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Where Does It Say Ram Size On My Acer C720 Chromebook

I have recently got the message that my Acer Chromebook C720 will non exist receiving any farther updates as Google no longer supports Chromebooks older than vi years. I use mine for surfing the internet, email and creating documents, which I send as email attachments. The motorcar nonetheless works besides as when I first bought it, and I'm reluctant to dump information technology for a new one.

I understand that I tin install a new operating organisation myself but I really can't be bothered. The reason I bought a Chromebook in the start place was because of ease of use, simplicity and reliability. What are the risks if I just proceed to employ it without receiving any more updates? Bill

In that location is no way to assess the hazard because it depends partly on what you lot use your Chromebook for, and how careful you are. Nowadays, well-nigh attacks require some kind of user assistance. This can mean, among other things, installing false Android apps with hidden features, installing artificial Chrome extensions, visiting malicious websites, falling for phishing attacks, falling for human-in-the-middle attacks and failing to install essential security updates.

You will inevitably miss essential security updates to the Chrome browser. However, we can't know in accelerate what sort of holes might appear in Chrome, or whether they might be exploited in unpatched Chromebooks, though Chrome Os'due south security record is very good indeed.

Nosotros likewise can't know how long it will be before your obsolete version of Chrome is unable to cope with new web technologies or when websites will refuse to work with it.

For schools and companies that utilise Chromebooks, Google spells out farther potential problems. "Business organization and instruction customers using devices that have passed their AUE [Car Update Expiration] date should not expect that they can manage their devices every bit expected using the Google Admin console or leverage new direction features released," it says.

Either way, simple web browsing may not be much riskier than usual, and at that place are ways to brand information technology safer. Simply I'd have 2nd thoughts if you employ your automobile for financial operations without two-cistron hallmark, or if your email is full of private medical and financial data, passwords, and so on. The risks might be depression but the stakes would exist higher.

A new Chromebook is cheaper than getting £50,000 siphoned from your bank account.

Chromebook updates

Even Google's top-end Pixelbook Chromebooks have a finite update life.
Even Google's elevation-end Pixelbook Chromebooks have a finite update life. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Google launched Chromebooks in 2011 but the early models were pretty dire, few people bought them, and their relatively short life (about 4 years) didn't matter very much. Chromebooks have changed a lot since then, getting a more than Windowsy expect-and-experience, touchscreen support and access to Google Play with the ability to run Android apps. I presume this ways Google has to test all the old Chromebooks and Chromeboxes – probably about 150 devices – to make certain they run new versions of Chrome Os. It would be fourth dimension-consuming, expensive and ultimately impossible for Google to support all Chrome Bone devices forever.

In 2016, Google introduced an End Of Life (EOL) policy that offered support for v years. About a year later, it changed the name to something that didn't imply planned obsolescence – Motorcar Update Expiration (AUE) – and extended back up for new Chromebooks to half dozen.5 years.

This is a reasonable lifespan compared to laptops running Windows or macOS. Some people run their laptops for longer, but usually they are paying more in wasted fourth dimension than it would cost them to buy a new machine. (Of course, that's bold they have the money available.)

The key point is that the AUE period starts when the manufacturer launches a Chromebook platform, not when you buy it. Y'all tin purchase a brand new Chromebook for a knock-down price, merely if it'south based on a 3-year-quondam platform, it volition but exist supported for 3 and a half, non for six and a half years.

In theory, Chromebook manufacturers could go on shipping the same platform for v or more years. Their outdated specifications ought to warn off potential buyers but typical Chromebook users probably aren't following manufacture hardware trends. Every buyer should therefore check Google's AUE page for finish-of-support dates.

In fact, the AUE date should be shown prominently in Chromebook adverts. If I was going to spend £1,699.99 on a Google Pixelbook or £ane,738 on a Google Pixel Slate, I'd certainly desire to know that they go out of back up in June 2024, co-ordinate to Google's AUE page.

C720 options

Effortless updates are one of the selling points of Chromebooks.
Effortless updates are one of the selling points of Chromebooks, but options are bachelor if you desire to run other operating systems. Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Most Chromebooks are inexpensive and relatively underpowered then I'd expect them to exist slow after 6 and a half years. JavaScript-bloated webpages continue getting bigger, while Chrome batters low-stop fries and guzzles memory by spawning more processes than you have tabs open.

Even so, your Acer Chromebook C720 probably has a dual-cadre 1.4GHz Celeron 2955U laptop processor, which is a Core design rather than a cheap Atom-based or ARM chip. Information technology's probably not far backside a Celeron N4000, though information technology will run hotter and use about twice every bit much electricity. You could repurpose it to run Neverware's CloudReady, a Linux such as GalliumOS, or perchance even Microsoft Windows. I know you don't want to practise this but other users might.

CloudReady works much like a Chromebook but it is really intended to rescue one-time Windows and Mac laptops. Neverware's compatibility list does non include any Chromebooks, that I tin can come across. However, you tin go it to run by opening the instance, removing the Chromebook'south "write protect" spiral and flashing the firmware.

Brian, an Ask Jack reader, said he used MrChromebox's Firmware Utility Script to convert his unsupported Acer C710 Chromebook to UEFI. Subsequently booting from a USB pollex bulldoze, he said: "I installed Cloudware and at that place appears to be no divergence to the Chrome OS. Google transferred all my bookmarks and automatically installed apps and extensions, by my use of the aforementioned account details."

The C720 is on the list of supported Chromebooks but readers should cheque first.

Alert: this kind of thing tin can "brick" your Chromebook. You may be able to rescue it but yous practise this stuff entirely at your ain hazard.

Mitigating problems

Chromebooks were originally designed to do everything online so y'all should take very little personal information on your device. The C720 has a total-sized SD carte du jour slot so you lot should already exist storing backups of your essential files on this hands removable grade of storage. If you merely plug the menu in when you demand information technology, you lot should accept very footling to lose.

You can minimise the corporeality of information stored on your Chromebook past using the privacy settings and turning off features such every bit saving spider web passwords and car-filling web forms. You could even scan in guest mode, which basically means starting as a new user every fourth dimension. The drawback is that you volition take to log in to each website every time and it will not salve your settings.

Chrome OS has had more than l security vulnerabilities. Yet, Google has a standing offer of $150,000 (£120,000) for anyone who can "compromise a Chromebook or Chromebox with device persistence in guest mode (ie guest to invitee persistence with interim reboot, delivered via a webpage)". No one has collected it so that approach should be relatively rubber.

If you lot do option upwards some grade of malware, you lot can reset your Chromebook to mill condition by using the Powerwash feature at the bottom of the "show advanced settings …" page. Of grade, this removes all your files and settings so you may not want to exercise it very frequently but it's nice to have the option.

Accept you got a question? Email it to Enquire.Jack@theguardian.com

Where Does It Say Ram Size On My Acer C720 Chromebook,

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/sep/12/can-i-still-use-my-chromebook-now-it-is-no-longer-supported

Posted by: sandlinbervelp82.blogspot.com

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