[GUIDE][PROJECT CROISSANT] Installing official Chrome OS on any device (PC/PC-li...

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CHROME OS ON ANY DEVICE

About Project Croissant (formerly known as Ć̸h̷̢̡r̢͝o̡҉ḿ̴̢̧e̷͜҉f̡͝y͝͞͡͡)

This project is aimed at making Chrome OS (the official releases by google) available for any non-chromebook devices (ATM The device must be able to boot from live USB, this excludes most Android-only devices);
The steps can also be followed on a chromebook, to install an image with android and linux support.
The script uses an official Chrome OS image, while it uses the Kernel and GRUB bootloader from another Chromium OS distribution (EX: ArnoldTheBat builds).
This project has an official GitHub/Wiki page, a Telegram group, a Twitter page and is the result of many ideas and contributions.
Please fill this survey to let us know whether Chromefy works (or doesn't) on your device


Required files

• An official Chrome OS recovery image (downloads on the right; RECOMMENDED: eve (best) or pyro are the most complete images [must be from the same chipset vendor (Ex: Intel, ARM or RockChip); If eve/pyro doesn't work, try an image from a device with a similiar chipset as your own]
• Another Chrome OS recovery image from a TPM 1.2 device (EX: caroline or kip) or the swtpm.tar file (swtpm TPM2 emulator needs VTPM proxy support in kernel) (this step is only needed if using an image from TPM2 device to fix a login issue, which is most likely the case for newer ones)
• An image from a Chromium OS distribution (EX: ArnoldTheBat builds).
• The Chromefy installation script.

Installation guide (Partition method)

For method 1 (bootable USB image generation) check this video guide:


Method 2-B (chromium OS root partition conversion) described below:
Other methods described in the official GitHub/Wiki page.
This procedure will install Chrome OS on top of a Chromium OS kernel, you will thus need to install a Chromium OS distribution on your device first;
RECOMMENDED: ArnoldTheBat builds
NOTE: CloudReady builds are not yet supported due to a different partitioning scheme and incompatible kernel

If you consider this guide too generic, try reading a more comprehensive guide

1. Flash the selected Chromium OS build on a live USB, boot into the live USB and install it on your HDD/SSD by typing the following command on the shell

   Code:

   sudo /usr/sbin/chromeos-install --dst [COLOR=Blue]YOURDRIVE[/COLOR] [COLOR=DeepSkyBlue](Ex: /dev/sda)[/COLOR]

   now make sure the your chromium HDD/SSD installation is working before proceeding.
2. Resize the third partition of your sdX drive (EX: sda3 inside sda) from its current size to atleast 4GB; I suggest using Gparted live USB to resize it; you can either downsize sdX1 (data partition) or delete the sdX5 partition (we won't need it) to get more unallocated space.

3. Boot from your live USB again, make sure you have your Chrome OS images available and run the installation script with the following command

   Code:

   sudo bash /path/to/chromefy.sh [COLOR="blue"]YOURSYSTEMPARTITION[/COLOR][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"](EX: /dev/sda3)[/COLOR] /path/to/chosenchromeosbuild.bin /path/to/carolinebuild.bin_OR_swtpm.tar

4. Don't leave live USB yet, make a powerwash (manually) by typing

   Code:

   sudo mkfs.ext4 [COLOR="Blue"]YOURDATAPARTITION[/COLOR][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"](Ex: /dev/sda1)[/COLOR]

You can now reboot and enjoy your new "chromebook"


Images supporting swtpm TPM2 emulator

• ArnoldTheBat's latest special build (v72) now supports VTPM proxy
• FydeOS V6 (or newer) now supports VTPM proxy
• ArnoldTheCat v3 (custom)
• EmydeOS v3 (custom)
• CloudRadish v3 (custom)

FAQ

• Can I dualboot with Windows/Linux?
  Yes, but it's a little more complicated
• Will this ever work on CloudReady?
  We don't know, nor we have any ETAs. There's currently a repartitioned image (still not working with chromefy)
• My motion sensors do not work, how do I rotate the screen?
  Laptop mode/keyboard connected: press ctrl+shift+f3
  Tablet mode: use this app by Andrew Whaley (source) (check out his blog)
• Linux apps (crostini) are not working at all, how do i fix it?
  Go check if you have enabled all virtualization related option in your BIOS (Ex: "Intel Virtualization", "VT-x", "VT-e" etc...) (you should)
• Do automatic updates work? How to update?
  Not at the moment, and it's unlikely we find a workaround; you can update by ONLY repeating step 3 (without step 4).
• ChromiumOS works on live USB but not HDD, what to do?
  Did you remove the USB before rebooting the fist time? If you did NOT, you might need to reinstall it. If you did, try using fix_grub.sh
• Some apps (ex: Netflix) do not show up in the Play Store, how do I fix it?
  Read next answer
• SafetyNet check fails, why?
  For SafetyNet not to break you need two things, leave selinux on enforcing when chromefying (only working on Pie, otherwise will break android container) and disable "cros_debug" in the grub launcher to boot without developer mode (Custom images [ex: CloudRadish] have custom boot entries for this)
• ChromeOS flags are not showing up, why?
  Try opening the chrome://flags page in incognito mode.

Alternatives
FydeOS

Fyde OS is a Chromium OS based operating system that comes with Android apps; if you don't want to bother with the hassle of running the chromefy script and just want an OS that works out of the box, this might be for you.
...Also the developers are awesome

ArnoldTheBat

Does not come with Android apps (yet), but he's awesome too, so there's that


Credits

• allanin for all of his ideas on Arnoldthebat discussion, most part of the code is from him
• TCU14 for upgrading, and the MultiBoot guide
• Dnim Ecaep from the Telegram Group for the shell command to change the SELINUX to permissive
• Diogo from the Telegram Group for the corrections on the firmware migration
• Danii from the Telegram Group for the work on the TPM bypass method and TPM2 emulation method
• sublinhado for writing down the steps needed for the TPM bypass method
• alesimula for the installation script
• Giedrius Tamošiūnas (liolka) for the custom chromium kernels
• ++ some poor unlisted guys