If your Chromebook has reached End of Life (EOL), you will see the message “This device is no longer supported” on the notification area. This means you will no longer receive software updates (new versions of Chrome OS, the operating system). You could, however, continue to use the Chromebook.
A few of my friends have Chromebook Pixels from 2013 which they adore. I don’t have one, but with my (very) brief experience with it, I can tell you that I liked the hardware more than my Pixelbook.
You might have questions about its battery life, but otherwise, it is a really nice Chromebook.
This Chromebook however, has reached “End of Life”. This means Google will no longer support it and you will not receive Chrome OS updates going forward. There are more Chromebooks like this and eventually, a lot more will join this crowd.
What would you do when your Chromebook reaches End of Life and stops getting Chrome OS updates?
You install CloudReady.
CloudReady is an operating system developed using Chromium OS, the opensource version that powers Chrome OS. It is pretty much like Microsoft taking Chromium and developing Edge. In CloudReady’s case, it looks and works identical to Chrome OS. You will continue to receive updates and most of the new features, albeit with a small delay.
Installing CloudReady on a Chromebook involves disabling its write-protect. There is a physical key on Chromebooks that you should disable before you can install CloudReady on your Chromebook.
Luckily for us, iFixit, the experts in hardware tinkering, has a nice guide explaining how to do this and also install CloudReady.
Read the guide here. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to drop a comment here or on the iFixit article. Kevin, the author of the iFixit article, has promised to respond to your questions. (Thanks, Kevin!)
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