The Old Laptop in Your Drawer Might Be Getting a Second Life With ChromeOS Flex

Google and the refurbished electronics company Back Market are working together to extend the life of old laptops. They want to convert them into Chromebook-like computers using ChromeOS Flex, Google’s lightweight operating system. Here’s how it works.

Keep your old laptop with a new operating system

ChromeOS Flex solves a big problem in old device disposal by replacing the old operating system with a much lighter one. When installed, the laptop behaves like a Chromebook and boots quickly, while it continues receiving security updates from Google. 

Normally, installing ChromeOS Flex requires creating a bootable USB installer yourself. You’d have to download the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension where you’ll choose the option to set up ChromeOS Flex. 

Image: Google

The utility then downloads the operating system image from Google and writes it directly onto the USB drive. It becomes a startup device you’ll choose instead of your internal hard