[Xulonn]

A fellow retired expat here in the mountains of Western Panama with very minimal computer skills bought a used ASUS Chromebox Model CN60 via Amazon. He bought it to use as a Chromebox to use Chrome and Chrome Apps. When turned on, it boots instantly to Kodi on OpenELEC, and it has apparently been converted and the Chrome OS was deleted. A web search found a reviewer who contacted ASUS,and they confirmed that the CN60 is identical to the M004U, but appears to have been sold in India, and not the U.S. There are apparently some shady operators in India selling used hardware to Americans via Amazon, including hard drives and mini-computer boxes, and lots of problems have been reported. My friend did not get what he ordered, but it's not broken, and returning it to Amazon in the U.S. via a freight forwarder in Miami would be expensive and complicated.

I showed my friend what Kodi is, and he likes it. Kodi means that he can cancel his local cable TV, which is all Spanish, and watch American TV via Kodi. However he wanted to use Chrome as a browser, so I found the OpenELEC/Kodi build on the Kodi unofficial channel, installed it, but it is a rooted app, totally un-secure, and therefore dangerous to use for financial transactions, including online shopping and banking. Now he also wants Skype, which OpenELEC/Kodi does not support, and I'm guessing he will want other apps in the future.

My options are to wipe the SSD and restore Chrome OS and run Kodi on Chrome - or dual boot to OpenElec/Kodi - which is complicated.

But what about installing Linux Mint 17.2 with the Cinnamon desktop shell, and running as apps, Kodi 15 RC3 plus the Chrome Browser, Skype and any other popular app he wants? Since I'm going to end up supporting this friend's Chromebox for the long term, I want it to be as simple and reliable as possible. Maximum performance is not necessary, and he does not have a hi-def TV.

I am a former contract corporate senior network administrator (Novell Netware) and have worked with Microsoft OS's since DOS 2.1. I was never as fast as my younger IT coworkers, and my professional skills are 15 years old. But I can still muddle my way through external booting, partitioning, flashing BIOS's and installing operating systems and apps.

My guess is that a Linux Mint install with the Cinnamon desktop and Linux apps including Chrome and Skype would be the easiest solution.

[Matt Devo]

first things first, all Asus Haswell ChromeBoxes are model CN60 (the upcoming Broadwell one is CN62); the Mxxxx designation is used to denote processor/memory/bundled accessories/region of sale. M004U is the base Celeron/2GB/16GB/no accessories version sold in north America.

Now then, it sounds like some full desktop OS with Kodi as an app is the best solution for your friend. Whether it's Ubuntu, Mint, or even Windows is up to you, since you're the one supporting it. Since the existing configuration isn't precisely known, I'd recommend running my firmware update script to ensure it's up to date (and using a known good firmware). Then wipe/install your OS of choice.

And to clarify, you can't run Kodi natively under ChromeOS (currently anyway - may be possible in the future via the Android app) - the closest you can get is running it under Linux via crouton, which has its own set of issues. Dual booting OpenELEC is pretty straightforward - you simply press CTRL-L or CTRL-D to boot OE or ChromeOS respectively on the dev mode boot screen. It doesn't give you working Skype video chat though, since it's text only on non-IE browsers.

[Xulonn]

Thanks for the help, Matt.

I thought it might be a regional model number.

I think I will re-install Chrome OS and tell him he's pretty much on his own - he's already Going to Chrome websites on his laptop and looking at apps. He is not a good candidate for a Linux system - even Mint.

Once the Chromebox is back in "factory stock" configuration - which shouldn't be too difficult with all the instructions and image files on the internet - I will setup the basic dual-boot OpenELEC/Kodi combo per your instructions.

I only have his wireless keyboard that uses a USB dongle, so I assume that i will have to buy or borrow a wired USB keyboard for the low-level work. (Then again, it might be good to have a spare basic keyboard around anyway...)

BTW, even if I press the Recovery Button with a paperclip (I can feel it click in) and then hit the on switch, it still boots instantly into Kodi/OpenELEC. Does the recovery button only work with Chrome OS installed?

[Matt Devo]

Thanks for the help, Matt.

I thought it might be a regional model number.

I think I will re-install Chrome OS and tell him he's pretty much on his own - he's already Going to Chrome websites on his laptop and looking at apps. He is not a good candidate for a Linux system - even Mint.

Once the Chromebox is back in "factory stock" configuration - which shouldn't be too difficult with all the instructions and image files on the internet - I will setup the basic dual-boot OpenELEC/Kodi combo per your instructions.

I can't speak as to what else is out there on the internet, but the instructions on the wiki should be all you need.

I only have his wireless keyboard that uses a USB dongle, so I assume that i will have to buy or borrow a wired USB keyboard for the low-level work. (Then again, it might be good to have a spare basic keyboard around anyway...)

most brand name wireless keyboards work just fine, with a few exceptions. I use a Logitech K360/K520/K750 and all work fine.

BTW, even if I press the Recovery Button with a paperclip (I can feel it click in) and then hit the on switch, it still boots instantly into Kodi/OpenELEC. Does the recovery button only work with Chrome OS installed?

the recovery button only has functionality with the stock firmware loaded, regardless of whether or not ChromeOS is installed. You'll use it to reload ChromeOS via the recovery media after restoring the stock firmware.

