'Side effects may include curiosity': Google's $3 ChromeOS Flex kit aims to save your old Windows 10 laptop from the scrapheap

Date:
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
Google's kit aims to breathe new life into old hardware, and that could be Macs as well as Windows 10 PCs.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter ChromeOS Flex is now available to buy in kit form The $3 kit provides a USB stick and full instructions to install the OS easily Flex is meant to breathe new life into old hardware, specifically Windows 10 PCs, which soon run out
of road for extended support ChromeOS Flex is a lightweight OS designed to be easily installed on older PCs like Windows 10 laptops to provide a way to keep what would otherwise become obsolete hardware usable, and it's now even easier to install.

That's because, as was previously promised, Google , in conjunction with Back Market (an outfit that specializes in refurbished tech), now has a ChromeOS Flex kit available to buy . It costs $3 (or 3 in the UK, 3 in Europe) and for that outlay, you get a USB stick containing the operating system and guides
on how to install it. Article continues below You may like Google's Aluminium-merged OS brings familiar vibes - but I have a lot of lingering questions Acer's Chromebook Plus 514 is discounted to 249, with free a Google software package Steve Jobs derided netbooks, and now Apples made one in the MacBook Neo

The Flex version of Google's OS is pretty much the same as standard ChromeOS, albeit with some features cut, and with its highly streamlined
(cloud-focused) nature, it's designed to run nicely on older hardware.

Emphasizing the eco-friendly aspects here, Google tells us: "The
manufacturing process of a new laptop is responsible for a large part of its carbon footprint. ChromeOS Flex allows the already-manufactured device to be used for longer, which keeps hardware out of landfills and avoids the emissions of making a new device. Savings do not stop there, ChromeOS also consumes 19% less energy on average than other comparable systems." Install ChromeOS Flex and your old laptop can live again - YouTube Watch On As the blog post announcing the arrival of the $3 kit makes clear, this is targeted at Windows 10 PCs, which will lose extended support (updates) for consumers this October, in six months. (Official support actually ceased last October.)

It will also convert other machines, including some Macs, to ChromeOS Flex, and there's a full list of compatible devices here (including caveats, such
as if a webcam might not work with Google's OS). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Analysis: Flex for the win (Image credit: Google / Back Market) It's a great idea to produce a dead easy-to-use kit in order to try and recruit more PCs to the ChromeOS Flex fold. As Back Market puts it , this is about "administering the cure" for the Windows 10 blues, and the "side effects may include curiosity". All you need to do is turn off your laptop, put the USB stick in a free port, boot the machine, and from the boot menu, install ChromeOS Flex from the USB key. As mentioned, the full instructions are provided, and the kit is commendably cheap at just a
few bucks. The idea is that you can pass it on to others once you're done,
and as this is still a pilot program for now, there's a limited number of these kits. More will be made if they're popular, though.

However, you don't have to buy a kit, as you can make your own USB stick and install ChromeOS Flex by following our full guide here . The kit does make everything very novice-friendly, though, which is the idea, of course. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16 5. Best for pros MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/side-effects-may-include-curiosit y-googles-usd3-chromeos-flex-kit-aims-to-save-your-old-windows-10-laptop-from- the-scrapheap


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)