Quickly Switch between ChromeOS and Ubuntu or Arch Linux

If you have a Chromebook and use it for a 'traditional' Linux rather than the default OS its really useful to be able to switch between your Linux OS (e.g. Ubuntu or Arch) and the Google ChromeOS. The easiest way I have found for this is to use aliases.

Ubuntu or Arch Linux

Use a text editor to update your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_alias file e.g.

alias ChromeOSBoot='sudo cgpt add -i 6 -P 0 -S 1 /dev/sda && sync && sudo reboot'

Save the file. Reload .bashrc file with

# . .bashrc

Run the alias :

# ChromeOSBoot

This will then reboot the Chromebook into ChromeOS.

ChromeOS

To switch back to Ubuntu or Arch Linux do not login when prompted as the ChromeOS boots. At the login screen select 'Ctrl + ALT+ F2' then login as chronos user (no password).

Use vim to create a .bashrc file if it does not already exist e.g.

alias ArchOSBoot='sudo cgpt add -i 6 -P 5 -S 1 /dev/sda && sudo reboot'

Save the file. Reload .bashrc file with

# . .bashrc

Run the alias :

# ArchOSBoot

This will then reboot the Chromebook into Arch Linux (or Ubuntu if that's what you have installed).

Display thumbnails of files on Chromebook

Its really useful to have the default file views on a Chromebook as thumbnails rather than the default. Its really quick to change.

• Open Files app. (Blue icon. If you cannot find it click on the grid then scroll left or right until you find it. Single left click will open the app)

• On top right of the Files app there are three icons 

Select the left one that looks like a gear

• In the middle of the resulting window look for View in the middle of the window
• Select the grid of 4 small squares

• You can now see a preview of all the picture files on the Chromebook

Taking a screenshot on a Chromebook

There are countless situations where screenshots are useful. On Chromebooks taking screenshots are easy and there are two options.

Option 1 : Full screen 

• Select the Ctrl + Windows Switcher key together at the same time

Option 2 : Partial screen

Select the Ctrl +  Shift + Windows Switcher key together at the same time

• The mouse icon changes to a + and use this to select an area of the screen to capture

Working with the screenshot files

• Once you take the screenshot a window pops up indicating the screen has been captured

• Selecting 'click to view' opens the Files app which has the screenshot highlighted with a name like 'Screenshot 2014-02-23 at 12.48.27.png'
• Note : At this point with the screenshot highlighted selecting Ctrl + Enter allows you to rename the file. This is really useful otherwise you can loose track of your screenshots
•  If you chose not to select ''click to view' earlier or at any time would like to review the screenshots they re located under the Downloads folder

Copy files from Flash USB Drive to Chromebook

If you have files on an old PC or have flash USB drives with files its important to be able to copy them to your Chromebook.

To copy files from flash drive to Chromebook laptop:

• Put flash drive in laptop USB socket
• Open Files app. (Blue icon. If you cannot find it click on the grid then scroll left or right till find it. Single left click will open the app)

• On the left you should see USB drive. Single left click on it.
• Your files will be displayed on the right that are on the flash drive
• Left click to highlight the files you want to copy

• Right click, menu will pop up, and select copy with the left mouse button

• Single left click on Downloads. Your folders should show on the right

• Right click on a blank bit of screen. 
• A menu will pop up. Select paste with the left mouse button and your folders will copy off the flash drive

Why Chromebooks are a better choice than Windows 8 for many

Choosing a laptop at the moment in many cases comes down on choosing a Google based Chromebook or Windows 8 from Microsoft. For a more high end choice Apple products would be a consideration but a big factor for me is price so that rules out Apple. After review of the features Chromebooks are a better choice than Windows 8 in my mind for many.

First off Chromebooks are not perfect and there are disadvantages that may be a factor for some. Even if they are not its important to know before your make a purchase.

