31-07-2023, 01:24 AM
I didn't change all the BIOS, only added USB booting, this way I didn't have to open the case to disable write protect. I installed Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1, had a few problems, no sound to the speakers, but had sound via USB & a sound card. Num Pad wouldn't work, and keyboard backlighting wouldn't work. Otherwise it worked very well, mouse & touchpad were much better, screen was brighter too. All the controls worked, except that [search] [alt] no longer triggered Upper case. I was a little concerned that it may overheat on Mint, there are no vents, & no fan.
I managed to boot Macrium and made an image of the whole thing, then restored it to ChromeOS. I have used it a lot today, and there is no noticeable difference in the temperature. The next stage will probably be to convert the BIOS to UEFI boot and install Mint 21.2. I will probably leave it until the guarantee is over before I open the case. It has a seal on one of the case screws. The write protect is a couple of pins which have to be connected together. It has an excellent 17.3" HD screen, and the colours are good.
I managed to boot Macrium and made an image of the whole thing, then restored it to ChromeOS. I have used it a lot today, and there is no noticeable difference in the temperature. The next stage will probably be to convert the BIOS to UEFI boot and install Mint 21.2. I will probably leave it until the guarantee is over before I open the case. It has a seal on one of the case screws. The write protect is a couple of pins which have to be connected together. It has an excellent 17.3" HD screen, and the colours are good.