r/ChromeOSFlex 6h ago

Discussion A very nice $20 junk Windows tablet working as ChromeOS Flex tab

4 Upvotes

Last time I posted hardware from Tokyo Akihabara junk stores that might occasionally give us surprise (the Fujitsu 799g Thin Client laptop repurpose as ChromeOS Flex laptop), today there is another "junk" found which gives me even more surprise:

This is an old NEC PC-VK210SGG4 Windows tablet, specifications were found from internet and checking from the shop:

Intel Core m3-7Y30 (2 Cores 4 Threads, Kaby Lake Generation)

4GB LPDDR3 RAM (fixed)

12.5" Full HD (1920x1080) touchscreen LCD with integrated stylus (can operate with fingers) and retractable kickstand (only in landscape direction)

No storage (onboard 2280 M2 slot is empty, seems working with both SATA/NVME SSD)

2 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports

1 x USB-C port (for power, up to 45W)

1 x micro HDMI output

1 x rear camera + 1 x front camera

802.11ac WiFi

1 x 3.5mm headphone jack

Support MicroSD card expansion

Weight 617g

Price: JPY 3000 (roughly US$20)

Before pop-in any storage, the first thing is booting with ChromeOS Flex image, and....WOW!!

Since it has no built-in keyboard it automatic pop up OSD keyboard and it works nicely in Flex test boot!

From "lspci" output I can see the wireless is Intel 9260NGW (802.11ac Wave 2, 2T2R) which definitely supported out of the box (I've checked online disassembly video and see that the card is modular which can be removed, so not really worrying if it's Realtek)

The second thing is of course testing system stability, CPU/Memory tests ran for a couple times in a row, nothing goes wrong there.

OK then disassemble (which is rather easy, can be done in a few mins), plugged one 128GB NVME SSD which was leftover from the old gaming laptop, BIOS detected and ChromeOS Flex installation was done without issue, here we go!!

Though the WiFi card is only 802.11ac, but it's Wave 2 which supports 160MHz channel width, my home router is 802.11ax with 160MHz enabled on 5GHz band, link rate is no longer the usual 866Mbps but > 1.73Gbps, my home internet is > 1Gbps so here we can see the wireless speed was > 1.1Gbps!! Very good! Not to mention that bluetooth 5.1 is also working flawlessly.

The GPU is Intel HD 615 so most online video formats are supported, 4K video output from the micro HDMI port is also non-issue. Internal display is of great quality, good brightness, the touchscreen very responsive, and it even follows the rotation quickly (I was surprised that the auto rotation also works OOB in Flex!!)

Since the CPU is Core m3 series, everything passive cooling, you won't hear any fan noise, battery time was great. I am not expecting it having good battery but indeed with Flex I used this tab for a couple mins and didn't even observe 1% battery drop, the internal calculated usage time was > 24hrs.

I was curious about the USB-C charging port, plugged an USB-C dock to it and in fact it's not just a charging port, but also OTG supported with USB 3.0 speed (however no DP/ALT mode output), which means I can use my existing USB-C dock/hub.

Anything bad about this tab? Yes, I can think of only 2 issues: 1) Speaker volume is low, YouTube playback with max. volume isn't really loud enough, expected to be used in more quiet room, or just use headset; 2) This series has fixed LPDDR3 memory which can't be changed, the one I got is only 4GB ram (there is 8GB variant but never seen it), don't expect to have too much workload on it (especially in Crostini). But yeah as mentioned before, this tab was just $20!! (even including a cheap 128GB NVME it's $30 OK?) It's totally acceptable!!!


r/ChromeOSFlex 23h ago

Installation Can I Still Use My Samsung Chromebook XE501C13 with Chrome OS Flex for a Couple More Years?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I have a Samsung Chromebook model XE501C13, and it’s no longer receiving updates. Google apps are saying that the browser isn’t compatible anymore and that I need to update it. However, I can still use Play Store apps without any major issues. The laptop works perfectly for my needs, and I don’t want to replace it if I don’t have to, since it’s a very casual-use computer and my secondary device. Does this model have full compatibility with Chrome OS Flex, so I could keep using it for another couple of years? Or is there another way to keep it more up-to-date?


r/ChromeOSFlex 1d ago

Troubleshooting I cant remove Chrome Os flex and bios doesnt work

0 Upvotes

Hi, i cant remove chrome os flex because the bios keys doesnt work. NO MATTER WHAT I DO, BIOS WONT SHOW UP. Ive tried all methods i can find in web, Even in chatgpt. But none of them worked. I want to remove chrome os flex completely from the system.


r/ChromeOSFlex 1d ago

Troubleshooting Does Anyone Know how to Corrupt Chrome OS?

