HP Chromebook 14

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The HP Chromebook 14 (and newer chromebooks in general) features a "legacy boot" mode that makes it easy to boot Linux and other operating systems. The legacy boot mode is provided by the
SeaBIOS
payload of coreboot.
SeaBIOS
behaves like a traditional BIOS that boots into the GPT of a disk, and from there into your standard
boot loaders
like
Syslinux
and
GRUB
.
Installation
Go to the
Chromebook
page, read the
Introduction
and continue by following the
Installation
guide.
Post Installation Configuration
For information on general Chromebook post installation configuration (hotkeys, power key handling ...) see
Post installation configuration
on the
Chromebook
page.
Touchpad Configuration
Add the Xorg touchpad configuration below for better usability (higher sensitivity).
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-cros-touchpad.conf
Section "InputClass"
    Identifier      "touchpad peppy cyapa"
    Driver          "synaptics"
    MatchIsTouchpad "on"
    MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
    MatchProduct    "cyapa"
    Option          "FingerLow" "10"
    Option          "FingerHigh" "10"
EndSection
Reboot for the touchpad to become operational.
Keyboard Keymapping Fix
We will create a custom hwdb config file to bypass the default mapping in
/usr/lib/udev/hwdb.d/60-keyboard.hwdb
of the keys between escape and power so they will work as
F1
to
F10
and the search button as
Super_L
(aka
Mod4
.
Creating the following configuration file:
/etc/udev/hwdb.d/90-chromebook-keyboard-fix.hwdb
# Chromebook 14 fix
evdev:atkbd:dmi:bvn*:bvr*:bd*:svnHewlett-Packard*:pnFalco:pvr*
 KEYBOARD_KEY_3b=f1
 KEYBOARD_KEY_3c=f2
 KEYBOARD_KEY_3d=f3
 KEYBOARD_KEY_3e=f4
 KEYBOARD_KEY_3f=f5
 KEYBOARD_KEY_40=f6
 KEYBOARD_KEY_41=f7
 KEYBOARD_KEY_42=f8
 KEYBOARD_KEY_43=f9
 KEYBOARD_KEY_44=f10
 KEYBOARD_KEY_db=leftmeta
Then follow the steps at
Map scancodes to keycodes#Using udev
.
Adding hotkeys back
Once you have applied the above fix you can set the function and arrow keys to act similar to how they are in ChromeOS using a modifier key. The example below uses
Mod4
(Search on the chromebook's keyboard). This can be changed to
Ctrl
or
Alt
if you prefer.
See
Chrome OS devices#Using Xbindkeys
.
To make the change permanent, see
Xbindkeys#Making changes permanent
.
Locating the Write-Protect Screw
Warning
There are 4 hidden screws under rubber stubs (not the rubber feet) at the bottom.
Remove the visible screws and another 4 hidden screws under rubber stubs (not the rubber feet) at the bottom.
Flip the laptop right side up and use a thin blunt object to pry the keyboard surface from the bottom half.
The bios screw is located to the left of the fan, it can be recognized by the fact that the copper circle it sits on is split in half "( )" vs "O". The screw connects the two halves, making the bios unwritable.
Once this screw is removed, it is advisable to unplug the battery and plug it back in to ensure that the removal is recognized.
See disassembly pictures
[1]
,
[2]
and
the location of the write-protect screw
.
See also
A HOWTO for replacing SSD
A log of how to replace ChromeOS with Arch Linux
Disassembly for replacing the screen
Disassembly instructions (official)