My Targa 1016 netbook booted ok from a SanDisk Cruzer 4GB but somehow it doesn't seem to recognize the keyboard? I'm stuck on the login screen...
    Any clues on how to deal with this?
    Thanks for the great tutorial and image file.

  94. I've loaded Chrome onto an 8gb thumb drive, and it runs pretty well, but Chrome would have fit on a 4 gb drive and now my 8gb shows up as 'needs to be formatted' in windows explorer. Is there any way to use one drive as bootable chrome and flash storage? Otherwise it's bye bye to Chrome for me.

    Chrome currently runs too quietly on my speakers(and the headphone jack just turns of the speakers but doesn't play anything in the headphones). Is there volume control in Chrome?

    It'd be nice to have a guide to all the neat 'extra' things it can do, like the process and file browsers, and a guide to what it can't do (like apparently it can download files but not use/play/open them) would also be usefull. Do these exist anywhere?

  95. 'If you do not see this page and you get a browser page that says it could not find the page requested, then unfortunately luck is not on your side. It means that Chromium OS doesn’t like your network adapter.'

    Not necessarily - it might just be missing your WEP/WPA passkey. I entered mine and it's been fine since - eee900.

  96. how to change the boot options? my screen gets garbled when booting, how can I change the vga modes?(something like vga=791)

  97. Thanks! Just what I was looking for. Wasn't sure if this would work well on the 701. This is just what I wanted to hear. Works like a charm!

  98. Ran it from an sd card on an eee pc t91mt; wifi worked (as well as, interestingly, the battery monitor), but the OS was very slow.

  99. I am running CHrome OS on my EEE901 now, but i can't get a wifi connection.
    Ethernet works fine, but anyone an idea to make the wifi works?

    Thanks

    • Lauwie: Wifi is working on my Eee 900A so it may be your wireless router that's incompatible. Try a different wireless network if possible.

      • What do you mean?
        I just can't get my wifi on... I can't see any wireless network.. And my network is oke with ubuntu...
        I have the RT2860 or something like that...
        Anyone an idea?

        • Sorry, what I said earlier does not make sense. Chrome apparently supports the radio in the 900A but not 901. I thought they may be the same radio, and since it works with 900A, thought the problem might be with your router. At least you can give thanks that the ethernet works so you can take Chrome for a test drive.

  100. It is in the very early stages of development, so there is still a lot of stuff that doesn’t work. In fact, it may not work for you at all.

  101. I am fascinated, but I cannot help but fear that Google/Chrome is the next big bully. Dos --> Windows --> Google

    mysilentscream

  102. Does majority of linux commands works with this OS?

  103. I got my Compaq F700 to work. WiFi seems to work fine. I needed to enter my network pass key and then I had internet. Running off a SanDisk Cruzer 4GB which is a little slow, but visiting all my web sites was easy and works fine. I was surprised to find when rebooting to Chrome all my passwords were saved and my history was retained. I'm sure this wouldn't happen with a CD/DVD version.
    Thanks guys

  104. I have a 2G pen drive and the program says is has no space ?
    it is formated .

    what could it be ?

    thanks

    k

  105. I am using an 8GB flash drive (empty/Formated) and when I try to write to Flash Drive, it tells me that there is not enough room on Drive. Using Vista 32-bit system. Should I try on my XP?

  106. How are OS updates going to be released? Is there a URL to check?

  107. I tried a the USB boot on my HP Mini 311 and it would not work, I saw it access the boot drive but no go. I installed VirtualBox and downloaded the Vbox image (below) and it came right up with no issues. Thanks Jorge!

    geeklad.com/downloads/chromiumos.torrent

  108. Thanks for the great write-up and tutorial. Downloading the USB image now. Can anyone confirm if the ChromeOS 'likes' the Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN wireless network adaptor? Thanks in advance.

    • No ChromeOS (ChromiumOS) doesn't like this wifi card - i am working to enable this.

      • thank you. anything i can do to help?

  109. I download the file, wrote it to the USB drive as a bootable device, but now when I try to boot, I get a 'no operating system found' error. I checked and rewrote the img file to the USB using the instructions from above. what am I missing...other than maybe the ability to cognitively think this through.

  110. Any fix for the 'network adapter not recognized' issues?

  111. Trying it out on my Asus EEE 901 and I find it actually makes browsing a better experience for me when compared to firefox under eeeXubuntu. Everything just loads quicker even though far from perfect.

