How to Restore a Chromebook’s Original BIOS
If you are on this tutorial, you have probably installed Windows on your Chromebook and you want to change it back to Chrome OS. In this tutorial, I will guide you through the steps to restore the BIOS on your Chromebook to get it running normally.
Resources/Materials
Before proceeding with reinstalling Chrome OS, you should make sure that you have the materials provided below:
- Windows computer
- USB flash drive with 8+ GB of space
Step 1: Restore the Chromebook’s Original BIOS
In order to install the old BIOS onto the system, we will need to run the same script that we used to install the new BIOS. However, we need to be in a Linux system with a full shell, so we will create a bootable USB in order to access the environment.
First, on the other Windows Computer (not the Chromebook), go and install an Ubuntu ISO and Rufus. Follow the directions in the picture below, and then click START. Select to write in ISO image mode and then continue. Make sure that the write-protect screw is removed before proceeding.
Then, connect the USB drive to your Chromebook and reboot it. It should boot into the Ubuntu screen. If it doesn’t, reboot it, and then click any button when the startup screen comes. Next, select Boot Manager, and then USB device. It should then boot up into a menu. Select “Ubuntu” (first option), and a screen will come up showing that it is checking the files.
After it checks the files, it should boot into the Ubuntu Environment. Select Try Ubuntu.
You now have complete access to a live version of Ubuntu, running from your USB drive. Make sure you connect to your WiFi before continuing with the next step, as the internet is required to download the script.
Step 2: Run the Script to Restore the Original BIOS
Now, open a terminal window in Ubuntu and copy and paste the following command:
cd ~; curl -L -O http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh; sudo bash firmware-util.sh
A menu should pop up. If it says “Command ‘curl’ not found”, then just type:
sudo apt install curl
Now, you should be able to rerun the first command and it should work. The menu should look like the picture shown below. On it, Press 9, and then Y (Restore Stock Firmware)
Now, it will ask if you have a firmware backup file. If you do have one, press Y, but if you didn’t create one, press N. If you press N, it will ask you to confirm the system details, and press Y here. It will then install the original BIOS.
Once this step is completed, power off your Chromebook, and take the USB drive out.
Step 3: Create a Chrome OS Recovery Drive USB Drive
Now that the BIOS is installed, we need to create a recovery drive to install Chrome OS again. You can use the USB that we created the Ubuntu drive with.
First, get the Chromebook Recovery Utility. Make sure that the USB is plugged into your computer before opening the program. Next, open the program. You will have to select your computer model from the list. If you don’t know it, boot up your device and it should be at the bottom middle of the screen.
Alternatively, you can select “Select a model from a list.” Once you have chosen the model, click “Next”, and then select the flash drive that you want to use to create the recovery drive.
Select “Continue,” and then “Create Now.” It will now create a recovery drive.
Step 4: Install ChromeOS
Now that we have the flash drive prepared, we can now install ChromeOS onto your Chromebook. Make sure your Chromebook is off. Plug in the USB drive into your Chromebook, and power it on. It should automatically open up to a screen saying that it is verifying. Do not power off the Chromebook during this process. Once it finishes installing, log onto it like normal. There is still one more step before you have a normal Chromebook again.
Step 5: Reset GBB Flags
Once you have finished signing in to Windows, you will have to run the script one last time in order to reset the boot flags. First, press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a Crosh window. Then, type the following line of code:
shell
Press enter, and then run the script:
cd ~; curl -L -O http://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh; sudo bash firmware-util.sh
The menu from before should pop up. Press 4, Enter, 5, and then Enter. Congratulations! You have successfully reverted your Windows Chromebook back to a regular Chromebook.
