EDIT: WE NO LONGER HOST A CHROME OS DOWNLOAD. SORRY!
After Google announced the availability of the Chrome OS / Chromium OS source code, one of our engineers (Jon Ursenbach), immediately got to work on compiling the code, trying to see if he could get an instance of Chromium OS running in a virtual machine. He was finally able to do it!
Helpful tips, if you download it:
1.) To use the vmdk file, open VMware and create a new virtual machine. One of the options will be to use an "existing virtual disk." (In VMware Fusion, this is the last option below, "use operating system disk" and "use OS disc image file.")
2.) Make sure your VM is set to use bridged networking, rather than NAT.
2.) The username and password to login to Chrome OS / Chromium OS is your google account!
Alternatively, if you don't have VMware, some users have had luck getting this image to run using VirtualBox, which is a free cross-platform (Windows / Mac / Linux) virtual machine created by Sun Microsystem. You can download VirtualBox here:
www.virtualbox.org/
Anyway, get downloading and try out Chrome OS! And definitely share your impressions.
Update: we now have downloads for VMWare, VirtualBox, and USB-install! (Watch out for the USB one, you need Linux and it's a bit tricky.) Stay tuned for more details, but share your tips, tricks, and notes!
Update 2: Paul Miller from Engadget made a video walk-thru:
www.engadget.com/2009/11/20/how-to-run-chrome-os-a...
Discussion about
Try Chrome OS (UPDATE: REMOVED)
This discussion is closed.
We'll try to put up an image for VirtualBox soon!
VirtualBox is a free VM client made by Sun Microsystems:
www.virtualbox.org/
VirtualBox is a free VM client made by Sun Microsystems:
www.virtualbox.org/
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I was able to use the same VMWare published image on Sun's Virtual Box 3.0.12 on Ubuntu Karmic. Runs perfectly without changing an option. I was able to login using my Google credentials. You can convert the vmdk file to a VBox vdi, though not necessary, via the following commands:
$ unzip chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vmdk.zip
$ qemu-img convert chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vmdk chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.bin
$ VBoxManage convertdd chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.bin chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vdi
Use chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vdi as your VM hard drive and make sure you choose Linux as the guest OS when creating the image.
$ unzip chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vmdk.zip
$ qemu-img convert chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vmdk chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.bin
$ VBoxManage convertdd chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.bin chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vdi
Use chrome-os-0.4.22.8-gdgt.vdi as your VM hard drive and make sure you choose Linux as the guest OS when creating the image.
Like I told Dave, for VirutalBox, you should export the VM as an appliance from the File ==> export as appliance in VirtualBox console. Then the install is really simple, File ==> import appliance. No fiddling around with settings and junk. Once it's imported, if the user wants to adjust settings, that's fine.
I am not getting it to boot on VMware Server v2. I have tried different SCSI controllers with no change. Default was LSI controller. The result is after POST is simply a black screen. No boot loader that I can detect. During post if I hit ESC to get the boot option menu, and then hit ESC two more times, I get:
aborted.
boot:
If I type 'help', I get "Could not find kernel image: help" Tried 'linux', 'chromeos', and many others, but nothing. If I hit enter to take the default image it will just sits there.
aborted.
boot:
If I type 'help', I get "Could not find kernel image: help" Tried 'linux', 'chromeos', and many others, but nothing. If I hit enter to take the default image it will just sits there.
If you *just* installed VMWare, restart your computer and try it again.
Another update... using a development VMware Server 2 on Linux (not Windows Vista), I did get the VMDK to boot using "Other Linux 32-bit" and IDE0 as the disk type and 1G of memory. I will work on my home setup which runs on VMware Server v2 on Vista to see if I cannot determine what my issues are there.
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VirtualBox can read VMDK files. I have it running right now in VirtualBox. No audio support though so a native Vbox image might be helpful. Very buggy so far.
Interesting concept, not quite sure how practical it will be for me yet.
Thanks for putting this image together guys!
Interesting concept, not quite sure how practical it will be for me yet.
Thanks for putting this image together guys!
Could just be my setup, but I got the OS booted up, however it is running very slowly. It can connect to the net, but very very slowly.