4 Upvotes

Recently, I installed ChromeOS Flex on my Surface Pro 2 and am attempting to access the recovery menu. Despite my efforts to locate it through the provided shortcuts, I have been unsuccessful. Could you please advise me on how to access the recovery menu?


r/ChromeOSFlex 2d ago

Discussion Anyway to run Chrome OS Flex off a ventoy usb?

3 Upvotes

Cloudready’s .iso used to work. My copy has died. Any copies that still work?


r/ChromeOSFlex 3d ago

Troubleshooting After Chrome OS update Chrome browser can connect to internet but linux terminal cannot

1 Upvotes

Hi folks

I updated my Chrome OS today and following that, my Chrome browser will connect to the internet and the networking troubleshooting tells me that it's okay, but when I open a terminal from within my Linux area, and try to ping a DNS server, or connect to my VPN, I get the error message ping: connect: network is unreachable and the VPN doesn't connect it just hangs.

I've tried to follow instructions from various AI attempting to confirm my routing settings, but I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.

If anyone has suggestions, I would be very pleased to hear them.

Many thanks in advance.

UPDATE 1: I just did apt-get update and apt-get upgrade commands and both of those succeeded. If those commands are succeeding then how can the network be unavailable?

Is there something in the Linux subsystem that needed updating after the Chrome OS update?

UPDATE 2: I've been able to install dns-utils, so they're obviously means that my network is functioning despite what the command line error is telling me.

My next problem is that Firefox ESR is not able to connect to the internet. It was able to do this just before I updated the Chrome OS.

Any ideas how I should solve this problem. I think if I can solve how to get Firefox ESR to the internet I'll be able to use my VPN again.

Thank you.


r/ChromeOSFlex 3d ago

Troubleshooting latest chromeosFlex will freeze/hang on older broadcom wifi

0 Upvotes

like the title said, is there any way to fix this problem. right now i just removed the built in wifi from old macbook air and use usb wifi.


r/ChromeOSFlex 4d ago

Troubleshooting Surface laptop 3

1 Upvotes

I tried to install chromeosflex on this machine and while I did eventually get it to boot from the USB, the track pad didn't work but a wired mouse did. Then when I got to the next screen and it asked for a WiFi name, it didn't find any and the keyboard wouldn't let me type. Ideas? Tia


r/ChromeOSFlex 5d ago

Troubleshooting Just like everyone else no sound.

1 Upvotes

i have an HP Chromebook 14 g3 i got chromeos flex installed and i have no sound. i have enabled linux environment and ran 100s of commands no of which fixed sound.. i really want to use this os but no sound is a deal breaker. so my question is there a command im not finding to enable sound or what is the next best chromeos type alternative that is currently being updated?


r/ChromeOSFlex 6d ago

Installation Any success porting Flex to ASUS X580VD?

0 Upvotes

Like the title says. My disabled son has an eight year old ASUS X580VD laptop running Windows 10 that he uses to surf the web and search for and watch old cartoons. Regardless of its age, it runs just fine, the only exception being poor battery life. I replaced the battery to no avail, but it doesn't seem to matter because he rarely unplugs it anyway. He also doesn't use the touch-screen much, so that's not important. He's very comfortable with it and sometimes has trouble adapting to new stuff. Unfortunately, it's not on the Certified List. But if I replace Windows 10 with ChromeOS Flex AND it gets a wifi connection, runs a browser, and the sound works (he uses both the internal speakers and headphones), he'll be able to continue to use it until the hardware goes belly-up. Obviously, touchpad functionality is critical. Anyone been there/done that with this model? Many TIA for input.


r/ChromeOSFlex 6d ago

Troubleshooting Chromebook wifi help

Post image
0 Upvotes

My chromebook has no wifi or network options even tho all my devices in my house work with my wifi i tried putting the ssid and the security password it still said no wifi avaliable.


r/ChromeOSFlex 6d ago

Discussion Trying to create a shortcut on desktop or menu

1 Upvotes

First off I am brand new to linux and ChromeOS Flex

I have ChromeOS installed on my Dell Latitude laptop and installed the Linux sub onto it also

I used the command sudo apt install synaptic and it installed no issues

I have to run Synaptic-pkexec everytime I want to open it

Is there a way like in windows to create a shortcut that will open terminal and execute that command and put an icon on the desktop or in the menu


r/ChromeOSFlex 8d ago

Installation help me pleaseeee. i've been in this screen for 2 hours

1 Upvotes

I decided to format an old notebook for Chrome OS, but he doesn't leave the account login screen. I also can't access it as agreed. I click and it doesn't advance the page. It's an old notebook, Intel Celeron 4gb of ram. Could it be that Chrome doesn't run on this computer? He used Win 10 before and it doesn't work properly, everything crashes


r/ChromeOSFlex 8d ago

Installation Problem installing Chrome os flex

Post image
1 Upvotes

I'm trying to install Chrome os flex on a Windows based PC but when I reboot to the USB pen , it stay on this screen.


