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You're probably used to installing Windows when building or refurbishing a PC or maybe

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a Linux distribution like Kali or Arch, if you're more of a power user, ooh.

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But did you know there's another option that's especially useful if you have an older, lower-spec

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computer kicking around? It's called Chrome OS Flex, and yes, it's quite similar to the Chrome OS that comes

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with Chromebooks that you buy off the shelf, if things come to that.

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But why exactly would you want to put it on a PC you already own in the first place?

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Well, the reason we mentioned older, lower-spec computers a few seconds ago is because these

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machines can have trouble running modern versions of Windows like 10 or 11.

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The recommended requirements for Chrome OS Flex, on the other hand, are very basic.

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You just need any x64 CPU from 2010 or later, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and the ability

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to boot from USB for installation. That's it.

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And although Google maintains a rather comprehensive list of certified systems that it's tested

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with Chrome OS Flex, any non-certified PC should run it just fine as long as it meets

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the minimum requirements. Why is that? Well, you can get away with having such low-end specs, because like the regular Chrome OS,

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Flex is a mostly cloud-based operating system that runs lightweight, web-based apps like

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Google Docs, meaning much of the processing is being done on a Google server rather than

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on your own PC. And because the interface is very similar to Android, most folks will be far more comfortable

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with it than other free operating systems like Ubuntu or Linux Mint.

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Not to mention, it can be a great choice for less tech-savvy users who just need a machine

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to browse the internet and watch videos, since you can't install random applications that

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might contain malware. Speaking of security, Chrome OS Flex is actually the successor to another operating system

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called CloudReady. But unlike CloudReady, Chrome OS Flex gets updates at the same time as regular Chromebooks,

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so you shouldn't remain vulnerable to newly emerging threats.

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If you're trying to install Chrome OS Flex on anything that has an ARM CPU, such as the

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Surface Pro X or an M1 or M2 MacBook, for some reason, you're out of luck, since it

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requires a white-bread X64 CPU from AMD or Intel.

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Another thing to remember is that unlike the vanilla Chrome OS, there's no native Android

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app support, so don't expect it to be exactly like a variant of your smartphone with a physical

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keyboard, even though that's exactly what I want in a smartphone.

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There are also other little snags you might run into.

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It has no support for biometrics, optical drives or Thunderbolt ports, and Linux apps,

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which a good number of folks like to run on their Chromebooks, may not work on Chrome

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OS Flex if you're using hardware that's particularly underpowered.

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But if you're cool with these limitations, it's good to note that not only is it easy

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to run on a single PC, but you can also quickly deploy it to a large number of computers over

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a network if you're doing something like running a business.

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According to Google, a hotel chain in Europe was able to install it on 2,000 computers

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in two days, making it a heck of a lot cheaper than, you know, buying 2,000 new PCs or buying

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2,000 new Windows licenses. I don't know about you, but I'm really not keen on paying $130 just to talk to Cortana

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during work hours, even if she is just here to help.

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I'm judging. Bring back Clippy. And bring yourself back here for another video when this one's over, which it is now.

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Thanks for watching. Like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it.

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