I have it up and running in VMWare Fusion 3.0, I gave the session 2GB of ram and 2 cores to play with. It is very choppy, but thats most likely just not optimized for VMWare which I assume. I am posting this from Chrome OS. Is there anything this can do right now besides web pages? What about changing screen resolution?
Has anyone figured out the applications tab? (very top left)
I get a "Welcome to Google.com" -- "Google Short Links uses your Google.com Account for Sign In."
I've got a google account via gmail, but not an @google.com account. Does this mean I won't be able to see all the nifty short link web apps?
I get a "Welcome to Google.com" -- "Google Short Links uses your Google.com Account for Sign In."
I've got a google account via gmail, but not an @google.com account. Does this mean I won't be able to see all the nifty short link web apps?
Yeah I was wondering the same thing. I assume they'll be opening that up to Gmail users over the next couple of days.
Since it's a WebOS and you don't have any shell access, guest additions cannot be installed (nor are they supported by VMWare/VirtualBox on Chromium OS).
As for changing the screen resolution, that feature isn't yet available in the OS.
As for changing the screen resolution, that feature isn't yet available in the OS.
I have not tested it in Parallels, so I can't be sure, but if you can get it working let us know!
@Daimhin can you give more details for getting it to work in Parallels 5? I ran it through Parallels transporter, which created a .hdd file but I can't seem to create a new VM from that file that works? I'm using Parallels 5 latest build.
Thanks
Thanks
I have it running in Parallels 4. In the settings for the VM I set the OS type to "Linux", OS version to "Other Linux", and under Hardware > Hard Disk 1 set the Image File to the HDD file I converted with Parallels Transporter.
Also, it appears the Chrome OS resolution can be crudely controlled by adjusting the Video Memory setting.
Also, it appears the Chrome OS resolution can be crudely controlled by adjusting the Video Memory setting.
Yes, I have had the same experience as @insomnis has. Intel Macbook Pro with Parallels 4. Followed his instructions, but had to set the internet connection explicitly to "Airport" instead of auto detect to make the net connection work.
As of now it looks just like chrome browser, maybe when they roll out google.com logins we will get more sexiness :)
Also confirmed that resolution can be changed by adjusting video memory in the configs of the VM.
As of now it looks just like chrome browser, maybe when they roll out google.com logins we will get more sexiness :)
Also confirmed that resolution can be changed by adjusting video memory in the configs of the VM.
For those of you trying to use it in VirtualBox and having trouble, here's a screencap of my settings. Note I'm running this in Ubuntu 9.10.
imgur.com/Fwd4v.png
imgur.com/Fwd4v.png
thats a really really pretty background..... and im glad to see another ubuntu user who uses clearlooks :D ..... i dont have adhd at all! :P
Thanks! It's a *super* high resolution image of V838 Monocerotis.
dl.dropbox.com/u/1979688/wallpaper/v838.jpg
Absolutely gorgeous.
dl.dropbox.com/u/1979688/wallpaper/v838.jpg
Absolutely gorgeous.
Got it working with VMWare Fusion 3. Worked fine with Networking in NAT mode, although I did have to reboot the first time and it worked second and third times.
Wow do they have a long way to go, even with a year lead time, it's still a big risk. I don't like the concept and have the feeling that the audience for this OS will be a teenage crowd and throwaway netbooks. Or they may come up with something like selling netbooks half price and show adverts throughout the whole experience or something. Otherwise, why would i limit myself from being able to run native software? I thought the whole thin client thing went away with Netscape claiming that in 95. Again? Really? I think they should have done the OS with Android, it would've at least been marketable. Buy apps once use anywhere automatically.
Wow do they have a long way to go, even with a year lead time, it's still a big risk. I don't like the concept and have the feeling that the audience for this OS will be a teenage crowd and throwaway netbooks. Or they may come up with something like selling netbooks half price and show adverts throughout the whole experience or something. Otherwise, why would i limit myself from being able to run native software? I thought the whole thin client thing went away with Netscape claiming that in 95. Again? Really? I think they should have done the OS with Android, it would've at least been marketable. Buy apps once use anywhere automatically.
I got the chrome image converted and running on virtual box on OS X . Take a look here twitpic.com/q7bwv
