chrx Generic - Universal Chromebook Linux Installer

A fork of the original chrx installer, redesigned to work with any Linux distribution that provides a rootfs tarball. Install your favorite distro on your Chromebook with a single command!

🚀 Quick Start

Install chrx and set up Linux on your Chromebook with one command, run twice:

curl -L tinyurl.com/td-chrx-tar | sudo tar xzfC - /usr/local && chrx

First Run (Partition Mode)

• Creates a partition for Linux
• Asks for desired partition size (default: 16 GB)
• Formats the partition
• Prompts you to run the command again

Second Run (Install Mode)

• Downloads and installs Linux
• Default: Zorin OS 17 Core
• Configures system settings
• Installs GRUB bootloader
• Sets up dual-boot with ChromeOS

✨ Features

• Universal: Works with any Linux distro that provides a tar.gz rootfs
• Two-step process: Partition once, install once
• Smart detection: Automatically determines which mode to run
• URL support: Handles direct downloads and shortlinks (TinyURL, bit.ly, etc.)
• Interactive TUI: Beautiful text-based menus for easy configuration
• Non-interactive mode: Full automation with command-line options
• GRUB automation: Automatically installs and configures GRUB
• Dual-boot: Seamlessly coexists with ChromeOS

📋 Requirements

• Chromebook in Developer Mode
• 8+ GB free disk space (16+ GB recommended)
• Internet connection

🎯 Usage

Interactive Mode (Recommended for first-time users)

Simply run the command and follow the prompts:

curl -L https://tinyurl.com/td-chrx-tar | sudo tar xzfC - /usr/local && chrx

The installer will guide you through:

1. Setting partition size
2. Choosing your distro (via URL)
3. Configuring hostname, username, timezone
4. Setting passwords

Non-Interactive Mode

Fully automated installation with command-line options:

# First run - create 32GB partition
chrx -s 32 -y

# Second run - install custom distro
chrx -u https://example.com/my-distro.tar.gz -H mycomputer -U myuser -P mypassword -y

Command-Line Options

Option	Description	Example
-u URL	Rootfs tar.gz download URL	-u https://example.com/distro.tar.gz
-s SIZE	Partition size in GB	-s 32
-t DISK	Target disk device	-t /dev/mmcblk0
-H HOSTNAME	System hostname	-H mycomputer
-U USERNAME	User account name	-U myuser
-P PASSWORD	Root password	-P mypassword
-L LOCALE	System locale	-L en_US.UTF-8
-Z TIMEZONE	System timezone	-Z America/New_York
-y	Non-interactive mode	-y
-v	Verbose output	-v
-h	Show help	-h

🎨 Supported Distributions

This version of chrx (hypothetically) works with any Linux distribution that provides a rootfs tarball. Popular options include:

• Arch Linux: https://mirrors.kernel.org/archlinux/iso/latest/
• Ubuntu: https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-base/
• Debian: https://www.debian.org/distrib/
• Fedora: https://alt.fedoraproject.org/
• Gentoo: https://www.gentoo.org/downloads/
• Alpine: https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/
• Void Linux: https://voidlinux.org/download/

Default Distribution

By default, chrx-generic installs Zorin OS 17.3 Core:

• URL: https://tinyurl.com/chrx-zorin-17
• Size: ~2.5 GB download
• Features: Ubuntu-based, Windows-like interface, beginner-friendly

🔧 Advanced Usage

Custom Distributions

To install a custom distribution:

1. Find a rootfs tar.gz file for your chosen distro
2. Use the -u option with the direct download URL:

chrx -u https://example.com/path/to/rootfs.tar.gz

Creating Rootfs Archives

If your favorite distro doesn't provide a rootfs tarball, you can create one:

1. Install the distro in a VM or container
2. Create a tarball of the root filesystem:

sudo tar czf my-distro-rootfs.tar.gz -C /path/to/root .

3. Upload to a web server and use with chrx

Partition Sizes

Recommended partition sizes by use case:

• Minimal: 8-16 GB (CLI-only, basic tools)
• Standard: 16-32 GB (Desktop environment, common apps)
• Developer: 32-64 GB (IDEs, build tools, containers)
• Workstation: 64+ GB (Heavy workloads, multimedia)

🖥️ After Installation

Booting

After rebooting, at the "OS verification is OFF" screen:

• Press CTRL+D to boot ChromeOS
• Press CTRL+L to boot Linux

Default Credentials

• Username: chrx (or your specified username)
• Password: chrx (or your specified password)

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Change your password immediately after first login!

passwd

Post-Installation Steps

Depending on your distribution, you may need to:

1. Configure networking:

   # For systemd-based distros
   sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
   sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

2. Update the system:

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
   
   # Arch
   sudo pacman -Syu
   
   # Fedora
   sudo dnf upgrade

3. Install additional packages:

   • Graphics drivers
   • Firmware packages
   • Desktop environment (if not included)

🛠️ Troubleshooting

"Partition 7 not found"

Run chrx in partition mode first:

chrx -s 16 -y

"Unable to access URL"

• Check your internet connection
• Verify the URL is correct and accessible
• Try with -v for verbose output

GRUB doesn't install

Some minimal rootfs archives don't include GRUB. Install it manually after setup:

sudo apt install grub-pc  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo pacman -S grub       # Arch

Then run:

sudo grub-install /dev/sdX
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Boot hangs or fails

Try updating the bootloader:

sudo update-grub  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg  # Others

🏗️ Development

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/trainingdummy/chrx.git
   cd chrx

2. Make your changes to the chrx script

3. Build the distribution package:

   chmod +x build.sh
   ./build.sh

4. Test locally:

   sudo tar xzfC dist.tar.gz /usr/local
   sudo chrx

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on a Chromebook
5. Submit a pull request

📝 Differences from Original chrx

This fork differs from the original chrx in several ways:

Feature	Original chrx	chrx-generic
Supported distros	Pre-configured list	Any distro with tar.gz
Configuration	Distro-specific tweaks	Generic, minimal
Customization files	Extensive per-distro files	User provides rootfs
Bootloader	Conditional GRUB install	Always attempts GRUB
URL support	Internal mirrors	Any public URL
Interface	CLI-focused	Modern TUI menus

📜 License

This project is a fork of the original chrx, which is licensed under the GPL. This fork maintains the same license.

🙏 Credits

• Original chrx by reynhout and contributors
• GalliumOS team for Chromebook Linux pioneering
• The ChromeOS and Linux communities

💬 Support

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the Troubleshooting section
• Visit the chrx.org documentation

⚠️ Disclaimer

This software modifies your Chromebook's disk partitions. While designed to be safe:

• Backup your data before proceeding
• Use at your own risk
• Not responsible for data loss or hardware damage
• Test in a non-critical environment first

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Made with ❤️ by the Chromebook Linux community