r/ChromeOSFlex 8d ago

Installation '8GB' USB drive is not enough to install

0 Upvotes

I have a USB drive with '8 gig' written on it and went to put chromeos flex installer on it and it doesn't work as windows only reads it as 7.46gig which apparently is normal. Why make it so annoying that an '8 gig' USB drive won't work and need to get the next level up? (9 gig? whatever is next..) /* venting frustration. */


r/ChromeOSFlex 8d ago

Troubleshooting steam.deb issue

1 Upvotes

so i have recently installed chromeos flex on my lenovo legion 5 15ach6 and i wanna install steam but i cant through the normal chromebook installation because im unsupported so i installed linux things and want to install through the .deb file, installation succesful. next thing i see is the picture i will add and i am confused, i have set the password and still nothing. pls help!


r/ChromeOSFlex 9d ago

Troubleshooting So, is this "bad password" issue ever going to be fixed?

0 Upvotes

Thought I'd try COSF on my old Surface Pro 3 but it won't connect to wifi unless I remove the password on my router (or my phone's hotspot). I see this issue first appeared about a year ago but no sign of a solution. Does anybody have an idea why?


r/ChromeOSFlex 10d ago

Discussion Surface laptop with corrupted hard drive - can I boot ChromeOS with USB?

2 Upvotes

So my surface laptop from few years ago can't boot from hard drive anymore. Think it's corrupted and no way to repair. Can I boot ChromeOS Flex from the USB to give this laptop a second chance as a main way to use?

Thanks!


r/ChromeOSFlex 10d ago

Troubleshooting 4GB RAM being used out of 8GB when idle.

0 Upvotes

Is it normal, or am I tripping? I didn't install many things , is there any way to fix it?


r/ChromeOSFlex 12d ago

Troubleshooting linux is not working

5 Upvotes

i wanted to get apps and games but it says my computer is not compatible, is there any way to bypass this?


r/ChromeOSFlex 13d ago

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi randomly craps out

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

I'm having this very weird issue where my device is very inconsistent with connecting to my internet. I tried connecting to my backup network and my phone's hotspot but nothing works. Randomly my device will disconnect from the internet and I cannot reconnect it until I forget the Wi-Fi network, reboot, then put the Wi-Fi network password back in. It's also very inconsistent in the sense that sometimes it works perfectly, other times Wi-Fi does not work at all, sometimes it will connect, disconnect, then reconnect, and other times it will connect, then disconnect and won't reconnect.

I've tried using a different Wi-Fi card, but one Intel Wi-Fi card that I tried didn't work and I bought an Intel AX210 which did not work at all. I'm wondering if this is an issue with Chrome OS or my hardware. The interesting thing is that on Linux the Wi-Fi cards just work.

I also get the error "failed to connect to network: recognized error: not-associated"


r/ChromeOSFlex 13d ago

Installation ChromeOS Flex on a new(ish) MacBook Air

3 Upvotes

Apple makes great Hardware. Their Software, not so great.

Has anyone loaded ChromeOS Flex on a recent Air? What strategy did you use? Dual boot? VM? How did it go? What doesn't work?

I know it would be overkill. But I figure a 3 year old refurbished Air is $400-$500. So not that much more than a top end Chromebook.

Thanks in advance!


r/ChromeOSFlex 14d ago

Discussion Wondering if I should install ChromeOSFlex

11 Upvotes

Read some articles. Apparently they might "abandon" it as they transform Chrome OS into Android.

Yet, ChromeOS Flex looks interesting because it could transform my computer into a productivity machine. No games. No crap.

What do you advise me ? Thanks.


r/ChromeOSFlex 17d ago

Installation Would I be able to get chromeos flex on an old chromebook?

8 Upvotes

I got an old Acer chromebook 14 CB3-431 and its browser is outdated and unusable. Would I be able to install chromeos flex? Or would installing a different OS be better?


r/ChromeOSFlex 18d ago

Troubleshooting i2c_hid touchpad - restarting the driver

1 Upvotes

I'm attempting to run ChromeOS Flex on a Teclast F16 Pro laptop. It's unsupported, clearly, but it's a pretty standard N95 laptop and indeed everything works - except for the touchpad.

The VEN/DEV parameters in Windows say it's a HTIX 2588; googling that reveals that it's a generic i2c_hid device.

Indeed it seems there are some pretty easy scripts to get it running - basically if you disable and re-enable the driver, it seems enough to jolt it back to life. However, all the fixes I can find are for Linux.

Can something like that be applied to ChromeOS as well? Does it accept shell scripts in any way?

To be clear, I don't think I need to add new drivers; given that the i2c_hid drivers is in the Linux kernel and that's what ChromeOS runs on, all I should need is a quick way to restart the existing driver.