    Two questions: 1. Will this work if I put it on an SD card an 2. will this work on a intel based mac?

    • Joseph, were you able to get WiFi working on your 901? It seems as though the wifi card may not be supported.

  112. heya guys,
    i just wondering, since Chrome OS is basically a web browser based OS.

    How secure and safe would it be? Since, we boot Chrome OS direct from a USB drive WITHOUT our Antivirus, Firewall and other protection softwares we usually install in our PC/Laptop running.

    thanks

  113. .

    have you tested the Chrome OS USB on many computers???

    are you SURE that it don't create problems to the PC's file system and data?

    .

  114. Thank you for the guide, I used it to try Chrome OS (or is it Chromium OS?) on a Dell Mini 10 (1011). You can read the issues I had with it here.

    Quick breakdown of the facts: no luck with wireless either (Dell 1397 adapter, so it would have been futile to try it on my D630 since it has the same one), 'jumpy' usage, a couple of bugs and the CPU meter reports bollocks. And it's REALLY up in the cloud. No connection = you're totally .

    I don't see it as the future of OS. As a OS-on-a-stick, yes, but as the primary OS, without internet access, your machine is just a nice furniture piece or decorative item, depending if you have a desktop or a laptop.

  115. Luck was not on my side. I definitely look forward to a build that will run on my Samsung N120, but for now, that is one Netbook for which this does not work. Bummer... Was so excited when the login screen popped up...

    • (apologies for being a moron... didn't know where to find network settings, but found them and am now surfing using Chromium and elated about it... elated, I say)

  116. Worked flawlessly on my Acer Aspire 100 using an Ativa 4GB USB drive... wireless worked too using WEP. Too cool!

  117. Great post! I've recommended it to my friends as well...

    I'm wondering though, do you know how I should go by keeping this OS up to date with future builds? Or is the automatic update already implemented?

  118. THANKS, BUT CHROME OS DONT RUN ON MY MACHINE..
    NOW, I WANT TO FORMAT MY 4GB USB DRIVE, BUT IT SAYS IT'S ONLY 900MB AVALIABLE TO FORMAT.
    THAT MEANS THAT MY 4GB HAVE BCOMING A 1GB USB DRIVE? HOW I FIX THIS? FORMATTING JUST RECOGNIZE 1GB

  119. Ok,I figured it out.

  120. What do i do with the .ovf file?

  121. Ok,Im trying the tutorial again.

  122. Followed all the steps but wont work, is there any way to do this to a Hard Drive?

  123. On my MSI Wind there was no working trackpad or wifi. where am i supposed to put my music and pictures etc.

  124. Yes, I run ChromeOS on my PC ASUS M4N78 Pro from boot USB drive.

  125. tested, didn't work with my thinkpad x200 and x61 wireless network

  126. I get as far as selecting to boot from the USB flash drive on my Intel Atom 330 1.6GHz Dual-Core CPU, with NVIDIA® ION 330, but it doesn't boot. The flash drive blinks a bit on a regular basis, but that's all. Should it work on the above machine?

    • Tried it on ASUS 1008HA and it came straight up :) Only snag is I ordered a Norwegian version and the keyboard is chaotic with Chrome OS.

      Pity the ION 330 system doesn't work. Might be something to do with the ASRock's special boot system..

  127. Can anybody know how to use this on Bootcamp? is it possible?

  128. I have just been lazy to get the Google Chrome OS and run it on a Virtual Machine, besides I wanted to really test if outside the Virtual Environment. Great post.

  129. it does recognizes my wireless adapter and connects to my network, but it doesn't browse the web.
    no problem with ethernet.
    Btw it's pretty slow, I tried it with an eeepc 704 and verbatim 4gb thumbdrive

  130. no wireless adapter, right ?

  131. Im assuming this is the USB image used.. Can you still login using google account pass?

  132. 'If you want to do the same on Ubuntu, use a client like BitTornado, Transmission or kTorrent to download the files, then use the following terminal command to mount it:
    sudo dd f=’/directory/where/you/put/chrome_os.img’ of=/dev/sdb
    Assuming your USB drive is mounted as /dev/sdb
    (check System -> Administration -> Drive Utility)'

    • I get the error 'unrecognized operand

      `f=/home/xxx/Downloads/chrome_os.img'

      when typing in that command.

