so, let me begin by pointing out the hardware i'm using.
june 13, 2022
i'm going to throw a caveat out there regarding what i'm going to do with this dell 3120 chromebook, which has recently expired.
if you're going to invest the time and energy (and money, i suppose) into converting an expired chromebook into a linux laptop, you should do research into the specs, first. i learned that doing pre-research. some of the devices just expiring now will have 1-2 gb of ram, and processor speeds as low as 1.2 ghz.
this particular dell laptop was a bargain, and these 3120s have been known as bargains by savvy users for quite a few years, now. this device is a 2.5 ghz dual core processor with 4 gb of ram, which is perhaps nothing fancy, but is nothing to sneeze at, either. my production computer has a dual core processor at 3.6 ghz with 4 gb of ram, for comparison - and my production machine is 32-bit. you can still do a lot with a dual core processor and 4 gb of ram, just so long as you pick the right os, which in this case is definitely linux.
the only drawback to these things is that they expire. but, for $100, this will be a steal of a linux laptop. it's hard to compare it to a pinebook because the processors don't line up well, but comparable hps and acers with windows or linux, brand new, are still running over $300, and don't have comparable sound systems. it wasn't what google intended, clearly, but the expiration discount is potentially something for nerds to look forwards to.
6:21
so, if you're going to do this, try to get a chromebook with the maximum amounts of ram and one of the faster processors available. this should be easier starting right about now, as very capable chromebooks are beginning to expire en masse. i was not able to seriously look at this for over a month, as i got very distracted by a number of things, but i did finally get back to it around the 20th of july, and started by following these instructions:
the result was that i bricked the machine and had to create a recovery disk, which set it back to factory settings. however, i need to point out that these chromebooks did not come with factory images on them (they were purchased from a high school in montana and sold for cheap by factory direct), and i actually think this is a helpful step, for that reason, as i suspect that a part of the problem was that the bios wasn't the kind of bios you'd buy in a store but was modified for deployment in the context of the scholastic application. you might get the same issue. so, i'm going to advise that step one is actually to create a recovery disk using the recovery app and reset your chromebook to factory settings, which will require actually logging into your dell.
once you log into your dell, the recovery app should be in your app list and you really just need to follow instructions. you will need an 8 gb or larger usb key, which should only cost a few dollars, nowadays. i ordered a dozen from china a few weeks ago for $30. there are more detailed instructions here:
for now, put that aside.
the next thing you're going to want to do is remove the write protect screw, which has instructions here:
was last update july 23rd?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzp_fmG4QRA
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dell_Chromebook_11#Hardware