The 256Gb version of the 128Gb Samsung USB 3.1 thumb drive I recommend for low-memory Chromebooks is on sale for $20 right now: 

- at Samsung’s website:

https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/usb-flash-drives/usb-3-1-flash-drive-fit-plus-256gb-muf-256ab-am/ (I think shipping is free)

- at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D7Q41PM?tag=slickdeals09-20&ascsubtag=7471241aae9211eead04266c2775f9cb0INT&th=1 (free shipping with Prime)

When plugged into a USB 3.0 port these Samsung USB 3.1 thumb drives benchmark faster than the low-quality eMMC memory used in most Chromebooks.

Install the Linux OS of your choice on this and boot from it using any unlocked Chromebook -- or any computer that will allow booting from a USB port for that matter. Keep your entire computing environment with you at all times on a tiny thumb drive (please keep it backed up too, of course.)

You could have two entirely separate OSes for different purposes and personalities: a lightweight one installed on the 16Gb in the Chromebook and a full-fledged one installed on the thumb drive.


(When installing Linux I recommend creating a separate /home partition on the USB thumb drive as you install, I can show you / tell you how to do this.)


-Peter


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: [sudo-discuss] Re: Chromebooks
Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2024 10:41:51 -0800
From: Peter Mui via sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss@sudoroom.org>
Reply-To: Peter Mui <petermui@sonic.net>
To: sudo-discuss@sudoroom.org


Firstly; Tom: Heartfelt appreciation for your all your efforts in getting the expired Chromebooks ready to be repurposed as general purpose laptops.

For those of you who are interested in why Sudoroom/Fixit Clinic is doing this: school systems are sending Chromebooks by the millions to e-waste when we could be keeping them in our communities to increase digital literacy, digital equity, and digital inclusion. The Oakland Unified School District e-wasted 8400 Chromebooks two years ago and is scheduled to e-waste many thousands more this spring. (And OUSD's Chromebooks have 32Gb storage not 16Gb)

Read this backgrounder for more information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JSbGXhJFJeABWVOn1wO4M6bPT-gPBLV4oQ85xMyvYtM/edit?usp=sharing , including a proposal for substituting the internal 16Gb of storage with a 128Gb stubby USB 3.1 drive.

ATM I'm in contact with OUSD, Piedmont Unified School System, San Leandro Unified School District, and Fremont Unified School District about teaching students how to modify their expired Chromebooks to get them back into service in the community: it'd be great to have as many Sudoers as possible involved in this initiative as it ramps up.

Happy Monday, -Peter

On 1/7/2024 8:15 PM, tom r lopes via sudo-discuss wrote:
Last week I flashed the last of the chromebooks.  (At least all the ones in the cabinet -- Maybe Peter has another stack.)  
Now they all have an unlocked bios firmware and ready to take an OS.  

Most of the chromebooks are Google "Candy" (have the plastic bezel around the screen) with a 
few of Google "Wolf"  (all glass screen)  Both are 4GB ram and 16GB storage soldered in place with no upgrade.  

16GB makes Windows impossible.  And even for Linux it is hard to get a modern experience.  

Linux:  (on Candy, I haven't checked Wolf) 
You can get some of the media keys working if you change keyboard layout to "chromebook"  
(Volume works but I don't think screen backlight control works)  

Sound:  Works in full featured distros but then you run out of space in the 16GB emmc.  
Minimal distros miss some things that are needed for sound: 
Need the sound chip firmware.  On Debian it is sof-firmware so "sudo apt install sof-firmware"  
Even after installing the firmware many times the speakers are muted 
Run alsamixer from terminal ("sudo apt install alsa-utils" if alsamixer is not available) By default the Intel digital audio is selected.  F6 to change soundcard but on the chromebook the F keys are shared with the media keys.  Depends on the layout but either search (key with mag glass icon) or right ALT key is the Fn key.   Hold Fn key (search or R ALT) and press "lower backlight" (small sun icon or count 6 from ESC)  When the right sound card is selected press arrow keys until "Left speaker left dac" and press "m" to unmute then "Right speaker right dac" 
Should work now.  
Unless you have a minimal Linux distro without an audio server installed.  Then "sudo apt install pulseaudio pavucontrol" Some distros need pulseaudio-alsa (Arch) Some desktop environments may need plugins for the GUI (XFCE need xfce4-pulseaudio-plugin) 

Disk space:  This is a tough one because we have only 16GB.  There are many very small Linux distros but they are not easy for the noob or non-expert Linux user.  And if you start small and try to add you end up chasing the stuff that doesn't work.  (like Try to install wifi gui but wpa-supplicant is not automatically installed?)  You can start with something a little too big like Lubuntu then "sudo apt purge" to free space (purging Libreoffice gets Lubuntu to around 8GB)  

I will try some more distros and have some recommendations soon.  

Thomas