Long time, no see, blog! I’m typing this on a Chromebook that’s been turned into a Linux laptop. Thanks to a fellow volunteer at Free Geek Twin Cities, I’ve been bullied told I should get into Chromebook modding again. As someone who’s been pursuing computers as a career for over three years, the burnout has slowly been getting to me - but now that I’m not doing my hobby 40 hours a week, I think I can finally get into it again without feeling the agony! To preface, most of this information has come from the Chrultrabook website. I used the website to get to where I am now, so if you’re having troubles, refer to the website or forum posts elsewhere. You can also email me if you have any questions about this specific machine, as I have it on hand and therefore have experience with it. Much love & thanks to the Chromebook modding community, the Chrultrabook contributors, and MrChromebox. This would not have been possible without the extensive testing and documentation from these people!

DISCLAIMER: THIS WILL WIPE ANY AND ALL DATA. Back up anything important before you lose it. This is a warning, and a threat if you would like it to be.#

Side note: whoever said “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” did not think about hobbies.

Preface: are we talking about the same device?#

This guide is for the Acer Chromebook 13 Flip, model number CP713/codename KLED. Here is the Acer posting for this specific laptop if you want to double check. I bring this up because while a lot of the steps will be similar between devices, this tutorial is specifically for this machine. Step-by-step instructions are for this device only, so if something differs, ensure we’re talking about the same device.

Step 1: Enter Recovery & Developer Modes#

You’ll need to enter Developer Mode in order to do anything involving an alternate operating system on your Chromebook. Per the Chrultrabook docs, the device will need to be plugged in while enabling Developer Mode. To enter this mode, press esc + ⟲ (refresh, fourth from the top left) + the power button (on the right side) together. As soon as you press the final button, the screen will go black and reboot into Recovery Mode.

You will see a screen that asks you to put in a USB drive or SD card. Press Ctrl+D. The screen will change and ask to turn OS verification off. Press Enter. The Chromebook should reboot with a 5 minute countdown in the top left corner as it’s enabling developer mode. Wait for this to complete. The machine will restart afterwards.

After the restart, you will be greeted with an “OS Verification is OFF” screen. Press Ctrl+D once again to boot from the existing ChromeOS install on your local disk. Once booted, you’ll be put into the ChromeOS setup. You’ll only need to connect your computer to a Wi-Fi network in the setup process, none of the further steps are needed.

Step 2: Disabling Firmware Write Protect#

For this step, you will need to be familiar with basic laptop disassembly concepts. This laptop requires we disconnect the battery in order to disable firmware write protect, which is necessary to install Linux. This is only temporary - once we run the next step, we will be able to reinstall the battery.

Close the machine and flip it on its screen. If you’re worried about damaging or scratching the surface, feel free to place it on top of a towel. I, however, am cool and did not do this. On the bottom of the machine, there are nine Phillips screws you will need to remove. From here you can grab a thin pry tool and pry up along the hinge side of the machine, starting in the middle. I kinda just ripped the bottom off from there, but feel free to take as much care as you feel is necessary. After the bottom cover has been removed, you will need to disconnect the wide connector with a lot of individual cables going to it at the bottom of the motherboard. The cables will be a bunch of different colors. All you need to do is pull the cable away from the board, not up. There are no screws holding the battery in - only a piece of tape - so either peel the tape off the battery or just flip it back over with the battery installed. Again, I am not responsible for what you do, I’m just the messenger.

After that’s done, turn the Chromebook back on. Press Ctrl+D to boot ChromeOS again when at the “OS Verification is OFF” screen. Keep the battery disconnected and the machine plugged into the wall until told otherwise.

Step 3: Flashing the Custom Firmware#

DISCLAIMER: This next step CAN brick your machine if you are not careful. Ensure your Chromebook is plugged in securely to avoid any power issues during this step. If your machine is powered off during the flashing process, it will likely not boot again. You have been warned.

Once you’re back to the setup process, ensure you’ve set up your Wi-Fi network. Once done, press Ctrl+Alt+→ (right arrow/forward) to launch into the ChromeOS shell, otherwise known as VT-2. Log in as the user chronos with no password and you will be launched into a shell. Type cd; curl -LOk mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh && sudo bash firmware-util.sh to launch the MrChromebox firmware utility. You will likely be asked to disable software write protection, allow it to disable & restart. Once restarted, run the above command again to launch into the ChromeOS Device Firmware Utility Script. You’ll want to choose the option that says Install/Update UEFI (Full ROM) Firmware - for me this was Option 2, so I typed the number 2 and proceeded.

Read the warnings. I will not tell you what to do. During this operation, the script will back your firmware up to a flash drive or SD card of your choice in case things go wrong. Afterwards it will install MrChromebox’s firmware so you can install an OS of your choosing. ChromeOS will no longer boot after you do this. Listen to the prompts so I don’t fuck your shit up.

Step 4: Install an Operating System#

You’ve done it! Assuming all goes well, you can reboot the machine (press R at the script’s prompt) and you’ll have a normal UEFI at your disposal. Press Esc to launch into the boot menu and install whatever your heart desires.