{"id":3668,"date":"2026-04-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/side-effects-may-compound-curiosity-googles-3-chromeos-flex-kit-aims-to-save-your-old-windows-10-laptop-from-the-scrapheap\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:42:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:42:28","slug":"side-effects-may-compound-curiosity-googles-3-chromeos-flex-kit-aims-to-save-your-old-windows-10-laptop-from-the-scrapheap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/side-effects-may-compound-curiosity-googles-3-chromeos-flex-kit-aims-to-save-your-old-windows-10-laptop-from-the-scrapheap\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Side effects may compound curiosity&#8217;: Google&#8217;s $3 ChromeOS Flex kit aims to save your old Windows 10 laptop from the scrapheap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<hr id=\"elk-b4d1db3d-6fa9-466a-9a15-566c0d9b6bcd\"\/>\n<ul id=\"elk-7fc559e1-f4a3-4288-b1cc-3d0f8da5d103\">\n<li><strong>ChromeOS Flex is now available for purchase as a kit<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The $3 kit provides a USB stick and full instructions for easy OS installation<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Flex is intended to breathe new life into older hardware, especially Windows 10 PCs, which are quickly running out of road for extended support.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr id=\"elk-ff81afa2-8e71-449f-8e71-170c23da1620\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-93bd3848-2952-4fdd-af03-7e490a6dea75\">ChromeOS Flex is a lightweight OS designed to be easily installed on older PCs &#8211; such as Windows 10 laptops &#8211; to provide a way to keep what could be outdated hardware components usable, and now it&#8217;s even easier to install.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s because, as previously promised, Google, in partnership with Back Market (a rebranding outfit), now has a ChromeOS Flex kit available for purchase.<\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-93bd3848-2952-4fdd-af03-7e490a6dea75-2\">It costs $3 (or \u00a33 in the UK, \u20ac3 in Europe) and for that money, you get a USB stick containing the operating system and instructions on how to install it.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">The article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><\/p>\n<p>            You might like it<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The Flex version of Google&#8217;s OS is almost identical to the regular ChromeOS, although it has some features cut, and with its highly structured nature (focused on the cloud), it is designed to work well on older hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Emphasizing the eco-friendly features here, Google tells us: &#8220;The production process of a new laptop is responsible for a large part of its carbon footprint. ChromeOS Flex allows the already built device to be used for a long time, which keeps the hardware out of the landfill and avoids the production of a new device. The savings don&#8217;t end there, ChromeOS also uses 19% less energy systems.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"elk-g_2UQc7q4b0\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-g_2UQc7q4b0\" data-yt-video-token=\"g_2UQc7q4b0\" title=\"Install ChromeOS Flex and your old laptop can live again \ud83d\udcbb - YouTube\">\n<span class=\"youtube-video-title\">Install ChromeOS Flex and your old laptop can live again \ud83d\udcbb &#8211; YouTube<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"play-button\" viewbox=\"0 0 234.67 165.33\"><path fill=\"red\" d=\"M229.763 25.817c-2.699-10.162-10.65-18.165-20.748-20.881C190.716 0 117.333 0 117.333 0S43.951 0 25.651 4.936C15.553 7.652 7.6 15.655 4.903 25.817 0 44.236 0 82.667 0 82.667s0 38.429 4.903 56.85C7.6 149.68 15.553 157.681 25.65 160.4c18.3 4.934 91.682 4.934 91.682 4.934s73.383 0 91.682-4.934c10.098-2.718 18.049-10.72 20.748-20.882 4.904-18.421 4.904-56.85 4.904-56.85s0-38.431-4.904-56.85\"\/><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"m93.333 117.559 61.333-34.89-61.333-34.894z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<p>Watch it open <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"youtube-logo\" viewbox=\"0 