If you are not being truthful with yourself answering the question above please stop now! Otherwise you will just set yourself up for frustration while continuing to add to the hordes of linux opponents and naysayers that already fill the web with disinformation. Note2: Update, are you someone who can read a lot of plain English technical instructions and are not afraid of a command line user interface? If that describes you accurately, there is a new way to enjoy a linux on chromebook experience for the newer generations of chromebooks mentioned in the first note above. If you know how this is done on some of the newer models contact me and lets discuss modifying this guide to be more complete for the newer models of chromebooks now coming out.

The original mindset of manufacturers was to allow a simple hardware switch which was either a physical two position switch inside the case away from prying fingers or the removal of a physical write protect screw from a special point inside the case. Note: Sadly, many newer chromebooks require the ability to tiddle around with the firmware to disable the write protected mode that is factory set. Don't let this happen to your chromebook. Others can feel free to add additional ones as they see fit (I will require 500 reputation points to participate in edits though). I am going to provide links and info for some I am familiar with how to unprotect the roms on. If anyone feels the urge let me know what the error looks like or send me a screenshot I will include in this guide.

I am not sure if it gives an appropriate error message or an inscrutable code since I don’t have such a system to test against. The flashing script will fail in some fashion for those. A big exception is ARM based chromebooks apparently.

You can perform this on many chromebook not just sunsetted ones that are no longer taking updates from google.

How to install linux on a chromebook