Your Windows 10 PC isn't dead yet - this OS from Google can revive it

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

On Oct. 14, 2025, Windows 10 volition officially scope its extremity of life. Some of your older PCs volition beryllium incapable to upgrade to Windows 11.

Also: Windows 10 PC can't beryllium upgraded? You person 5 options and 6 months to instrumentality action 

What should you do? Of course, you tin bargain a caller PC with Windows 11 already installed, but acknowledgment to tariffs, we tin expect machine prices to rise. Some people are inactive buying Windows 11 PCs, but that inactive leaves you with a perfectly good, albeit soon nary longer unafraid to run, Windows 10 machine. Or possibly you simply don't person the wealth to bargain a caller PC.

In either case, you should see upgrading your aged machine to Google's ChromeOS Flex.

What is ChromeOS Flex, you ask? 

It's a free, cloud-first operating strategy from Google designed to modernize and widen the beingness of existing Windows PCs and Macs by replacing their archetypal operating systems with a fast, secure, and easy-to-manage alternative.

It is based connected Chromium OS -- the open-source instauration for ChromeOS -- and brings galore of the aforesaid features and benefits recovered connected Chromebooks to a broader scope of hardware.

If you tin usage a web browser, you tin usage ChromeOS Flex. It's that simple.

Also: 7 reasons wherefore a Chromebook is the champion laptop for astir people

What ChromeOS Flex can't bash is tally your standalone Windows applications. However, it tin tally Microsoft 365 and different Microsoft Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. You simply log successful to the applicable Microsoft web portals and usage the applications arsenic you would connected immoderate different operating system. You tin besides usage immoderate files you've stored connected Microsoft OneDrive conscionable arsenic you usually would.

For that matter, if you privation to usage ChromeOS Flex successful a Windows concern environment, you tin bash that too. It supports Single Sign-On (SSO) and integrates with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). This enables users to log successful erstwhile and entree Microsoft 365 web apps seamlessly. IT admins tin besides preconfigure and pin Microsoft 365 web apps for users, negociate record associations, and enforce unreality retention policies from the Google Admin console. In short, ChromeOS Flex works good for some businesses and individuals.

Why you should see ChromeOS Flex

Security is its apical priority. It includes automatic updates, information encryption, and sandboxing to support against malware and online threats. There has ne'er been a ChromeOS Flex ransomware attack. Additionally, you don't request accepted antivirus software.

ChromeOS Flex is besides fast. Even connected PCs that are slowing down owed to property and Windows bundle clutter, it tin tally quickly. The operating strategy is lightweight and optimized for speed, with footwear times arsenic accelerated arsenic six seconds and nary slowdowns implicit time. It tin respire caller beingness into older hardware that struggles with Windows 10 and can't tally Windows 11 astatine all.

For example, 1 of my favourite aged PCs is simply a Dell Inspiron One 2320. This all-in-one (AIO) computer, with a 2.4GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GT525M, and a 320GB hard drive, was a large machine… successful 2012. Thirteen years later? Not truthful much.

Also: Microsoft inactive has a monolithic Windows 10 occupation - and there's nary casual mode out

However, this erstwhile Windows 7 PC inactive features a 23-inch HD display. What it can't bash is tally Windows 10 well, and let's not adjacent speech astir Windows 11. I could tally Linux connected it, but I already person respective Linux PCs, truthful I tried thing different: I decided to instal ChromeOS Flex connected it.

I had near Windows 7 connected this machine, which was a dedicated accounting system. I had disconnected it from the Internet, though, since moving Windows 7 connected an Internet-connected PC is fundamentally asking to beryllium hacked. That volition besides soon beryllium existent for astir Windows 10 PCs. Like astir aged Windows PCs, it had slowed to the constituent wherever it was fundamentally useless. Just booting it up would instrumentality -- nary exaggeration -- 3 minutes.

ChromeOS Flex strategy requirements

ChromeOS Flex is fundamentally a Linux strategy and tin tally connected low-powered computers. Don't fto the connection "Linux" scare you. You'll lone spot it if you excavation heavy into the system, and there's nary crushed for astir users to ever bash that. Oh, and however small processing powerfulness bash you request for ChromeOS Flex? Barely anything. According to Google, ChromeOS Flex's minimum requirements are:

• Intel oregon AMD x86-64-bit compatible instrumentality (it won't enactment with 32-bit processors)
• RAM: 4 GB
• Internal storage: 16 GB
• Bootable from a USB drive
• BIOS: Full head entree (you'll request to footwear from the ChromeOS Flex USB installer and marque immoderate adjustments successful the BIOS if you tally into issues)

It boils down to the information that if you person a PC built successful 2010 oregon later, it should work. It mightiness enactment with adjacent older components if you're feeling adventurous. However, if you're moving a container with Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600, oregon 3650 graphics hardware, you're asking for trouble.

Also: 5 things ChromeOS needs to rival MacOS

If you privation to beryllium reasonably definite it volition enactment connected your aged computer, you tin cheque if it's listed connected Google's ChromeOS Flex Certified models list. My Inspiron One 2320? No, I was taking the beingness of my machine successful my hands. I was OK with that.

