This guide is for installing Brunch to a USB (or other disk) using Linux. This guide should be compatible with Linux Live USBs for quick installations as well. To begin, boot into the Linux distro of your choice and click the dropdown below to continue.
Click to open Brunch USB guide
- Root access.
- Target Disk/USB must be 16gb minimum.
pv,tar,unzipandcgptpackages.- A compatible PC to boot Brunch on.
- An entry level understanding of the linux terminal.
- This guide aims to make this process as easy as possible, but knowing the basics is expected.
- Download a recovery suitable for your CPU. The list below can help you select one. You do not need to select a recovery that matches the latest Brunch release number, the most recent avaliable is typically fine.
- 8th gen & 9th gen: "shyvana" for Intel / "bobba" for Celeron.
- 10th gen: "jinlon".
- 11th gen & above: "voxel".
- Ryzen: "gumboz".
Recoveries can be found by clicking the above links. They can also be found by going to cros.tech and searching for the recovery you want.
After selecting the recovery you want, you can select a specific release. Posted releases may be behind the current release, this is normal and you can update into the current release later. It is usually suggested to use the latest release avaliable.
- Download the Brunch files from this GitHub repository. Do not use files found on other sites or linked in videos online. The releases tab can be found at the bottom of the right-hand column on the main GitHub page, but it is generally suggested to use the latest release.
When downloading a release, select the brunch...tar.gz file from the assets at the bottom of the release post. You do not need the source code files, do not download them.
- Once both files have been downloaded, the Brunch release and your chosen ChromeOS recovery, open a terminal. In most Linux distros you can just press ctrl + alt + t to open it quickly.
- Make sure that pv, cgpt, tar and unzip are installed.
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y install pv cgpt tar unzip
- My example uses
apt, a package manager for Debian and Ubuntu based distros. If you use Arch, you will need vboot-utils for access to cgpt and a different package manager may be needed to install the rest.
4b. Some Linux releases may require the universe repo to install some of the above dependencies. If you get any errors about a dependency being unavaliable, add the universe repo with this command, and then try the previous step again afterwards.
sudo add-apt-repository universe
- After all dependencies have been installed,
cdinto the directory where your files were downloaded. For most users this will be~/Downloads
cd ~/Downloads
- Extract the Brunch archive using
tar
- Replace
brunch_filename.tar.gzwith the file's actual filename.
tar zxvf brunch_filename.tar.gz
- Extract the ChromeOS recovery using
unzip
- Replace
chromeos_filename.bin.zipwith the file's actual filename.
unzip chromeos_filename.bin.zip
Once completed, you will have 4 new files from the brunch archive, and a recovery bin that we will use in the next step.
- Before continuing, you will need to know what disk you want to install to. Be absolutely sure before you continue, this installation will erase everything on that disk, including other partitions. The disk must be at least 16 GB, or the installation will fail. There are several ways to determine which disk is your target, in my example I'll be using
lsblk.
lsblk -e7
This command will show your disks, and the partitions on them. It will also show their sizes and if they are currently mounted. Use this information to determine which disk is your target.
- Your target will never be zram or a loop device.
- Some PCs may require RAID to be disabled before showing your disks correctly.
- For this installation, a USB is treated the same as any HDD or SSD.
- If there is an EFI mountpoint on a disk that disk is your boot disk.
- You cannot install Brunch directly onto the same disk you are currently booting from.
- When doing a singleboot installation, your target will not be a partition. This method installs to the entire disk.
- Once you've determined your target disk, you're ready to install Brunch.
- As before, replace
chromeos_filename.binwith the bin file's actual filename. - You will also replace
diskwith your target disk. (Such assdb,mmcblk0ornvme0n1for example)
sudo bash chromeos-install.sh -src chromeos_filename.bin -dst /dev/disk
The script will ask for confirmation. If you're ready to install, type yes into the prompt.
The installation may take some time depending on the speed of your target disk, please be patient. There may be a couple of GPT Header errors, which can be safely ignored. Depending on the Linux distro you are doing, the system may automatically mount some of the new partitions the script made. You can safely close these windows.
The installation will report that ChromeOS was installed when it is finished. Before closing the terminal, make sure that there are no additional errors in the terminal. If there are no errors, then you are good to go!
If you installed using a Linux Live USB or installed to a second internal disk, then you should be ready to boot into Brunch without a USB. If you've installed to a USB, keep it plugged in and reboot. It is normal for the first boot to take a very long time, please be patient.
-
The first boot is the best time to setup anything important such as changing kernels or framework options by selecting the "ChromeOS (Settings)" boot option.
