How To Install Windows 7 On A Chromebook

Chromebooks don't officially support Windows. You ordinarily can't fifty-fifty install Windows—Chromebooks send with a special type of BIOS designed for Chrome OS. Only there are ways to install Windows on many Chromebook models, if you're willing to get your hands dingy.

What You lot Need to Know Most This Procedure

We'll say information technology again: this isn't officially supported. To exercise this, y'all'll have 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 lot to boot and install Windows. The replacement BIOS can only be installed on Chromebook models that it supports, so you can't do this on every model of Chromebook.

Y'all'll demand some additional hardware as well. You'll need a USB keyboard and mouse just to install Windows, because your Chromebook's built-in keyboard and mouse won't work in the installer. And you'll need a PC running Windows to create the USB installation media for your Chromebook.

Even afterward you lot install Windows, you lot won't be out of the forest. Windows doesn't send with hardware drivers for various 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 you're lucky, you'll find third-political party drivers that were hacked together to give Windows support for these components.

This will likewise, evidently, wipe your Chromebook, so make sure you lot don't have anything important stored on it. (You shouldn't, equally Chrome OS ordinarily syncs your data with Google.)

If your Chromebook always appears to freeze or get stuck during this process, bear in listen that you lot tin forcefulness the Chromebook to shut down past pressing the Power button and holding it down for ten seconds or so.

Will This Piece of work With Your Chromebook?

You should only try installing Windows on a Chromebook if you know your model is supported. You should likewise follow instructions for your specific model of Chromebook, equally the steps for different models volition be a bit dissimilar.

Here are some helpful resources:

• Windows on Chromebooks Hardware Support Listing: This website lists Chromebook models you can install Windows on, complete with information near which built-in hardware components will and won't work later.
• Windows for Chromebooks Installation Helper: This website allows you to select your model of Chromebook and go 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 you lot desire to notice more information well-nigh whether a Chromebook or specific hardware component can be made to support Windows, this is a good place to search.

If your Chromebook can be fabricated to support Windows, congratulations. Nosotros recommend following an installation guide like the ones on the Coolstar Installation Helper site to ensure you're setting things up properly for your specific model of hardware. However, that website's instructions could exist more detailed, so you'll probably find some information in this guide that isn't present elsewhere.

We'll provide aid by walking you through the process of installing Windows on an Acer C910 Chromebook, codename YUNA. The process will be similar on other models of Chromebook, but some things—similar the location of the write protect screw on the motherboard—will be different.

Step One: Remove the Write Protect Screw

Chromebooks have a special hardware feature that prevents you from modifying the BIOS. To disable the write protection characteristic and then you can supersede the BIOS on most Chromebooks, you'll demand to open upwardly the Chromebook, locate the write protection screw on the motherboard, and remove it. On some Chromebooks, you may find a write protection switch instead.

First, plough off your Chromebook. Don't just put information technology to slumber—perform a full shutdown. Flip the Chromebook over and unscrew the bottom to gain access to the motherboard. On our Chromebook, this required unscrewing eighteen screws before nosotros could remove the plastic panel. Be sure not to lose them! (A magnetic parts tray is a wonderful thing.)

Locate the write protect screw (or write protect switch, depending on what the installation guide for your Chromebook specifies).You lot may find more than documentation about the specific location of the spiral by searching the web for the model name and number of your Chromebook every bit well as "write protect screw". For our Acer Chromebook C910, this SuperUser discussion pointed united states at the location of the spiral.

There were another giveaways, as well. The write protect screw should look visibly different from the other screws on the motherboard. This detail screw appears a dark gray color on our Chromebook, while the other screws on the motherboard are brighter silver. Yous can see a bright silver underneath the screw, while the other screws on the motherboard accept a statuary color under them.

Remove the spiral and reattach the bottom onto your Chromebook. You can at present write to and alter the Chromebook's BIOS. Go on the screw in instance y'all want to write protect your BIOS again later.

Stride Ii: Enable Programmer Mode

RELATED: How to Enable Programmer Style on Your Chromebook

You'll now need to enable Developer Mode so yous can change the Chromebook's software. To do this on modernistic Chromebooks, press Esc+Refresh+Power while the Chromebook is powered off. (The "Refresh" push button is in the identify where the "F3" key would be on a normal keyboard.)

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

Press Ctrl+D and then press Enter to "plough OS verification OFF" and enable developer mode.

Your Chromebook volition wipe all your personal data files, resetting itself to the default settings after you practice this. You lot'll have to sign in with your Google business relationship once again. However,  all your important information should be synced with online services rather than stored on the Chromebook itself.

When y'all boot into Chrome OS, yous'll see an "Os verification is OFF" message. You'll need to printing Ctrl+D to bypass this screen every time you kicking. Don't worry—afterwards you flash a new BIOS, this bulletin will go abroad and your Chromebook will boot directly into Windows when you're done.

Step 3: Flash the New BIOS

From inside ChromeOS, you lot can now flash your Chromebook'southward new BIOS. Printing Ctrl+Alt+T to open up a terminal window.

