Subject: Unable to Boot Kali Linux on HP Chromebook 11 G5 (Crashes During Startup)

Hello, Kali Linux Community,

I’m attempting to install and boot Kali Linux on my HP Chromebook 11 G5, and I’ve run into some issues that I can’t seem to resolve. Here’s a breakdown of my situation:


1. Device Details:

  • Model: HP Chromebook 11 G5
  • Processor: Intel Celeron N3060
  • RAM: 4 GB RAM
  • Storage: 16GB

2. What I’ve Tried So Far:

  • Developer Mode: Enabled Developer Mode successfully.
  • Firmware: MrChromebox’s UEFI firmware.
  • Boot Media: Tried creating a bootable USB and microSD card using Rufus, Balena Etcher, and UNetbootin. None of them are recognized during boot.
  • Kali ISO: Downloaded the Kali Linux 2024.4 ISO from the official site and verified the checksum.
  • Flashing Tools: Used Rufus (ISO mode and DD mode) and ensured the partitioning scheme is MBR and file system is FAT32.

3. Current Issue:

  • The Chromebook powers on but crashes after a few seconds.
  • I attempted booting from a USB and microSD card, but neither shows up in the boot menu.
  • I’ve reset the device and tried hard resets (Esc + Refresh + Power) multiple times.

4. Questions:

  • Bootable Media: Does Kali support booting from a microSD card on a Chromebook? If not, how can I resolve my issue with the USB?
  • Firmware: Could this be a firmware issue, and should I reinstall MrChromebox’s UEFI firmware? If so, how can I do this with a partially unresponsive device?
  • Recovery Options: If my Chromebook is bricked or semi-bricked, what are the recommended steps to recover it? Is there a way to reflash the firmware or boot Kali another way?

5. Additional Notes:

  • I’d prefer to run Kali in live mode initially and install it later if the live boot is successful.
  • Any insights into troubleshooting or alternative approaches would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your time and expertise. Please let me know if I need to provide additional details!

What device are you using to write the ISO to USB?
Balena etcher is the best tool, to use.

And it sounds like you need different firmware on your chromebook to boot any Linux version;

1 Like

I was using rufus but I’ll try Balena etcher.

Also, I installed MrChromebox’s firmware already…

once you have enabled developer mode, you do need to set it to boot legacy mode;

I already installed MrChromebox’s firmware so I’m in a boot menu. I can only access eMMC Device and UEFI Shell. I didn’t enable boot from USB or boot legacy because the tutorial I was following didn’t say anything about either… Is it possible to go back to chrome os to enable boot from USB and boot legacy?