Chromebook has reached the end of its life - Google will no longer support it. What should I replace it with?

[SwedishEdith]

I must admit, I knew nothing about the 6.5 years of support only. it was a present More details here

www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/sep/12/can-i-still-use-my-chromebook-now-it-is-no-longer-supported#comment-133065943

It's also a bit battered so I was looking to replace it anyway. 😁

Not a huge budget. Love it's instant 'on' ness. No gaming, just browsing, photo storage. Just get another Chromebook? Need to be aware of the model though and that cheap ones may be old models so less than 6.5 years support.

Any suggestions/recommendations?

Thanks

*its. Argh!

You can get instant on-ness by getting a machine with an SSD and sleeping it rather than shutting down.

www.neverware.com/freedownload - try this, if you get it installed ok, it is effectively the same as a Chromebook (Chrome OS with automatic updates)....

Thanks for suggestions. I've seen recommendations about downloading stuff but not sure if it's a good idea?

So SSD is what I need to look for in any replacement?

Well if you're looking for a direct replacement then a new chromebook is the way to go.

If you want a laptop instead, then ensure you get at least the specs below:

Processor: Intel i3 or ideally i5, or an AMD Ryzen

RAM: 8GB as a minimum (you are really compromising if you get less)

Hard Drive: Definitely go for a Solid State Drive (SSD) over a traditional hard drive as they are so, so much faster.

If you need to compromise for price reasons, then I'd get a smaller sized SSD (min size 240 GB) as you can expand this with a high capacity SD Card (check there is an SD Card slot though!)

Hope this helps.

Finally, you can often get some real bargains if you buy ex-corporate, reconditioned laptops - let me know if this is of interest & I'll send you a couple of links to reputable resellers.

Sorry, I've just re-read and seen that you are also asking if it is a good idea re downloading Neverware Cloud Ready for your Chromebook.

I can only say that the instructions in the Guardian link you referenced are very good, if you follow them you will most probably be able to update your Chromebook, however as stated in the article, there is a small risk that you could "brick" ie permanently break your chromebook.

I have installed CloudReady on a couple of old Chromebooks and it has been fairly straightforward, with good results.

tom5431, I need to buy a lap top for work as I am about to be self employed.

I don't need it to be overly transportable but I would want to be able to plug it in to my home PC when I want to use the larger screen.
If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. And also, I'm not adverse to a second hand one so the links would be very gratefully received.

TIA

Hi mckenzie,

I'm not sure what you mean plug it into your home pc? You can plug laptops into an external monitor easily enough, just make sure whichever one you buy has the correct connection (eg VGA, HDMI, Displayport etc).

Recommendations would be in line with the info I posted above, presuming you're just going to be doing standard office tasks, if you need to do Graphic Intensive work or something like Video editing then you'd need higher specs than above.

Have a look at the following link for additional details re buying a refurbished pc and possible suppliers.....

www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2018/feb/15/is-it-worth-buying-cheap-budget-refurbished-desktop-pc-computer

Thanks, tom, that's really useful - exactly the kind of summarised info I need. And, yes, the 'bricking' my Chromebook is what's making me wary!

We have quite quickly become a chromebook family, from 6yo kids to their great-grand-parents. They are so simple to use, but feel like proper computers, not toys like ipads.

Neverware is a good concept, BUT it doesn't have android app support (and isn't going to in the near future). I love our touchscreen chromebooks with fold-back screens that can be android tablets as well; without access to the play store the chromeos platform is seriously impoverished IMO, so I wouldn't consider NeverWare myself. We play lots of android board games on them en famille! But they get serious use for school and work as well.

You can easily plug external screens and peripherals into chromebooks, though obv it depends on the ports you've got, The latest generation of chromebooks don't have hdmi for some reason so you might need a USB-C adaptor for a tellly (£10ish).

The ChromeOS expiry date thing is a real time-bomb that almost no-one knows about - even the people working in a well-known high street retailer couldn't tell me when each model expired!! I saw a Chromebook that was going to expire in 18 months on sale for £400! The link you need is this, it tells you all the expiry dates for the various models: support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

Shame on google for not making this information easier to find.

I don't know what your budget or preferences are, but we got this for our 6yo - good till June 2025, ruggedised, splash-proof, 1.3kg, 11.6' touch-screen and £280 - www.ebuyer.com/874317-lenovo-300e-chromebook-2nd-gen-mtk-81qc0004uk. Upgrade to the 500e (£400) gets you 64Gb storage, a stylus and a second camera. I thought the lack of 1080p screen would be a deal-breaker for me but actually I use it loads when he's gone to bed!

HTH

Thanks - that's a pretty good deal. I've got that list of the expiry. Had been cross checking with JL - some short expiry dates on there.