I don’t know how to put tags on (using eternity), but this is, in fact, serious.
So, turns out my high school left developer mode accessible on chromebooks. Sick of the restrictions that even make doing schoolwork slow, I wanted to set up dual boot for Linux Mint and Chrome Os.
My main concern, however, is maintaining the original content on my chromebook in order to keep it functional (and still appear somewhat standard to the school) while also giving me the access to the stuff I need.
Entering google’s developer mode claims to “erase all local data”. If this does not include applications, please tell me as that would solve every problem below.
Main concerns:
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My school uses GoGuardian, and some teachers make use of the remote screen viewing feature. On another school computer, creating an account using my school gmail automatically installed the app, and I’m hoping a separate set-up will still do this.
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My school has a lot of kiosk apps, some of which I have used, others which I have not. I’ll provide a list if asked, but my main concerns are testnav (ap test), DRC insight, and NWEA secure testing+state solutions.
Inb4 “don’t do this”: I do not care, and this does not help. If the task becomes too much for me, then I’m not doing it. But as of now, I’m deadset on trying to get this to work.
Edit: It’s not a good idea to risk your computer, I realized that as time went on. The challenges and the fact that the easiest options rely on hardware manipulation are just unsafe in general. Vox OS, as suggested by another user who develops the project, worked more than fine and doesn’t risk destruction. Settle for a little less in exchange for little risk.
Don’t fuck with school computers, it’s not your property. If you wanna mess around with Linux, I will literally send you my laptop. Don’t get in trouble when it’s not necessary, especially because it seems like your reasoning for this whole thing is, “they left a door open”, like my cat every time I open the refrigerator. And just like my cat, you will be tossed out.
I have worked with district IT depts.
If you’re in the US, and the school is public, you will get fucked.
The taxpayers paid for that Chromebook. The IT dept has agreements on how they’re used. The technology Integrationist sets the rules.
You violate the rules, you get fucked. The school does not care if you fail; the liability is bigger than you. A lot bigger. You cross a line like this and you become a casualty. That’s it. You will lose your device. Your account will be locked. You will get in further trouble trying (and failing) to sign in on a friends device. Your friend will also get in trouble, unless you stole it.
Do. Not. Do this.
Inb4 “don’t do this”: I do not care, and this does not help. If the task becomes too much for me, then I’m not doing it.
I don’t care. Don’t do this. Depending on where you live, altering your school assigned computer in this manner can be legally considered malicious abuse of a computer because you are not authorized to do so and would be exceeding your authorization to use that computer. That can carry a fine and imprisonment, and depending on circumstances can also remove your privilege to access any computer in the future, or even to be within a certain distance of one. This will severely limit your ability to live in increasingly computerized locations.
Even if you do think you got away with it, your school’s IT department will know what you did, and they will be easily able to connect it to you. Whether they report that to police or not will depend on a lot of factors, but it would be more intelligent for you to simply avoid it altogether.
Even if you do decide to attempt this, you’ll most likely lose all data on the ChromeOS side, but you would also not be able to access the ChromeOS software from Linux. Your school would just see your chromebook as powered off. So you would really only be using the Linux side when not at the school, at which point why not just use a different computer to do the work and then filetransfer to your chromebook? If its really as slow as you say then even a public library computer still running Windows XP would be more than fast enough for like, 95% of all schoolwork.
It isn’t possible.
You would absolutely wipe those apps. Guardian might well reinstall, but the others won’t, because they aren’t installed the same way. The last time someone asked this on reddit, a response went into detail about why it’s a fail, maybe you can find that post (assuming it wasn’t deleted by the poster, and the responses are still there).
But the gist was that it isn’t worth trying because it ends up being too easy to detect even if the apps did reinstall themselves. Since there’s a degree of financial liability involved, it isn’t like the experiment is consequence free; schools can, and will, send a nasty bill for it. There was a bit of a problem with it at some schools here and there, and it was generally considered to be the same as destroying the device. While that’s dumb as hell, you or your parents would still be on the hook.
Now, if none of that means anything to you, do what you’re gonna do, I ain’t your dad. Just go into it aware that it probably won’t end with you having a totally open device for free.
It wipes data, it’s often not worth it (usually CBs for k12 are 16gb rom). When I managed my admin console I ran Linux on a CB to help resolve an issue we had with Zoom due to device limitations, but Linux at the time was still crippled by no correct access to microphone, which may have since changed. It’s a school device, just leave it be. You’re going to come up on state standardized testing time which means they’ll likely lock down your updates to prevent any further ones from applying. Plus you’ll most likely create a situation where the device will have to be power washed and reset again to comply with secure browsers.
Most likely developer mode was left open as certain programming classes required it to be open in order to run some interface I can’t remember.
You’d want to image your disk to external media, wipe the Chromebook, set up the dual boot, then restore the image to the partition for Chrome.
That being said, I’m not sure you can do this, and, even if it did work, every time you’re in Mint, as far as the school is concerned, your Chromebook would be off. The Kiosk apps, GoGuardian, what have you aren’t going to run in Linux.
That’s the least of my concern, and rather, the intention I had. Bonus points for the chromebook not appearing to my school when in Mint.
I get though by learning, and I have a personal laptop I plan to test things with before risking it with my chromebook.
Does the machine have a socketed SSD? Just swap the drive.
Also I’d highly suggest not doing this because the last thing you’d want is to get caught and get banned from using a computer at school.
It’d be a miracle if they could ban a user from chromebook access. Some of our worst “ignore class and play games” get the maximum scentence of a sticker that says “not allowed to play games” that takes another miracle to be enforced. They’re too integral to our school to be removed.
If? Fuck around and find out, dude.
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Great idea… if chrome os supported usb booting. I know what Linux is, been using it for half a year, so that box is checked.
In order to boot from USB, you have to do a workaround involving developer mode, which loops back to my main problem.
Tried this out and am more than glad that you made it. For anyone looking for an answer other than me, I’d say start here before you risk destroying your school laptop. Thank you for the help!
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Not concerned about the account. Anyone who logs in on anyone’s chromebook immediately gains the GoGuardian app (installs on restart), and kiosk apps are not user related. If these aren’t deleted, (and I can restore goguardian), then all is fine.