[Xulonn]

For me, it is time to finish this up and get the ASUS Chromebox back to my friend. I am becoming familiar with the how the Chromebox works, and how to run Linux remote scripts. The Chromebox is now in working OEM standalone ChromeOS mode with stock firmware.

One last (hopefully) question: Can I run Kodi/OpenELEC on a USB stick with stock firmware? Or is that option simply another dual boot option that requires the custom firmware and will not work with the Logitech K400 keyboard?

BTW, Amazon recommends their #1 best seller in keyboards - the Logitech K400 keyboard - to go with the ASUS Chromebox, which is the #2 best seller in desktop computers. And it is the only Logitech keyboard on your list that doesn't work!

So a huge number of this combo will be sold, and since that keyboard will not work with the dual-boot configuration, there could be a fair number of people running into this problem. At Amazon, I didn't even bother to look for a relevant Q&A because there are 847 ASUS Chromebox Q&A's, and 1000+ Logitech K400 Q&A's. If the info is indeed buried there, few will ever see it.

Perhaps you could note that incompatibility in BOLD somewhere on the appropriate ChromeOS / Kodi pages, Matt - especially the EZ Setup page.

I still don't understand how, with a 30-second delay on boot, any keyboard could not transmit the L, D or ESC command in time. But I don't know details of the boot sequence.

Perhaps some bright young techie can come up with a method to use a universal TV remote control to transmit the L, D or ESC commands - if the USB transceiver for the remote is quick enough. Is that even in the realm of possibility?

[Matt Devo]

For me, it is time to finish this up and get the ASUS Chromebox back to my friend. I am becoming familiar with the how the Chromebox works, and how to run Linux remote scripts. The Chromebox is now in working OEM standalone ChromeOS mode with stock firmware.

One last (hopefully) question: Can I run Kodi/OpenELEC on a USB stick with stock firmware? Or is that option simply another dual boot option that requires the custom firmware and will not work with the Logitech K400 keyboard?

BTW, Amazon recommends their #1 best seller in keyboards - the Logitech K400 keyboard - to go with the ASUS Chromebox, which is the #2 best seller in desktop computers. And it is the only Logitech keyboard on your list that doesn't work!

So a huge number of this combo will be sold, and since that keyboard will not work with the dual-boot configuration, there could be a fair number of people running into this problem. At Amazon, I didn't even bother to look for a relevant Q&A because there are 847 ASUS Chromebox Q&A's, and 1000+ Logitech K400 Q&A's. If the info is indeed buried there, few will ever see it.

Perhaps you could note that incompatibility in BOLD somewhere on the appropriate ChromeOS / Kodi pages, Matt - especially the EZ Setup page.

I still don't understand how, with a 30-second delay on boot, any keyboard could not transmit the L, D or ESC command in time. But I don't know details of the boot sequence.

Perhaps some bright young techie can come up with a method to use a universal TV remote control to transmit the L, D or ESC commands - if the USB transceiver for the remote is quick enough. Is that even in the realm of possibility?

you can install OE to USB and dual boot with CTRL-L, using the script; none of the dual boot options use the custom firmware, else they wouldn't be able to boot ChromeOS. I'd recommend selecting the USB default boot option for legacy booting (you may need to update the legacy boot / SeaBIOS to get this option) so you don't have to hit ESC/2, just wait the 5s timeout.

the K400 not working on the dev mode boot screen is a function of the K400's firmware, not the ChromeBox or the Logitech Unifying receiver. The incompatibility is listed on the wiki, but since the fast majority of people who purchase from Amazon aren't going to be dual booting, I'm not surprised it's a popular combo

[Xulonn]

Thanks Matt - the script text told me that I needed at least a 4Gb USB memory stick. I inserted one, ran the options and the scripts worked like a charm. Not an elegant solution, but a robust and easy one that solved a problem.

[Matt Devo]

Thanks Matt - the script text told me that I needed at least a 4Gb USB memory stick. I inserted one, ran the options and the scripts worked like a charm. Not an elegant solution, but a robust and easy one that solved a problem.

which part isn't elegant?

[Xulonn]

Having to use a USB stick for the second OS is what I referred to as inelegant - but it is clever.

BTW, I had it working, but screwed up something when I set the boot options, so I will have to ask my neighbor again tomorrow if I can borrow the Dell keyboard from his system and see if I can get back into ChromeOS and use the linux terminal to run your scripts again. It boots great from default - Kodi/OpenELEC on the USB, but now I get a BSOD when I try to boot Chrome from the SSD with the USB stick removed since I cannot use ESC ot Ctrl-D or L with the Logitech K400r.

If I am going to play with dual boot machines and perhaps help others - non-techies - in the future, I guess I'll order a spare USB keyboard that works with the ASUS chromebox.. Keyboards sold here in Panama are Spanish, and I'm not ready for that yet. (I plan to get an Azio backlit wireless when I buy my Zotac Zbox next month, but it's always good to get a backup when you live in a remote small town in central America!)