How To Switch From Chrome Os To Windows

Chromebooks don't officially back up Windows. Y'all usually can't even install Windows—Chromebooks ship with a special type of BIOS designed for Chrome Os. But there are ways to install Windows on many Chromebook models, if yous're willing to get your easily dirty.

What Y'all Demand to Know Nigh This Process

We'll say information technology again: this isn't officially supported. To practice this, you lot'll take to install a replacement BIOS for your Chromebook (technically it's a UEFI firmware, which is the modern replacement to the traditional BIOS). This will permit you to kicking and install Windows. The replacement BIOS can merely be installed on Chromebook models that it supports, and so you can't do this on every model of Chromebook.

You'll need some additional hardware likewise. You'll demand a USB keyboard and mouse merely to install Windows, considering your Chromebook'southward congenital-in keyboard and mouse won't work in the installer. And yous'll demand a PC running Windows to create the USB installation media for your Chromebook.

Even after you install Windows, y'all won't be out of the wood. Windows doesn't ship with hardware drivers for diverse pieces of hardware, like the touchpads incorporated into many Chromebooks (which makes sense, since Chromebook manufacturers never bothered creating Windows drivers for these components). If y'all're lucky, you'll notice third-party drivers that were hacked together to requite Windows support for these components.

This will also, plain, wipe your Chromebook, and then make sure y'all don't have anything important stored on information technology. (You shouldn't, as Chrome Os commonly syncs your data with Google.)

If your Chromebook ever appears to freeze or become stuck during this process, bear in heed that you can force the Chromebook to shut down by pressing the Power button and property it downwards for 10 seconds or so.

Volition This Work With Your Chromebook?

Yous should only endeavour installing Windows on a Chromebook if you know your model is supported. Yous should as well follow instructions for your specific model of Chromebook, as the steps for different models will be a bit different.

Here are some helpful resources:

Windows on Chromebooks Hardware Back up Listing: This website lists Chromebook models you can install Windows on, complete with data well-nigh which built-in hardware components will and won't work afterwards.
Windows for Chromebooks Installation Helper: This website allows you to select your model of Chromebook and get installation instructions for Windows, complete with links to drivers that will enable hardware on your specific model of Chromebook.
Chrultrabook Subreddit: A community devoted to installing Windows on Chromebooks. If yous want to observe more than data about whether a Chromebook or specific hardware component can be made to support Windows, this is a good identify to search.

If your Chromebook can be made to back up Windows, congratulations. We recommend following an installation guide like the ones on the Coolstar Installation Helper site to ensure y'all're setting things up properly for your specific model of hardware. Even so, that website'southward instructions could be more detailed, so you'll probably detect some data in this guide that isn't nowadays elsewhere.

Nosotros'll provide help by walking you through the procedure of installing Windows on an Acer C910 Chromebook, codename YUNA. The procedure will be similar on other models of Chromebook, but some things—like the location of the write protect spiral on the motherboard—will be unlike.

Pace One: Remove the Write Protect Spiral

Chromebooks have a special hardware characteristic that prevents you from modifying the BIOS. To disable the write protection feature so yous tin can supersede the BIOS on near Chromebooks, you'll need to open the Chromebook, locate the write protection screw on the motherboard, and remove information technology. On some Chromebooks, yous may detect a write protection switch instead.

Get-go, plow off your Chromebook. Don't only put it to sleep—perform a total shutdown. Flip the Chromebook over and unscrew the bottom to proceeds access to the motherboard. On our Chromebook, this required unscrewing 18 screws earlier nosotros could remove the plastic console. Exist sure not to lose them! (A magnetic parts tray is a wonderful affair.)

Locate the write protect screw (or write protect switch, depending on what the installation guide for your Chromebook specifies).You may detect more documentation near the specific location of the screw by searching the web for the model proper noun and number of your Chromebook likewise as "write protect screw". For our Acer Chromebook C910, this SuperUser discussion pointed u.s.a. at the location of the screw.

