ChromeOS Flex is an operating system with a bit of a difference. It’s easy and quick to install, it runs great on older hardware, and it’s firmly “cloud-first” — which means that every device you install and run it on can be managed from the cloud. It’s secure, super fast and reliable. Maybe the most satisfying bonus of all though, is that whenever updates to the operating system are due, it updates in the background (which means no more turning on your machine in the morning only to have to wait an hour or more for updates to install!).

Because ChromeOS Flex is so easy to install, and runs so well on old hardware, you can breathe new life into your old, unused computers, laptops, or other devices, meaning it can help you make your business more environmentally friendly by reducing e-waste, as well as making your business expenses a little friendlier on your wallet by extending the life of your technology. I’m sure we all know how frustrating it can be to work with an old PC or Mac, with long load times between what can feel like every single click.

Old devices running Flex, however, get access to a modern, powerful, and easy-to-use operating system, running just as fast as when those devices were brand-new! It does have some differences to the regular version of ChromeOS, namely that it doesn’t support native apps, but that really only adds to security; Flex is pretty resilient when it comes to malware (a huge relief to IT departments everywhere when it comes to outdated machines).

You’ll also find that machines running ChromeOS Flex consume on average 19% less power than other operating systems, which, on top of reducing wasted technology, is better for the environment. Good for your business, good for the planet — what’s not to love?

If you want to use a ChromeOS Flex-powered device as digital signage, you can run Fugo in Kiosk mode (as long as you’ve got a Google Enterprise license). We’ve built Fugo to run smoothly on Chrome devices, and ChromeOS Flex is a great operating system to run your Fugo-connected devices on. Not only does Fugo work great with ChromeOS Flex (and ChromeOS in general), but Flex allows you to manage multiple devices from the Cloud, meaning you can manage your devices from one place, and manage the content running on those devices (your digital signage content) from another single place - Fugo CMS!

Google maintains a list of literally hundreds of devices that are either fully certified for ChromeOS Flex, or partly supported - so you’re more than likely going to find your devices on there!

Included in the list are Mac Minis, Macbook Pros, ASUS machines, HP Notebooks and Probooks, Intel ComputeSticks and NUCs, Lenovo Thinkpads, Microsoft Surfaces, LGs, Panasonics — all sorts! You can check out the full list here: https://support.google.com/chromeosflex/answer/11513094

Good news! You can install ChromeOS Flex at no cost on any of your devices. However, there is a catch; if you’d like to manage all of your devices from one place, you’ll need an Enterprise license — that will run you about $50 per device per year.

If you have a Google Enterprise License for your device, the Fugo app will autostart in fullscreen whenever the device is turned on, after installing it. Unfortunately, we can’t make this happen on devices that don’t have a Google Enterprise License, as ChromeOS Flex devices without that License can’t be put into Kiosk mode. However, Fugo still runs really well on these devices!

Installing ChromeOS Flex might seem a little intimidating at first, but it’s actually pretty easy. You’ll just need your device (obviously), and a USB stick with ChromeOS Flex on it - this is called a “bootable” USB drive.

1.0 To create your bootable USB drive (you should aim to use a USB stick that has at least 8GB of storage), you simply need to go to the Chrome extension store on any device, and get the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension.

1.1 Once you’ve downloaded the Chromebook Recovery Utility, click the icon that appears in your browser’s toolbar and insert your USB stick.

1.2 Follow the instructions as CRU walks you through the process of downloading the correct ChromeOS Flex version onto your USB stick. For the screen that asks you to enter a Chromebook number, simply select “Select a model from a list”.

1.3 On the following screen, select “ChromeOS Flex” from the Manufacturer dropdown, and “ChromeOS Flex (Developer - Unstable)” for the second dropdown.

1.4 On the next screen, select your USB stick as the media you’d like to use.

1.5 On the final screen, you should see the title “Create a recovery image”. Ensure that you’ve selected the correct USB stick, as this process will wipe all data from the media you’ve chosen. When you’re happy, click Create Now. When the wizard has finished running, you’ll see a success message.

2.0 Insert the bootable USB drive into the device you want to install ChromeOS Flex on, and boot it up. You’ll need to boot into the BIOS. This is a method of booting up your device that avoids using the Operating System that’s installed on your device. There’s a different method of accessing the BIOS for each machine, so you may need to look up instructions from your manufacturer for your specific machine - although it usually just involves holding down various key combinations as you turn the device on.

2.1 Once you’re in the BIOS, you need to boot from your USB drive. Similarly to accessing the BIOS in the first place, the exact method for this will depend on your device and manufacturer. It will mostly be pretty self-explanatory, with some devices allowing you to simply choose a “Boot from…” menu option and then select the bootable USB drive you created earlier, but it may help to search for device-specific instructions for booting from a USB drive.

2.2 You should see your device restart, and when it does you’ll see a Chrome logo and an installer wizard for ChromeOS Flex (or Google CloudReady) will open up. You’ll have two options; install ChromeOS Flex to the Hard Drive (which will wipe it and give you a clean install), or “try” ChromeOS Flex by running it from the USB stick. If you plan to continue using this device with ChromeOS Flex, we’d recommend installing it to the hard drive. This option gives maximum performance and means that in future you can boot without using the bootable USB drive.

2.3 Once you’ve decided which option to pick, you’ll need to agree to data usage and terms & conditions documents — standard stuff, really. After that, ChromeOS Flex is installed, and you’re ready to go ahead and install Fugo to use this device as digital signage!

ChromeOS Flex is a great thing for your business, and a good thing for the environment. By using it to power your old, outdated devices, you can reduce e-waste and save money that you would’ve used to purchase new machines. Convert your outdated devices into digital signage today by signing up to ChromeOS Flex and click here to get started with Fugo!