Disadvantages

• Printers are something you probably would not even really think about when buying a Windows laptop. You know if your current printer is not ancient it probably will just work with your next laptop. That is not the case with Chromebooks. Unless it is 'Google Cloud Print' enabled you cannot print directly to your existing printer even via WiFi!

• Skype and Internet Explorer will not work. Chromebooks do not allow you to install any programs. You can get apps from the Google Chrome store but not programs. You need to use all the Google products that come preinstalled and have same function: Hangouts instead of Skype, Chrome instead of Internet Explorer. Hangouts and Chrome work great on the Chromebook. If you prefer Skype on a laptop then Chromebooks may not be for you.
  
  
• The mouse track pad (on my Acer C7) is not great. Personally I prefer an external wireless mouse so that is not a factor for me. If it is a factor for you, its good to be aware. 

And now to the good parts

Advantages

• Price for me is such a huge factor. Chromebooks are so much cheaper than Windows 8 laptops there really would have to be a huge disadvantage to the chromebooks not to buy


• As you cannot install programs so neither can viruses. Microsoft Windows based computers need antivirus software, the Chromebook by design needs nothing, and good antivirus software is expensive but not guaranteed to get everything. 


• Google are taking care of updates for you and with newer versions of their software things work more efficiently. You don't have the painful process of Windows updates as it just happens without your knowledge


• They are designed to be easy to use. Similar to an Android phone or tablet it is ready to go out of the box and once you put your Google password in and connect to your wireless Internet everything is sitting there ready to go. Windows have gone the opposite way


• You get 100GB of storage space on Google Drive free for 2 years in addition to the 15GB Google already give you. Its easy and straight forward to redeem the extra space. By having your files on Google drive its easy to share with other devices such as an android tablet or your phone


• The Chromebooks connects easily to TVs via HDMI. This is great for streaming YouTube or any web based streaming services. 


• Google Docs now let you open and edit Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents even though they are Microsoft file types. It even lets you save them in the same format so someone using Windows computer can open them again. Google Docs are free and have no restrictions unlike Microsoft Office and are continually adding new features 


• There are lots of free apps on Chrome store which is similar as for Android devices. I tried out quite a few before buying the Chromebook and they are pretty good. There were several photo editing ones that were very good for example.


• It is small and light so you can easy take it to say an art class, the park or commuting.

I hope you find this article useful. In the end for me a laptop for just over $200 that has all the main features most people need is difficult to turn down.

Cannot get @ symbol to login to Chromebook

If you are using a Chromebook with a non US default keyboard  language  (e.g. GB in the UK) the first time you login to your Chromebook with your gmail details you may not be able to type the symbol @. Instead of @ the " symbol appears when you press the number 2 which looks like it should show @.

The solution is to

1. Change the default language by on the right hand side of the login screen (next to the clock) select another language (preferable to be a North American one like Canadaian French English or US English).

2. Press alt gr + shift + 2 at the same time and the @ sign will appear

Important : alt gr is not the same as alt. Its located on the right hand side of the space bar

For subsequent logins you only need the password to login but you may need to use @ for other situations.

Alt gr out of interest stands for alternate graphic and is intended to display symbols and characters not normally used within a language.

Hope this helps if you have this issue!

Watch video on TV with Chromebook using HDMI

The Chromebook is great for many things but for watching a long YouTube video or streaming a movie at home connecting to a TV is the way to go. Its pretty straight forward to set-up.

• Connect your HDMI cable to a free port on the TV and to the HDMI port on the Chromebook.
• On the TV remote select the input button and then choose the relevant HDMI connection. If you are unsure which connection it is on the TV you can just select each in turn until you see the Chromebook screen
• Open the settings menu by selecting the clock on the bottom right of the screen
• Select the TV settings which will start 'Extending screen to' and then your TV manufacturer e.g. a Sony :

• The key option to select is under Options select start mirroring and press OK

• The laptop screen is now mirrored on the TV and anything you play on the Chromebook will be shown on the TV
• The sound will be heard from the TV and not the Chromebook