How I turned my ancient Windows PC into a Chromebook for free - with FydeOS

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ChromeOS is the operating system that powers Chromebooks . It's simple, it's useful, and it runs on machines that Windows would cripple. Having ChromeOS for standard PCs would mean that average users could install the OS, bring those old machines back to life, and enjoy a Chromebook experience without having to purchase a Chromebook.

FydeOS is a Linux-based OS that looks and feels just like ChromeOS, down to the Material Me design. It includes background updates (so you don't have to worry about remembering to update), seamlessly supports web, Android, and Linux apps, boots in 8 seconds, uses read-only access and "virus armour" for hardened security, FydeOS AI that seamlessly integrates with the OS, and it's free.

Also: First look at Googlebook: A premium Chromebook alternative for Android users

I installed FydeOS on an aging laptop to see how it would fare, and, other than one small issue, it came out a winner.

This is one aspect that FydeOS really needs to change. Choosing the right version of FydeOS can make or break your experience. Choose the wrong version, and your display, network, keyboard, sound, or trackpad may not work.

The problem is that the descriptions of the versions aren't exactly user-friendly. When you go to the FydeOS download page , you are first greeted with four options: FydeOS for PC, FydeOS for VMware, FydeOS for You, and FydeOS for SBC.

Most will go to FydeOS for PC. When you do, you'll find (again) four versions: Intel Slim, Intel Modern, AMD Graphics, and Intel Legacy. The problem lies in the descriptions. For example, the description for the Intel Slim option is:

Compatible with 6th to 9th generation Intel Celeron and Pentium processors between 2015 and 2019. Supports Intel HD, Intel UHD Graphics, meeting the requirements of low-power devices and budget laptops.

Also: Chromebook vs. Googlebook: How I'm deciding which laptop to upgrade to next

That's all well and good, but most users won't know whether their machine has a 6th- or 9th-gen Intel Celeron CPU. So what happens is that they'll guess, download a version, run into issues, try a different version, rinse and repeat.

I started with the Intel Slim version, but wound up with a black screen. I then turned to the Intel Modern option, which booted fine, but refused to recognize my trackpad. So, I plugged in a USB mouse and all was well.