How to instal ChromeOS Flex

Before you travel successful my footsteps, determination are a fewer things you should support successful mind. 

Back up your files

First, moving your PC from Windows, MacOS, oregon different operating strategy to ChromeOS Flex is simply a one-way trip. 

Everything -- applications, photos of your mom, and your QuickBooks files -- connected your aged thrust is going to beryllium deleted. If you privation to support anything, backmost up your important files to different computer, cloud storage, oregon a Network-Attached Storage (NAS). 

Otherwise, buss it each goodbye.

USB drive

After backing up my files to my QNAP TS-253D-4G 2 Bay NAS, my adjacent measurement was to make a ChromeOS Flex USB installation drive. With astir Linux distributions, you tin make and usage a bootable CD oregon DVD disc. For ChromeOS Flex, you indispensable usage a USB thrust for one-off installations.

Also: How to format USB drives connected Linux, MacOS, and Windows

Your USB thrust indispensable beryllium astatine slightest 8GB successful size due to the fact that ChromeOS Flex isn't small. Also, debar utilizing a Sandisk USB instrumentality drive, arsenic these don't ever enactment for immoderate reason. I utilized a PNY 32GB Attache 3 drive. Since these lone enactment USB 2.0, they are not perfect for newer machines. For those, I would usage a PNY 32GB Turbo Attache 3, which supports the faster USB 3 standard. Since my aged container lone has USB 2.0 ports, however, I utilized the cheaper, slower USB drives.

Also: How to instal Ubuntu Server successful nether 30 minutes

One crushed I utilized specified ample USB drives was that I wanted to trial my instrumentality earlier committing to installing ChromeOS Flex. How? Google lets you run ChromeOS Flex from a USB drive.

Running ChromeOS Flex from a USB thrust works conscionable similar a afloat install. However, alternatively of utilizing your hard thrust oregon solid-state thrust (SSD), it runs straight from the USB stick, portion inactive utilizing your computer's processor, memory, web connection, and different resources. By doing this, you tin beryllium definite the caller operating strategy volition tally connected your PC without immoderate hazard of losing your existing setup. The lone existent quality is that it won't beryllium arsenic accelerated arsenic an installed version, since you're utilizing USB instrumentality drives.

Also: How to instal Windows 11 your mode (and debar Microsoft's restrictions)

To make the USB installation drive, you don't request a third-party USB burner program. Instead, you tin usage immoderate ChromeOS, Windows, oregon Mac instrumentality with the existent mentation of the Chrome browser. Just unfastened your Chrome web browser and adhd the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension by clicking the hold link. That's each determination is to it. 

Once that's done, guarantee your USB thrust is acceptable to go. Keep successful caput that by making it an installation drive, you'll beryllium deleting everything connected it. Then, instrumentality the pursuing steps:

1. Start the Chrome Recovery Utility extension.
2. Click "Get started."
3. Click "Select a exemplary from a list."
4. Select a manufacturer, past find and click "Google ChromeOS Flex."
5. Select a product, past find and click "ChromeOS Flex."
6. Select your pen thrust from the dropdown -- marque definite you prime the close drive.
7. Click "Continue," past click "Create now."

Simple enough.

How to download ChromeOS Flex

Downloading ChromeOS Flex volition instrumentality a fewer minutes, depending connected your net speed. On my strategy with a 2Gbps fibre connection, it took little than 10 minutes. The full process of making the installation thrust took 15 minutes.

After that, I went to my aged Dell, plugged successful the USB drive, and turned it on. Next, I deed the footwear enactment key.

Chances are, you don't cognize what that is for your box; astir radical ne'er person to fuss with it. This cardinal enables you to prime an alternate mode of booting your computer. Typically, you ever usage your PC's main drive. Here, though, you privation to take the USB drive. On my Dell, that's the F12 key. For different computers, spot Google's database of modular PC keys.

Then, arsenic I mentioned above, I suggest you effort it retired archetypal to guarantee ChromeOS Flex works for you. Don't similar what you see? Fine. Simply region the USB drive, reboot your machine, and usage the alternate footwear cardinal to instrumentality to your main drive. You'll beryllium backmost wherever you started.

Also: You tin power your Chromebook with conscionable a glimpse now

Does it look bully to you? Then, reboot your machine, prime "Install ChromeOS Flex," and you'll beryllium connected your way.

On my older machine, it took astir 15 minutes from choosing to instal it to moving it.

A once-useless Windows PC returned to moving bid with ChromeOS Flex. 

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I went from having a wholly dysfunctional PC to having a utile ChromeOS Flex system. Indeed, it's go my default video-conferencing workstation. If you, too, person an older instrumentality that needs a caller lease connected life, I highly urge ChromeOS Flex. It's casual to instal and tin marque adjacent antique PCs utile again.

Want much than ChromeOS Flex?

You can instal Linux.

Also: 6 reasons wherefore Google should power Chromebooks from Android to Linux

You usage the nonstop aforesaid method arsenic you would to install Linux connected a Chromebook (this measurement is optional; it's not necessary). However, you cannot instal Android oregon a dual-boot operating system, specified arsenic Windows, connected your caller ChromeOS Flex system.

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