0 507.9 113.39\"><g fill=\"#fff\"><path d=\"M64.792 80.99V32.396l42.082 24.297zm93.803-63.285a20.285 20.285 0 0 0-14.32-14.32C131.642 0 80.99 0 80.99 0S30.337 0 17.705 3.385a20.286 20.286 0 0 0-14.32 14.32C0 30.338 0 56.693 0 56.693S0 83.049 3.385 95.68A20.285 20.285 0 0 0 17.705 110c12.632 3.386 63.285 3.386 63.285 3.386s50.652 0 63.285-3.386a20.284 20.284 0 0 0 14.32-14.32c3.385-12.632 3.385-38.988 3.385-38.988s0-26.355-3.385-38.988m94.473 74.326c.887-2.314 1.332-6.098 1.332-11.35V58.556c0-5.097-.445-8.822-1.332-11.178-.888-2.355-2.452-3.533-4.69-3.533-2.163 0-3.69 1.178-4.577 3.533-.888 2.356-1.332 6.081-1.332 11.178V80.68c0 5.25.424 9.035 1.275 11.35.848 2.318 2.392 3.475 4.633 3.475 2.239 0 3.803-1.157 4.691-3.475zm-17.953 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0-13.398-2.47-16.564-7.414-3.168-4.94-4.75-12.586-4.75-22.935V63.589c0-10.657 1.641-18.436 4.924-23.342 3.281-4.903 8.9-7.355 16.854-7.355 5.482 0 9.691 1.004 12.626 3.012 2.933 2.01 5 5.137 6.197 9.383 1.197 4.247 1.796 10.117 1.796 17.607v12.163h-26.757m-284.953-1.33-18.187-65.68h15.869l6.37 29.77c1.623 7.339 2.82 13.594 3.591 18.766h.464c.54-3.706 1.738-9.922 3.591-18.65l6.603-29.886h15.869l-18.417 65.68v31.51h-15.754v-31.51M322.115 34.23v71.007h-12.511l-1.39-8.688h-.347c-3.399 6.564-8.496 9.845-15.291 9.845-4.71 0-8.185-1.543-10.425-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.359-7.915-3.359-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.348 5.426 1.043 6.776.695 1.353 1.853 2.027 3.475 2.027 1.39 0 2.722-.423 3.996-1.275 1.274-.849 2.22-1.928 2.838-3.241V34.229h15.986m81.995.001v71.007h-12.511l-1.391-8.688h-.345c-3.402 6.564-8.498 9.845-15.292 9.845-4.711 0-8.186-1.543-10.426-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.358-7.915-3.358-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.347 5.426 1.041 6.776.696 1.353 1.855 2.027 3.476 2.027 1.391 0 2.723-.423 3.996-1.275 1.275-.849 2.22-1.928 2.839-3.241V34.229h15.985\"\/><path d=\"M365.552 20.908h-15.87v84.329h-15.637v-84.33h-15.869V8.05h47.376v12.858m76.811 53.636c0 5.174-.215 9.229-.639 12.162-.424 2.937-1.139 5.021-2.143 6.255-1.004 1.236-2.357 1.854-4.053 1.854a7.404 7.404 0 0 1-3.65-.927c-1.12-.618-2.026-1.544-2.722-2.78V50.796c.54-1.93 1.467-3.513 2.78-4.749 1.313-1.234 2.74-1.853 4.285-1.853 1.623 0 2.876.637 3.766 1.91.886 1.275 1.505 3.418 1.853 6.43.348 3.011.523 7.297.523 12.857zm14.652-28.964c-.967-4.478-2.531-7.721-4.692-9.73-2.163-2.007-5.136-3.011-8.919-3.011-2.935 0-5.676.83-8.224 2.49a16.926 16.926 0 0 0-5.908 6.545h-.117l.001-37.416h-15.405v100.777h13.204l1.622-6.717h.347c1.235 2.393 3.088 4.285 5.56 5.675 2.47 1.39 5.213 2.085 8.225 2.085 5.404 0 9.382-2.491 11.931-7.471 2.548-4.982 3.823-12.76 3.823-23.341V64.23c0-7.953-.484-14.17-1.448-18.65\"\/><\/g><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-73a449bb-17dc-45e1-a8e1-f150f554919f\">As the blog post announcing the arrival of the $3 kit makes clear, this is aimed at Windows 10 PCs, which will lose extended support (updates) for consumers this October, in six months. (Official support ended last October.)<\/p>\n<p>It will also convert other devices, including other Macs, to ChromeOS Flex, and there&#8217;s a full list of compatible devices here (including caveats, like the webcam may not work with Google&#8217;s OS).<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-fRsiWmJF6irjTwf7Lps7g3\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-fRsiWmJF6irjTwf7Lps7g3 slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Sign up for top news, reviews, opinions, top tech deals, and more.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr id=\"elk-953818f1-b93c-46bb-913f-5a203f73adab\"\/>\n<h2 id=\"analysis-flex-for-the-win-3\">Analysis: Flex to win<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-c742f4d8-220f-4efb-932d-086f89e6cb6c\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2096px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Google ChromeOS Flex Kit package with a USB stick next to it\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qShAhYD6euryu6hvp6DzTB.