Small Storage Devices (32GB or Less)

This guide is for devices with small disks. The disk size decides the component and the update method.

Check the disk size on the device with lsblk:

lsblk

• Less than 20GB: the desktop-mini component. The device must boot from a USB drive.
• More than 20GB: the desktop component.

For devices under 32GB, the USB boot may or may not be needed, because they use a different update mechanism.

Common models are a shortcut only. Acer Chromebooks usually have 32GB disks, and Dell and Lenovo Chromebooks usually have 16GB disks. Unusual devices exist, so always check the disk size with lsblk.

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Prepare the USB Drive (if needed)

Before updating, ensure your USB drive contains the correct update files: desktop-mini for a device under 20GB, or desktop for a larger device.

1. Check Update Exists Locally

   On a computer that already has the updates, check the required component is available.

   # For devices over 20GB
   tl-comp-latest desktop
   
   # For devices under 20GB
   tl-comp-latest desktop-mini

2. Transfer Files to USB

   Mount your USB and copy the components to it.

   # Mount the 4th partition of your USB drive
   sudo mount /dev/sdx4 /mnt
   
   # Create the destination directories
   mkdir -p /mnt/desktop /mnt/admin
   
   # Transfer the component (replace 'desktop' with 'desktop-mini' if needed)
   rsync -avP /srv/desktop/vX.X.X* /mnt/desktop/
   rsync -avP /srv/admin/vX.X.X* /mnt/admin/

   Note

   Replace vX.X.X with the actual version number.

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1. Free Up Space (32GB Devices Only)

If you are updating a 32GB Chromebook, you must free up space before proceeding.

1. Open the application menu and launch the Manage Components tool.
2. Delete all existing desktop versions and snapshots. This is a critical step.

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2. Install the Update

Once your USB is ready, follow these steps on the target computer.

1. Boot from the USB Drive

   Restart the computer and boot from the USB drive.

   • Chromebooks: Press ESC repeatedly after power-on and select the USB.
   • Minis: The boot key varies by manufacturer (usually F12, F11, or Esc).

2. Execute the Command

   From the recovery environment, run the update command for the internal drive (usually /dev/mmcblk0 or /dev/sda).

   To Update an existing system:

   tl-hw-update-desktop /dev/mmcblk0

   To Setup a new computer (Fresh Install):

   tl-hw-prepare /dev/mmcblk0 tl-xxxx

   Tip

   If tl-hw-update-desktop fails, use tl-hw-prepare instead. This will wipe the drive and start fresh.

3. Reboot

   After the command finishes, restart the computer.

   reboot