There were some other giveaways, too. The write protect spiral should expect visibly unlike from the other screws on the motherboard. This detail screw appears a dark gray colour on our Chromebook, while the other screws on the motherboard are brighter silver. You can see a brilliant silvery underneath the screw, while the other screws on the motherboard accept a statuary colour under them.

Remove the screw and reattach the bottom onto your Chromebook. Y'all tin can now write to and modify the Chromebook's BIOS. Go on the screw in example you want to write protect your BIOS again subsequently.

Step Two: Enable Programmer Mode

RELATED: How to Enable Developer Fashion on Your Chromebook

You'll now need to enable Programmer Mode so you can modify the Chromebook's software. To do this on modern Chromebooks, press Esc+Refresh+Ability while the Chromebook is powered off. (The "Refresh" button is in the place where the "F3" key would be on a normal keyboard.)

Your Chromebook will kicking up and display a message that "Chrome OS is missing or damaged".

Press Ctrl+D and so press Enter to "turn Bone verification OFF" and enable developer mode.

Your Chromebook will wipe all your personal data files, resetting itself to the default settings after you do this. You'll have to sign in with your Google account once over again. Withal, all your important data should be synced with online services rather than stored on the Chromebook itself.

When you lot boot into Chrome OS, you'll see an "OS verification is OFF" message. You lot'll demand to press Ctrl+D to bypass this screen every time y'all boot. Don't worry—after yous flash a new BIOS, this bulletin will go away and your Chromebook will boot directly into Windows when y'all're washed.

Stride Iii: Flash the New BIOS

From within ChromeOS, y'all can now flash your Chromebook's new BIOS. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open up a terminal window.

Blazon "trounce" into the concluding and printing "Enter" to access a more powerful Linux shell environment.

Download and run the script that will supervene upon your Chromebook's BIOS by copy-pasting the below command into the terminal window and and so pressing "Enter":

cd ~; curl -L -O http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh; sudo bash firmware-util.sh

This command changes to your home directory, downloads the http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh script file, and runs it with root privileges.

Consult the developer'southward website if you want more detailed documentation about how this script works.

The script presents a helpful interface that will walk you through the procedure. Choose the "Custom coreboot Firmware (Full ROM)" option in the list past typing "3" and pressing "Enter".

Agree to wink your firmware past typing "y" then blazon "U" to install a UEFI firmware. Practice non select the "Legacy" option if you want to run Windows.

The script volition offering to create a backup re-create of your Chromebook'due south stock firmware and place it on a USB bulldoze for you. Be sure to create this backup re-create and shop information technology somewhere safe. This volition brand it easier to restore the Chromebook's original BIOS in the hereafter.

You don't have to exit the BIOS backup on the USB drive. Y'all'll get a .rom file you can copy off the USB bulldoze and store somewhere safe later the process is washed.

After the backup process is consummate, the script will download the replacement Coreboot firmware and flash it onto your Chromebook. Power the Chromebook off when it's finished.

At this point, you can re-install the write protect spiral, if you want.

Step 4: Create a Windows Installation Drive

RELATED: Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and seven ISOs Legally

You can now install Windows onto your Chromebook, only you'll need to make the Windows installation media outset. You can't, notwithstanding, practice it using Microsoft'southward official method–instead, you'll need to download an ISO and burn information technology to a USB drive using a tool called Rufus. You lot'll demand to perform this part of the process on a Windows PC.

Download a Windows x ISO from Microsoft. Click "Download tool now", select "Create installation media for another PC", and tell it to download an ISO file for you lot. Windows eight.i and 7 may or may not work with your Chromebook and its drivers.

You'll too demand to download and run the Rufus utility, which you lot'll use to create your Windows installer USB drive.

Plug a USB drive into the PC. You'll use this USB bulldoze for the Windows installer, and whatsoever files on information technology will be erased. (Then make certain yous copy anything important earlier continuing!)

Launch Rufus, select your USB drive, and select "GPT partition scheme for UEFI" and "NTFS". Click the button to the right of "Create a bootable disk using" and select the Windows 10 ISO paradigm you downloaded.

