pre-reqs

  • blank ext4 formatted flash drive for original ChromeOS firmware backup
  • flash drive with UEFI compatible Linux distro installed

Steps

  • powerwash and shutdown
  • open back cover and disconnect battery. Plug in power cable and blank ext4 flash drive
  • Enter Recovery Mode: press/hold ESC and Refresh, then press Power for ~1s; release all 3 keys
  • Press CTRL+D to switch to Developer Mode; confirm when prompted
  • Press CTRL+D on Developer Mode splash screen to boot in Developer Mode
  • (On first boot, system will securely wipe all userdata, this takes a few minutes)
  • open a VT2 terminal (from login screen: CTRL+ALT+F2, login ‘chronos’)
  • run the mrchromebox firmware utility script using instructions from https://mrchromebox.tech/#fwscript:
    • cd; curl -LO mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh && sudo bash firmware-util.sh
    • select option 2
    • go through firmware backup process
    • new UEFI firmware will install
  • reboot
  • plug in flash drive with Linux distro on it
  • install Linux distro (I went with Fedora 39 since wifi was flaky under Debian 12)
  • reboot, install updates, reboot again
  • install sound drivers with https://github.com/WeirdTreeThing/chromebook-linux-audio
    • I had to run this with “force” flag since the Sona’s audio chipset has a bug currently
  • reboot again and should be good to go!

useful sites