How to convert Hexxeh's Chrome OS build image to a VirtualBox .VDI

Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Open Source, How-Tos

Been wanting to check out that Google Chrome OS developer build put together by Hexxeh, but don't have a spare netbook or laptop to run it on? Why not fire it up in Virtualbox instead?

Sure, the original Chrome OS builds that were made available were already in virtual machine-friendly formats, but I found them to be pretty sluggish. Hexxeh's Diet Chromium build runs much more smoothly - on both physical and virtual hardware.

Rolling your own .vdi for VirtualBox is actually a very simple process -- and necessary, since I was never able to get the .img file to boot (just a blinking cursor on a black screen). Here's how to do it on a system running Windows:

1. Download or torrent the latest version from Hexxeh
2. Extract the image from within .tar.gz file using an archiver like 7-zip
3. Open a command prompt
4. Change to the directory where you saved your download (e.g. c:\users\you\downloads\)
5. Type path=c:\program files\sun\virtualbox\ and press enter (*note: your path may differ)
6. Type vboxmanage convertdd ChromeOS-Cherry.img ChromeOS-Cherry.vdi and press enter
7. Wait patiently

Once you've got the .vdi created, you simply need to create a new virtul machine in Virtualbox. During the creation process, choose Linux/Ubuntu for the OS type, select use existing hard drive image when prompted, and add your ChromeOS-Cherry.vdi.
Input is still a little laggy, but it's definitely more usable than the first builds. If anyone manages to get guest additions working - by all means, share your tips in the comments!
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How to convert Hexxeh's Chrome OS build image to a VirtualBox .VDI originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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