Blazon "vanquish" into the concluding and press "Enter" to admission a more than powerful Linux shell environment.

Download and run the script that will supplant your Chromebook's BIOS by re-create-pasting the below command into the terminal window then pressing "Enter":

cd ~; gyre -Fifty -O http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh; sudo fustigate 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's website if y'all want more detailed documentation nigh how this script works.

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

Agree to flash your firmware past typing "y" and then type "U" to install a UEFI firmware. Do not select the "Legacy" option if you want to run Windows.

The script will offer to create a fill-in copy of your Chromebook's stock firmware and identify it on a USB drive for you lot. Be sure to create this backup copy and shop it somewhere safe. This will get in easier to restore the Chromebook's original BIOS in the future.

You lot don't have to leave the BIOS fill-in on the USB bulldoze. You'll get a .rom file you lot tin can re-create off the USB bulldoze and store somewhere safe after the process is done.

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

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

Pace Four: Create a Windows Installation Drive

RELATED: Where to Download Windows 10, eight.1, and vii ISOs Legally

You tin now install Windows onto your Chromebook, simply you'll need to make the Windows installation media starting time. You can't, however, do it using Microsoft's official method–instead, you'll demand to download an ISO and burn it to a USB bulldoze using a tool called Rufus. You'll demand to perform this part of the process on a Windows PC.

Download a Windows ten ISO from Microsoft. Click "Download tool at present", select "Create installation media for another PC", and tell information technology to download an ISO file for yous. Windows 8.ane and vii may or may not work with your Chromebook and its drivers.

You'll as well 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 drive for the Windows installer, and whatever files on information technology will be erased. (So brand sure y'all copy anything important earlier standing!)

Launch Rufus, select your USB bulldoze, and select "GPT partition scheme for UEFI" and "NTFS". Click the push to the correct of "Create a bootable disk using" and select the Windows x ISO paradigm you downloaded.

Double check that Rufus actually says "GPT partition scheme for UEFI" before you continue. Information technology may automatically alter to the default setting when you select the ISO file. Once yous've double-checked all the settings are right, click the "Start" push button to create a Windows installer USB drive.

Footstep 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 kicking from the USB drive, showing you lot the Windows installer. If information technology doesn't automatically boot from the USB drive, press whatsoever key when "Select Boot Option" appears on your screen. You can and then select "Boot Manager" and select your USB devices.

Connect a USB mouse, a USB keyboard, or both to your Chromebook. You lot'll need to apply these while installing Windows. You can get by with merely a USB keyboard or USB mouse—but you'll demand at to the lowest degree ane of them to interact with the Windows installer.

With a USB keyboard, you lot can utilize the Tab, arrow, and Enter keys to navigate the interface. With a mouse, yous can pull up the on-screen keyboard and apply it to blazon.

RELATED: You Don't Need a Product Cardinal to Install and Utilize Windows ten

Become through the Windows installation procedure commonly, installing Windows on your Chromebook in place of Chrome OS. Feel free to segmentation the internal drive however yous like. We deleted all the internal partitions and told Windows to install itself using the allocated space.

Bear in mind that y'all don't demand a production key to install and utilize Windows 10. You lot can always add a production key or buy a product central from Microsoft from inside Windows 10 afterwards.

Don't worry nearly Chrome Os—if you always want to replace Windows with Chrome Os, yous can hands create a Chrome Os recovery drive on any computer running Chrome and employ it to restore the original Chrome OS operating system.

The Windows installer volition restart partway through. Be sure to remove your USB drive when information technology does so, or it volition restart back to the start of the installer. If you lot come across the start of the installer screen again, remove your USB bulldoze, long-press the Ability push until your Chromebook shuts down, and so press the Ability button to boot it dorsum up. Information technology should boot Windows from the Chromebook's internal drive and end the setup process

Footstep Six: Install Tertiary-Political party Drivers for Your Hardware

You should now take Windows installed, and your Chromebook should kick into Windows when you plow it on. Yous're almost done! You just demand to install third-political party drivers to make as much of your hardware work as possible. You'll yet demand your USB keyboard and mouse for this step.

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

To do so,  open a Command Prompt as Administrator—right-click the Start button or press Windows+X and select "Command Prompt (Administrator)". Run the following command:

bcdedit -set testsigning on

Restart your Chromebook afterwards.

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

Windows will testify y'all a security alert when you install the drivers. That'due south because these are unofficial, 3rd-party drivers that weren't created by the manufacturer and aren't signed past Microsoft. Concord to install the drivers anyway. If you wanted to apply only manufacturer-provided drivers, y'all wouldn't be doing this in the kickoff place!

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

And there y'all accept information technology! Your Chromebook is at present a very inexpensive, (hopefully) fully-performance Windows computer. If something ever breaks, exist sure to check back with coolstar.org to see if you need to install new drivers or otherwise set something that a Windows Update broke. Enjoy!

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

Posted by: darbyacend1994.blogspot.com

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