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Google \/ Back Market)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-c67e3cee-a814-4626-a768-7e42876b5d7c\">It&#8217;s a good idea to produce an easy-to-use dead kit to try and hire multiple PCs into the ChromeOS Flex fold. As Back Market puts it, this is about &#8220;providing a cure&#8221; for the Windows 10 blues, and &#8220;side effects may include curiosity&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7e455d74-0e6f-4479-8c29-4d0bba9b64b9\">All you need to do is turn off your laptop, put the USB stick in a free port, start the machine, and from the boot menu, install ChromeOS Flex from the USB key. As mentioned, full instructions are provided, and the kit is surprisingly cheap at just a few bucks. The idea is that you can pass it on to others when you&#8217;re done, and since this is still a test program at the moment, there is a limited number of these resources. More will be done if they are popular, however.<\/p>\n<p>However, you don&#8217;t have to buy a kit, as you can make your own USB stick and install ChromeOS Flex by following our full guide here. The kit makes everything very novice-friendly, though, which is an idea, of course.<\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-486d1aa1-62f6-4b3d-a127-dec582c3e1cf\"\/>\n<div id=\"slice-container-person-fRsiWmJF6irjTwf7Lps7g3-Va0AiC4kEPKoFmkYv7dgROLYeNylvBBh\" class=\"slice-container person-wrapper person-fRsiWmJF6irjTwf7Lps7g3-Va0AiC4kEPKoFmkYv7dgROLYeNylvBBh slice-container-person\">\n<div class=\"person person--separator\">\n<div class=\"person__avatar-block\">\n<figure class=\"image-wrapped__wrapper\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:none\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__aspect-padding\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\">\n<div style=\"display:contents\"><picture data-hydrate=\"false\"><source class=\"person__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR-140-80.png.webp 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\"><source class=\"person__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR-140-80.png 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Apple MacBook Air against a white background\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR-140-80.png 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" class=\"person__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" loading=\"lazy\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LocVgRosBUWfJzDitFzhKR.png\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"person__heading\">\n<p><span class=\"person__name\">The best laptops for all budgets<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"person__role\">Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparison<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr id=\"elk-66b2893b-83d7-41d6-81b4-ff8f491c2c15\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-522ddd2a-1daf-4b8c-a444-51ee21516109\"><em\/><em><strong>Follow TechRadar for Google news<\/strong><\/em>    again<em> <\/em><em><strong>add us as a favorite resource<\/strong><\/em><em>    to get our expert news, reviews, and opinions in your feed. Be sure to click the Follow button!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>And of course, you can also follow TechRadar <\/em><em><strong>YouTube <\/strong><\/em><em>again <\/em><em><strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/em><em>    to get news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us <\/em><em><strong>WhatsApp<\/strong><\/em><em>    again.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-b5342e27-ccfc-41f9-abbb-ff7459916c0f\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ChromeOS Flex is now available for purchase as a kit The $3 kit provides a USB stick and full instructions for easy OS installation Flex is intended to breathe new life into older hardware, especially Windows 10 PCs, which are quickly running out of road for extended support. ChromeOS Flex is a lightweight OS designed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3668","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-smart-home-gadgets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3668"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3670,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions\/3670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}