-
If you have any issues, it is strongly advised to check out the Brunch Configuration Menu for possible patches or solutions.
This guide is for installing Brunch to a disk using a Brunch USB. This guide requires having a working Brunch USB to initiate the install, you can make one by following the guide above. To begin, boot into a working Brunch USB and click the dropdown below to continue.
Click to open singleboot guide
- Root access.
- Target Disk must be 16 GB minimum.
- Working Brunch USB.
- A compatible PC to boot Brunch on.
- An entry level understanding of the linux terminal.
- This guide aims to make this process as easy as possible, but knowing the basics is expected.
-
Log into ChromeOS, and switch to the TTY2 terminal with Ctrl + Alt + F2, then login as
chronos. -
Before continuing, you will need to know what disk you want to install to. Be absolutely sure before you continue, this installation will erase everything on that disk, including other partitions. The disk must be at least 16 GB, or the installation will fail. There are several ways to determine which disk is your target, in my example I'll be using
lsblk.
lsblk -e7
This command will show your disks, and the partitions on them. It will also show their sizes and if they are currently mounted. Use this information to determine which disk is your target.
-
Your target will never be zram or a loop device.
-
Some PCs may require RAID to be disabled before showing your disks correctly.
-
For this installation, a USB is treated the same as any HDD or SSD.
-
If there is an EFI mountpoint on a disk that disk is your boot disk.
- You cannot install Brunch directly onto the same disk you are currently booting from.
-
When doing a singleboot installation, your target will not be a partition. This method installs to the entire disk.
- Once you've determined your target disk, you're ready to install Brunch.
- You will replace
diskwith your target disk. (Such assdb,mmcblk0ornvme0n1for example)
sudo chromeos-install -dst /dev/disk
The script will ask for confirmation. If you're ready to install, type yes into the prompt.
The installation may take some time depending on the speed of your target disk, please be patient. There may be a couple of GPT Header errors, which can be safely ignored.
The installation will report that ChromeOS was installed when it is finished. Before closing the terminal, make sure that there are no additional errors in the terminal. If there are no errors, then you are good to go!
It is normal for the first boot to take a very long time, please be patient.
- The first boot is the best time to setup anything important such as changing kernels or framework options by selecting the "ChromeOS (Settings)" boot option.
- If you have any issues, it is strongly advised to check out the Brunch Configuration Menu for possible patches or solutions.
This guide is for installing Brunch to a partition using Linux. This guide is not compatible with Linux Live USBs, you should be using an already installed distro. To begin, boot into the Linux distro of your choice and click the dropdown below to continue.
Click to open dualboot guide
- Root access.
- Target partition must be 16gb minimum, unencrypted, and formatted as NTFS or EXT4
pv,tar,unzipandcgptpackages.- A compatible PC to boot Brunch on.
- An entry level understanding of the linux terminal.
- This guide aims to make this process as easy as possible, but knowing the basics is expected.
- Grub2 Bootloader
- Download a recovery suitable for your CPU. The list below can help you select one. You do not need to select a recovery that matches the latest Brunch release number, the most recent avaliable is typically fine.
- 8th gen & 9th gen: "shyvana" for Intel / "bobba" for Celeron.
- 10th gen: "jinlon".
- 11th gen & above: "voxel".
- Ryzen: "gumboz".
Recoveries can be found by clicking the above links. They can also be found by going to cros.tech and searching for the recovery you want.
After selecting the recovery you want, you can select a specific release. Posted releases may be behind the current release, this is normal and you can update into the current release later. It is usually suggested to use the latest release avaliable.
- Download the Brunch files from this GitHub repository. Do not use files found on other sites or linked in videos online. The releases tab can be found at the bottom of the right-hand column on the main GitHub page, but it is generally suggested to use the latest release.
When downloading a release, select the brunch...tar.gz file from the assets at the bottom of the release post. You do not need the source code files, do not download them.
- Once both files have been downloaded, the Brunch release and your chosen ChromeOS recovery, open a terminal. In most Linux distros you can just press ctrl + alt + t to open it quickly.
- Make sure that pv, cgpt, tar and unzip are installed.
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y install pv cgpt tar unzip
- My example uses
apt, a package manager for Debian and Ubuntu based distros. If you use Arch, you will need vboot-utils for access to cgpt and a different package manager may be needed to install the rest.