Double cheque that Rufus really says "GPT partition scheme for UEFI" earlier yous continue. Information technology may automatically change to the default setting when y'all select the ISO file. In one case you've double-checked all the settings are correct, click the "Start" push button to create a Windows installer USB drive.

Step Five: Install Windows

You're now ready to install Windows on the Chromebook. Plug the USB drive into your Chromebook and ability on your Chromebook. Information technology should automatically boot from the USB bulldoze, showing y'all the Windows installer. If it doesn't automatically boot from the USB drive, press whatsoever key when "Select Boot Option" appears on your screen. You can so select "Boot Manager" and select your USB devices.

Connect a USB mouse, a USB keyboard, or both to your Chromebook. You'll need to use these while installing Windows. You can become by with just a USB keyboard or USB mouse—but you'll need at least 1 of them to interact with the Windows installer.

With a USB keyboard, you lot can use the Tab, arrow, and Enter keys to navigate the interface. With a mouse, y'all tin pull upwards the on-screen keyboard and use it to type.

RELATED: Y'all Don't Need a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 10

Get through the Windows installation process normally, installing Windows on your Chromebook in place of Chrome OS. Feel free to partition the internal drive however you lot like. We deleted all the internal partitions and told Windows to install itself using the allocated infinite.

Behave in listen that you don't need a product cardinal to install and use Windows 10. You lot can always add a product key or purchase a product key from Microsoft from within Windows ten later.

Don't worry virtually Chrome OS—if you ever desire to replace Windows with Chrome Bone, you can hands create a Chrome OS recovery drive on any reckoner running Chrome and apply information technology to restore the original Chrome OS operating system.

The Windows installer will restart partway through. Be certain to remove your USB drive when it does so, or it will restart back to the offset of the installer. If you see the showtime of the installer screen once again, remove your USB drive, long-press the Power push button until your Chromebook shuts downwardly, and then press the Ability push to kicking it back upwards. It should kicking Windows from the Chromebook'southward internal bulldoze and finish the setup process

Step 6: Install Third-Party Drivers for Your Hardware

Yous should now have Windows installed, and your Chromebook should kick into Windows when you lot turn it on. You're almost done! Y'all simply need to install 3rd-political party drivers to make as much of your hardware piece of work as possible. You'll still need your USB keyboard and mouse for this pace.

As these are tertiary-party drivers, they aren't properly signed and Windows won't commonly allow them to exist installed. You'll demand to enable "test signing" to install them. This is a setting designed for driver testing.

To practise so, open a Command Prompt as Ambassador—right-click the Start push button or printing Windows+X and select "Command Prompt (Administrator)". Run the post-obit command:

bcdedit -prepare testsigning on

Restart your Chromebook afterwards.

You tin can now install the third-party drivers the Chromebook installation guide recommends for your model of Chromebook. For example, on our Acer C910 Chromebook, we had to install drivers for the Chromebook'south chipset, Intel HD graphics, rapid storage technology, keyboard, trackpad, and Realtek Hard disk drive audio.

Windows will show y'all a security alert when you install the drivers. That's because these are unofficial, third-political party drivers that weren't created by the manufacturer and aren't signed by Microsoft. Concord to install the drivers anyway. If you lot wanted to use only manufacturer-provided drivers, y'all wouldn't exist doing this in the first place!

Afterwards, everything seemed to work properly on this model of Chromebook. We were able to disconnect the USB keyboard and mouse and use the Chromebook normally. The "Search" button on the Chromebook's keyboard even becomes a Windows key.

And there you take it! Your Chromebook is now a very inexpensive, (hopefully) fully-functioning Windows computer. If something ever breaks, be sure to check back with coolstar.org to see if you need to install new drivers or otherwise fix something that a Windows Update broke. Enjoy!

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/278953/how-to-install-windows-on-a-chromebook/

Posted by: rathbonedolf1972.blogspot.com