[How to] Install Windows 8 in Chromebook Cr-48

Chromebook Cr-48 With Windows 8 installed

Which OS is in your Chromebook, is it still Chrome or changed it to Ubuntu? Now, there is a way to install new Windows 8 in Chromebook, surprised huh? Well, looks like it is possible to hack your Chromebook to run this new operating system. For Ubuntu lovers out there here’s a way to install Fedora 17 in Chromebook.

It will be the most adventurous hack ever, as Cr48 have to be opened to its BIOS, so be advised, and try this only if you are familiar with previous hacks on Chromebook.

So first thing you have to do is Download Windows 8 for Free from here. And, Create a bootable Windows 8 installation USB drive or SD card using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool available here

After you are ready with Windows 8, let’s begin our hack.

Step 1: Hack the BIOs

Ok, at your own risk, open Cr48 case carefully. There are all total 12 screws to open, yes twelve and putting a piece of electrical tape over a BIOS contact point, disabling the protection. Here, Wikispaces have given some easy ways to open the case.

Hacking BIOS of Google’s Chromebook Cr-48, Who will stop me?

The main thing here is to tape over BIOs contact point. It will then allow you to get into the BIOS settings of the CR48, as well as remove the setting that blocks changes to the bootloader. So now you can hit F2 (or its equivalent) and go into the BIOS.

Step 2: Flash a New BIOS

As you cover BIOS with tape, tight all those screws you opend, head back over to Wikispaces and follow the instructions to flash the new BIOS. After that, you can install any operating system that you want one your CR48, assuming you can get the OS on the proper media. Using a USB flash drive is, of course, the easiest. An external USB CD-ROM should work as well.

Step 3: Begin Installation

When you are ready with bootable SD card or USB, you can begin installation. Insert the USB drive or SD card in the Cr-48 and boot to the Windows 8 installer. During the installation:

See here: How to make your USB bootable with Ubuntu and Windows?

• Select “Custom (advanced)” rather than “Upgrade”
• Select “Drive options (advanced)” and delete every partition on the internal Solid-State Drive (SSD)
• Install Windows to ‘Disk 0 Unallocated Space’

Step 4: Configurations after Installation

After installation is completed you may see a warning that there is no disk in drive F. Simply select “Continue” and remove the installation media before the computer reboots. Enable multitouch features of the trackpad, including two-finger scrolling, by installing the Synaptics Gesture Suite. Configure your keyboard settings. Configure the Gobi 2000 3G modem.

Windows 8 boots really fast on the Cr48, thanks to its SSD about 12 seconds. This will be an exciting experience for anyone looking forward to play with their chromebook.

Image credits: Wikispaces