4b. Some Linux releases may require the universe repo to install some of the above dependencies. If you get any errors about a dependency being unavaliable, add the universe repo with this command, and then try the previous step again afterwards.
sudo add-apt-repository universe
- After all dependencies have been installed,
cdinto the directory where your files were downloaded. For most users this will be~/Downloads
cd ~/Downloads
- Extract the Brunch archive using
tar
- Replace
brunch_filename.tar.gzwith the file's actual filename.
tar zxvf brunch_filename.tar.gz
- Extract the ChromeOS recovery using
unzip
- Replace
chromeos_filename.bin.zipwith the file's actual filename.
unzip chromeos_filename.bin.zip
Once completed, you will have 4 new files from the brunch archive, and a recovery bin that we will use in the next step.
- Before continuing, you will need to know what partition you want to install to. The partition must be at least 16 GB, or the installation will fail. There are several ways to determine which partition is your target, in my example I'll be using
lsblk.
lsblk -e7
This command will show your disks, and the partitions on them. It will also show their sizes and if they are currently mounted. Use this information to determine which partition is your target.
- Your target will never be zram or a loop device.
- Some PCs may require RAID to be disabled before showing your disks correctly.
- If there is an EFI mountpoint on a disk that disk is your boot disk.
- When doing a dualboot installation, your target will be a partition. This method creates an img file on that partition.
- The target partition does not need to be on the same disk as your linux install.
- If you have not made a partition yet, make one before continuing.
- After determining your target partition, make a directory to mount it onto.
mkdir -p ~/tmpmount
- Then mount the partition to that mountpoint.
- Replace
partwith the partition's actual name. (Such assda3,mmcblk0p5ornvme0n1p4for example)
sudo mount /dev/part ~/tmpmount
- Once you've mounted your target partition, you're ready to install Brunch.
- As before, replace
chromeos_filename.binwith the bin file's actual filename. - You will also replace
sizewith a whole number. (Such as14,20, or100for example)- The number must be a minimum of 14, but less than the avaliable space on your partition in GB.
sudo bash chromeos-install.sh -src chromeos_filename.bin -dst ~/tmpmount/chromeos.img -s size
The script will ask for confirmation. If you're ready to install, type yes into the prompt.
The installation may take some time depending on the speed of your target disk, please be patient. There may be a couple of GPT Header errors, which can be safely ignored. If you are told that there is not enough space to install, reduce the number at the end of your command until it fits. It is normal that the img cannot take the entire space of the partition, as some of that space is reserved by the system.
The installation will report that ChromeOS was installed when it is finished. Before continuing, make sure that there are no additional errors in the terminal. If there are no errors, then you are good to continue!
-
Copy the Grub Boot Entries that are displayed in the terminal. (All of the text between the lines of asterisks
********) There will be two of them together, you should copy both entries as they are both used by Brunch. -
Create a copy of your existing 40_custom file.
sudo cp /etc/grub.d/40_custom /etc/grub.d/99_brunch
- Open the
99_brunchfile in an editor. For this guide we'll be usingnanobut you can usegedit,vi, or any editor of your choice.
- If you do not have an editor, you can install
nanowith this command:sudo apt install nano
sudo nano /etc/grub.d/99_brunch
-
Paste the Grub Boot Entries that you copied at the end of this file. These boot entries must be after the code that is already in this file, do not remove the existing lines of code.
-
Save and close this file. In
nanoyou'll exit by pressing Ctrl + X then Y to save. Then press Enter to confirm. -
After saving, commit the new entries to Grub.
sudo update-grub
- At this point, you can unmount the target partition.
sudo umount ~/tmpmount
- If you have secure boot enabled, you should download the secure boot key from this repo and enroll the key.
sudo mokutil --import brunch.der
It is normal for the first boot to take a very long time, please be patient.
-
The first boot is the best time to setup anything important such as changing kernels or framework options by selecting the "ChromeOS (Settings)" boot option.
-
If you have any issues, it is strongly advised to check out the Brunch Configuration Menu for possible patches or solutions.
See the full Troubleshooting and Support page if you're having issues.
- If you're having trouble booting a Brunch USB, make sure that UEFI is enabled in the BIOS.
- Some PCs require a key to be held when booting to boot from USB or that USB booting is enabled in the BIOS
- The first boot can take up to an hour on some hardware. Brunch does not typically freeze on the Brunch logo. If you are seeing the Brunch logo, the system is probably still booting.
- If your PC is stuck on the ChromeOS logo (White background), it is likely that you've got an incompatible dedicated GPU.
- If you get a blue screen saying "Verification failed" you can either disable secure boot in your bios settings, or enroll the secure boot key.
- To enroll the key directly from a USB, select OK -> Enroll key from disk -> EFI-SYSTEM -> brunch.der -> Continue and reboot.
- If the system reboots itself when booting normally, then Brunch has run into an error and you may need to do some advanced troubleshooting.
In case you run into issues while installing or using Brunch, you can find support on Discord:
