--- title: I'm not upgrading to Windows 11, but I'm not tolerating... description: A personal account of dealing with an aging HP Pavilion laptop that can't run Windows 11 and feels too limiting under Linux. After trying Chrome OS Flex (which... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-not-upgrading-to-windows-11-but-i-m-not-tolerating-linux-either-tspycdtym twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I'm not upgrading to Windows 11, but I'm not tolerating Linux either | daily.dev og:description: A personal account of dealing with an aging HP Pavilion laptop that can't run Windows 11 and feels too limiting under Linux. After trying Chrome OS Flex (which... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-not-upgrading-to-windows-11-but-i-m-not-tolerating-linux-either-tspycdtym og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/TSpYCDTym.png og:image:alt: I'm not upgrading to Windows 11, but I'm not tolerating Linux either og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I'm not upgrading to Windows 11, but I'm not tolerating Linux either **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A personal account of dealing with an aging HP Pavilion laptop that can't run Windows 11 and feels too limiting under Linux. After trying Chrome OS Flex (which lacks Play Store support) and dismissing Linux distros as too complex for daily workflow needs, the author discovers the Brunch Framework — an open-source project that installs the full Chrome OS (with Play Store) on non-Chromebook hardware. The result is a surprisingly smooth experience that revives the old notebook without the frustrations of Windows 11 or the learning curve of Linux. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How can I install full Chrome OS with Play Store support on an old Windows laptop that isn't an official Chromebook? Use the open-source Brunch Framework, which tricks the official Chrome OS recovery image into believing it is running on a genuine Chromebook rather than a former Windows machine. This lets you boot into a full Chrome OS installation, including Play Store access for Android apps, unlike the directly bootable Chrome OS Flex which lacks Play Store and Android app support entirely. _daily.dev surfaces guides like this for developers repurposing old hardware into Chrome OS machines._ ### Why doesn't Chrome OS Flex support Android apps or the Google Play Store? Chrome OS Flex is a web-first, lightweight version of Chrome OS designed for older hardware, but it strips out support for Android apps and the standard Google Play Store found on official Chromebooks, making it feel more like a souped-up browser than a full operating system. This absence of an app ecosystem is a major limitation for anyone hoping to replicate a genuine Chromebook experience. _developers weighing lightweight OS options for old hardware can find comparisons like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I forced Windows 11 onto ancient hardware, and Linux suddenly became the obvious choice](https://daily.dev/posts/i-forced-windows-11-onto-ancient-hardware-and-linux-suddenly-became-the-obvious-choice-tbmcwprhf) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 1 comments - [Microsoft finally admitted Windows 11 was broken, but I've already moved on](https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-finally-admitted-windows-11-was-broken-but-i-ve-already-moved-on-muoklyrse) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Bogdan's Blog – From Microsoft to Microslop to Linux: Why I Made the Switch](https://daily.dev/posts/bogdan-s-blog-from-microsoft-to-microslop-to-linux-why-i-made-the-switch-qqiumr1aq) · Hacker News · 6 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-not-upgrading-to-windows-11-but-i-m-not-tolerating-linux-either-tspycdtym) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"I'm not upgrading to Windows 11, but I'm not tolerating Linux either","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-not-upgrading-to-windows-11-but-i-m-not-tolerating-linux-either-tspycdtym","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-not-upgrading-to-windows-11-but-i-m-not-tolerating-linux-either-tspycdtym"},"datePublished":"2026-07-16T13:30:45.300Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T18:39:37.437Z","description":"A personal account of dealing with an aging HP Pavilion laptop that can't run Windows 11 and feels too limiting under Linux. 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