  133. Tried it, it's cool and easy.
    But is there option to shutdown?

  134. does anyone know if this same process would work with a cd rom? i.e. would installing chrome and everything work because I assume you could choose the optical drive as easily as the thumb drive in the boot menu

  135. How would I burn this image to a USB using Ubuntu?

  136. o I did this with a 4GB flash drive, decided I wanted it off of my flash drive and formatted it. When the format was complete, I was left with a 949MB flash drive. WTF?! Does anyone know how to fix this?

    • you may need to delete all the partitions on the drive and recreate the primary partition.

      Go do disk management in windows.. Should be in 'right click' on my computer and select manage.. it is one of the options there.

      • Thanks for your help, but I already fixed it using this tool: pendriveapps.com/lexar-usb-flip-the-removable-media-bit-tool/
        I figured it was a partition issue but I couldn't fix the problem in Disk Management.

  137. I understand the market for this OS, and also understand that this is an early build that contains quite of extraneous code that will not be in the final build.

    But there is something I just can't wrap my head around.
    With as simplistic as this OS is, how can the image possibly be ~3GB?

    I mean you can get an XP install down under 1GB quite easily. Comparing the feature sets between XP and ChromeOS is nothing short of a comedic exercise. On top of that, a large part of ChromeOS is supposed to be stored in the cloud right? So why is it so large?
    Can we really expect ChromeOS to shrink by well over 300% by release?

    • The one I'm downloading is around 300MB, what are you downloading?

  138. Alternately I found using the VMware image last week that just logging in to Chromium OS with my Google name and password automatically logged me into Gmail and iGoogle.

  139. Does Chrome OS include a POP3/Imap email client, and can you save downloaded files to a USB memory stick?

    • No, it's all Gmail or webmail, no apps other than web apps.

  140. How fast is it? I tried the virtual Chrome OS and it was very slow.

    Can it be viewed in full screen? I have a resolution of 1440 x 900. Would it configure accordingly?

    • Press CTRL+ALT+T to bring up the terminal then run xrandr -s widthxheight to change resolution, for you it would be:
      xrandr -s 1440x900

  141. Would love to try there, does anyone else have anything other than torrent though? It doesn't seem to be working for me.

  142. Great post, Jorge!

    Would you be so kind as to post the steps you performed to generate your Chrome OS image? It'd be helpful to build our own.

  143. Great tutorial, tried it on my desktop. No problems. I haven't tried it on my laptop, which is a little older.

  144. If you want to do the same on Ubuntu, use a client like BitTornado, Transmission or kTorrent to download the files, then use the following terminal command to mount it:

    sudo dd f='/directory/where/you/put/chrome_os.img' of=/dev/sdb

    Assuming your USB drive is mounted as /dev/sdb (check System -> Administration -> Drive Utility)

    • Can I shove it on a partition of my external drive using that? (just, of course, replacing the code as needed and then making the partition bootable).. Oh and should it not need to go root directory as opposed to within a directory (eg: /media/drive/folder1/folder2/chromeos

  145. How can I get this to run on VirtualBox?

  146. Hmm - how long should it take to write to the USB drive? The progress bar isn't going anywhere, and the drive keeps blinking - about 10 minutes by now.

  147. So how is it any different from a web browser ?

    • It's not a browser for start. It's an OS that runs through the Cloud. Online storage.

      @OP, can this be put in a cd/dvd for bootable as well?

      • It absolutely is a browser. It is an OS that runs through the cloud, but that's because everything in the OS is a simple web app. The whole thing is the Chrome browser, running on top of a customized Linux build, where everything else is locked down so that all you can use is the browser.

    • re: JK III
      > So how is it any different from a web browser ?

      This can boot up your computer ;-)

      Or in simpler terms - This doesn't need you to have Windows*
      (*or Linux or MacOS or Dos or ...)

  148. I corrupted my flash drive. oops.

    • You didn't corrupt it, diskimager changed the format and added a partition. Go to command prompt and type:
      DISKPART
      SELECT DISK 1
      CLEAN
      CLEAN (just to be sure)
      EXIT
      EXIT

      It is now ready to reformat.

      • i corrupted my disk then i followed procedure of diskpart and cleaning it but after when i tried to format it, error comes 'windows was unable to reformat it'

        • THANKYOU SOOOOO MUCH, i thought my 4 gig usb was gone, and it was my favourite one as well

  149. Very helpful, I had followed another guide and managed to get it all running, but they didn't mention the username and password! Pretty essential stuff. Got it working, but it is jumpy as you mentioned. Fun to try is all.

    • sign in with your google account

  150. WOW. Thanks guys. Excellent article just as always. I'll certainly try it!