Old PCs and Macs can now be rejuvenated by being turned into Chromebooks. After being bogged down with software or crippled from wear and tear, your Mac or PC will eventually fail. There is no escaping the inevitable and it could take a few years or a decade. Chrome OS Flex can be used to convert a PC/Mac into a Chromebooks.

That would be better. Flex is a lightweight cloud based operating system that doesn't require the most advanced components to run smoothly. The OS will boot quickly, receive the same update cadence as Chrome OS, and provide access to the same features as Chrome OS, all from the same interface. When the time comes, ID admins can easily upgrade to chrome OS devices.

It's important to keep in mind that Chrome OS Flex is only for businesses and schools that have large fleets of old Windows PCs. Some of the Macs that are up to 10 years old work with it.

A preview of Chrome OS Flex went live earlier this year and caused 600 bugs to be discovered. Flex is now available to businesses and schools. The list of systems that are verified to run Chrome OS Flex was put together by Google. There are hundreds of devices that can switch to the OS. The functions that are guaranteed to work are listed.

  • Installation
  • Wi-Fi
  • Ethernet
  • Internal display (if applicable)
  • At least one method each of audio input and output
  • Sleep and resume
  • Touchpad
  • Keyboard
  • USB
  • Non-infrared (IR) webcam (if applicable)

Even if your device isn't yet certified, you can still try Chrome OS Flex, according to Thomas Riedl, director of product, enterprise, and education.

The creation of the Chrome OS Flex was made possible by the acquisition of Neverware. CloudReady has been integrated into a Chrome product. If you want to try out Chrome OS Flex, you can boot from ausb. You can replace your old OS by installing a new one.