[Guide] How to install Linux on Acer Chromebook 15

Update: This guide is now outdated, please head over to ROM Download for sections 4-5

I figured I’d make a guide since it took me so long to figure this out. Please note that doing this will void your warranty, and I am not responsible if you manage to brick your device. If I accidentally excluded any steps, PLEASE let me know.

Optional Step: Backup ChromeOS##

For this step you are going to need either a USB stick or an SD card that is at least 4 GB. Insert your flash drive and type Chrome://imageburner in your browser. It should take to a page that says “Create Recovery Media”. It should detect the flash drive you have plugged in. Press the “OK” button under “USB Memory Stick Detected”. This will wipe your flash drive clean, and place a recovery image on it in case you ever want to reinstall ChromeOS.

Step 1: Enable Developer Mode

Please don’t hit space bar !

Step 2: Disable write protection (Warning: This will void your warranty!!)

To disable write protection, you are going to have to take off the bottom panel. You will need a small Phillips head screwdriver. Unscrew every screw that you see on the bottom of the laptop. Next you will have to remove the bottom panel. It’s a little difficult to remove the first time, and you may have to use a small flat head screw driver to loosen it up a bit. Once you remove the panel, you’ll find the motherboard underneath. The screw you need to remove is the largest screw on the motherboard, located near the center of the bottom of the motherboard. Underneath it you’ll see raised metal tabs. If if you don’t see that, then you’ve removed the wrong screw. After placing the bottom panel back on, start up your computer.

To check if you have write protection disabled, open up crosh with CTRL + ALT + T. Type shell. Now enter the following command : **sudo flashrom --wp-status **

If you successfully disabled write protection, then it’ll say something along the lines of Write-protection: Disabled.

Step 3: Enabling Legacy and USB Boot

This step is pretty simple. In that same shell that you just opened type the following commands:
sudo crossystem dev_boot_legacy=1
sudo crossystem dev_boot_usb=1

This will allow you to boot from a USB drive and will allow for legacy booting.

Step 4: Acquire necessary files [old]

Link Down, please see top of page

Step 5: Flash Bios [old]

This is the dangerous part. Still got that shell open? type the following command:

**cd ~/Downloads/ **

That will take you to the directory that the custom bios file is in. After that you’ll want to type the command below to flash the bios:

sudo flashrom -w -i RW_LEGACY:seabios-auron-240415.cbfs

It’ll take a few seconds, but it should eventually say something along the lines of flash or firmware update successful. If you’ve survived this, then you are in the home stretch.

Step 6: Make SeaBios default

Just type the following command in the shell prompt:
sudo /usr/share/vboot/bin/set_gbb_flags.sh 0x489

Step 7: Prepare Linux USB Drive

You need another computer for this part. Download your distro of choice, and use either Rufus (Windows) or DD on Linux to prepare it.

Step 8: Boot USB and install

At the boot menu press escape, and then press 2. This will make the Chromebook boot off of your USB drive. If it says something like unable to load glx, then just type help and then enter. You should be booted into Linux now. Either install the Linux distro alongside ChromeOS, or completely wipe your disk clean and make Linux your only OS. Your choice.

Step 9: Reboot and relax

It’ll take a few seconds, but it should eventually boot you into whatever Linux distro you installed. Now sit back and relax while staring at linux on that gorgeous 1080p display.

2 Likes

Nice guide, I would recommend changing the title though as this guide is fairly generic to any/all chromebooks out there.

1 Like

Eh, the bios image is different, and the location of the screw is different. I don't want to give instructions on setting up a device I don't actually own haha.

Does everything work in Linux? I had an Acer C720 Chromebook and getting the touchpad to work in Linux was a job and a half, much less the f keys.

3 finger swipe doesn't work, but I think you can install that functionality using the touchegg package. Other than that, the only thing you'll have to do is map the function keys yourself.

@Chuckn2x I installed Manjaro on my Acer Chromebook 15, but I can't get the mousepad to work. I tried setting the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-cros-touchpad.conf sensitivites, but that didn't work. It seems the kernal doesn't recognize it, or something like that. What distro did you put on that worked with the mousepad?
Thanks

Heard of ChromeOS breaking Linux installs in the past?

Ubuntu worked with the touchpad right out of the live usb, so I guess that's what I'll be using.
Thanks @Chuckn2x for the guide, it was very helpful and specific

1 Like

Mostly with Chrubuntu and Crouton. Nothing like that has happened with a clean install. Although, I should say that there seems to be a weird bug with the latest version of Arch where it causes kernel panics. No problems before I updated Arch, and no problems after installing Ubuntu.

Glad I could help. You wouldn't happen to be experiencing a problem with freezing after suspending on Ubuntu, would you?

I am sure I am missing something obvious, but after removing the write protection screw on the motherboard i am still getting the response write protection enabled. I only have 3 screws on my motherboard. 2 silver/brass retaining screws and one painted black large headed screw which I have removed. I have also removed power from the board thinking it needed to be reset but this had no effect. I cannot find any information about the board to find out if there is a reset button or something else needed. acer chromebook 15 cb3-531. just trying to create an ubuntu only laptop to learn linux on. tried the crouton option and it is nearly unusable having difficulties with supplied web browser while in linux keeps hanging on most sites.

I know this is really late, but I did experience problems with freezing after hibernation or sleep (suspending). I haven't been able to find a fix for it, so I just disabled automatic sleeping and hibernation.

IIRC, the write protect screw in my laptop was a dull silver one with a larger head than the rest of the screws.

Hey man I don't know if you still monitor this thread but your Bios link is dead. Is there any way you know which BIOS file I need to download at this point in time?

Fixed it. For sections 4 and 5, head over to the link at the top of the post.

I got the screen saying automatic boot in 10 seconds... but nothing happens. Any thoughts on what might be wrong? ROM update was success, screw is out, flags are set, SeaBios is default. USB with cinnamon is in and boot screen sees it, as number one, but nothing happens. I got ACER Chromebook 15

EDIT::::::::: <<<---- press esc and you'll be presented with a several option. Really sweat. Just press enter and it WORKS!!!

alright. followed sfeps perfectly. says to choose 2 to boot from usb but that option is boot from hard drive. and its not doing anything. if i choose 1, whiĉ says usb drive it loads mint. great but when i try to install iy, it onlû recognizes the usb drive as a hard drive. it keeps trying to insyall mint to the usb, not þe jard drive. trie going into gparted, but it too is only recognizing the usb dtive. but file manager shows hard drive. help? sorr fof typos. doing þis on a windows 10 tablet that hates me lol

EDIT... if anyone else runs into this problem, put the iso on the flash drive as dd not isa. (used rufus). seemed to be my issue

Could you maybe provide some screenshots so we can see what the issue is? Did dd'ing it instead of using Rufus solve it?

actuzlly i gave up on this and am trying þ do it þe chrboot way....but its not letting me ctrl+l..is iy cause i vhanged legacy with þe commands in this post?