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Fight Chromebook and win

Ok, but how do I get it vpned BEFORE I go online with it? Is that possible? Could I get that on some other device and then somehow transfer it prior to making the big leap?
 
Rgarner said:
Ok, but how do I get it vpned BEFORE I go online with it? Is that possible? Could I get that on some other device and then somehow transfer it prior to making the big leap?
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Use another device that is online to download the VPN app, like a phone, tablet, or computer, and then copy the APK over to the Chromebook using a USB thumb-drive or HDD.
 
Is a thumb drive the same as a flash drive? How much space do I need on it? I guess there's a place to plug that in on the crimebook.
 
Rgarner said:
Is a thumb drive the same as a flash drive? How much space do I need on it? I guess there's a place to plug that in on the crimebook.
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Yup, and Psiphon is <10MB.

I assume your "crimebook" has USB ports and some sort of file browser in it? I've never seen or used one for myself, only read about them, like that they can apparently install and run Android apps.
 
I posted some pictures showing the assorted slots and whatnot. They should be earlier in this thread. How do I get the VPN onto the drive from a phone? That's the only other device I've got, except for that REALLY useless tablet.
 
Rgarner said:
I posted some pictures showing the assorted slots and whatnot. They should be earlier in this thread. How do I get the VPN onto the drive from a phone? That's the only other device I've got, except for that REALLY useless tablet.
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Does the phone have USB-OTG?
You could use the Chromebook browser itself, and go to https://psiphon.ca/, and directly download the Psiphon APK. Unless the VPN site is censored or blocked, and that's why you need the VPN?
 
How do I check for that? Is it in settings? I wish I knew somebody around here who had some experience with crimebooks.
 
FYI, I just switched on the No Root Firewall and had googoo access denied. Yes, I loathe them, but now and then I end up using some of their crap. When I shut off the VPN I did have access. What's up with that?
 
I wish someone knew of a viable YouTube alternative. I mean the many people I follow on YouTube probably have channels elsewhere as well (some have the icons for Bitchute among others like Discord but not all) so if I knew where they were also posting I'd get into those and give YouTube the kick in the nads it needs. I'm sick of crime channels censoring the word 'Kill' for crying out loud. I mean it's not even a curse word!

I mean DashieGames can throw f-bombs around like no tomorrow, but a true crime channel like Explore With Us has to censor and bleep out innocuous words like 'kill' 'rape' and 'sex'
 
Unfortunately I don't know much about alternatives but I do know there is one called Vimeo. I've also been told about NewPipe, which even has a version that apparently blocks sponsors (ads). The only bad thing about this, it seems, is that yuck tube is keenly aware of the competition and of course intent on destroying it. What it translates to in practical terms is download it now and be prepared to download an update in maybe a couple of weeks.
 
What's a good size for a flash drive to use with this thing? I looked it up and they are apparently available at least as big as 1 t (!), but of course they cost a lot or suspiciously don't. I probably wouldn't have much luck trying to find such things locally.
 
I have no idea if any popular YouTubers even post to Vimeo. But I don't believe in updates so that option for NewPipe is non-negotiable. I refuse to be part of upgrade culture ever again. I am honestly trying to ditch smart tech for keeps.
 
It's been a while since I posted to this thread, but here goes. I got a Toshiba hard drive of 2 tb, a 32 gb flash drive, and a wireless mouse, all from Walmart. I just hope I didn't waste more than 80 bucks. Today I figure I should at last do something about my investment. I looked up how to install Linux on a crimebook and found Lifewire has just such an article. I would include a link but I don't know how. Since it's dated June 30, 2020 I figure it's probably recent enough. Should I go ahead and set up developer options? I'm used to doing that on a phone, but then it evidently doesn't endanger what's already onboard, as this apparently does to the "computer". Most likely it's a reconditioned model with no important stuff to worry about wiping out, but just in case...
 
I can't tell you how glad I am to see you again. What the heck went wrong? Were you hacked? I thought maybe you were gone forever. Anyway, I've been struggling with that crimebook again. Today I plugged it in and it was already at the warning screen, yay. Supposedly the next step is to type ctrl + d. When I did it led to a password screen. I have no idea what the password is, or why there should be any if it's brand new/refurbished. Is there a way to get around that or reset it? I've had this thing too long not to be able to do a single thing with it. One of the biggest deals I hope to accomplish is to use that Toshiba portable hard drive to transfer content from phones and thus free up space. I was considering trying to connect directly with otg until I found out that none of them has it...well, maybe the Zfold 3. The others are the Samsung A02s, the Moto G Play (2021), and that Blu government phone. I saw a video about forcing Android to do otg (I think). The presenter had a pretty strong accent, and this apparently requires root.
 
Rgarner said:
I can't tell you how glad I am to see you again. What the heck went wrong? Were you hacked? I thought maybe you were gone forever. Anyway, I've been struggling with that crimebook again. Today I plugged it in and it was already at the warning screen, yay. Supposedly the next step is to type ctrl + d. When I did it led to a password screen. I have no idea what the password is, or why there should be any if it's brand new/refurbished. Is there a way to get around that or reset it? I've had this thing too long not to be able to do a single thing with it. One of the biggest deals I hope to accomplish is to use that Toshiba portable hard drive to transfer content from phones and thus free up space. I was considering trying to connect directly with otg until I found out that none of them has it...well, maybe the Zfold 3. The others are the Samsung A02s, the Moto G Play (2021), and that Blu government phone. I saw a video about forcing Android to do otg (I think). The presenter had a pretty strong accent, and this apparently requires root.
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well the site's security expired and folks had to use alternative browsers like microsoft edge or firefox and then chose to ignore the security cert warning. the mods and rob have not come forth with an actual answer as to what happened.
androidforums.com

something was wrong with Androidforums.com

hey guys, so the past two days my chrome browser has a displayed that the page could not be loaded: this is showing also on my phone as well as my work computer. today i decided to try the edge browser and was surprised that i could log online here. anybody know what is going on with chrome...
androidforums.com

as for your issue........what warning screen are we talking about on your chromebook? so is this the first time powering it on?
 
Rgarner said:
It's been a while since I posted to this thread, but here goes. I got a Toshiba hard drive of 2 tb, a 32 gb flash drive, and a wireless mouse, all from Walmart. I just hope I didn't waste more than 80 bucks. Today I figure I should at last do something about my investment. I looked up how to install Linux on a crimebook and found Lifewire has just such an article. I would include a link but I don't know how. Since it's dated June 30, 2020 I figure it's probably recent enough. Should I go ahead and set up developer options? I'm used to doing that on a phone, but then it evidently doesn't endanger what's already onboard, as this apparently does to the "computer". Most likely it's a reconditioned model with no important stuff to worry about wiping out, but just in case...
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Maybe you should keep Chrome OS on it. Can the Chrome OS on it run Android apps? It is a tablet-laptop hybrid, that is, can the keyboard fold back or detach so that it transforms from a laptop to a tablet. If the answer to those questions is "yes", you now own an Android tablet.
 
Windroid said:
Maybe you should keep Chrome OS on it. Can the Chrome OS on it run Android apps? It is a tablet-laptop hybrid, that is, can the keyboard fold back or detach so that it transforms from a laptop to a tablet. If the answer to those questions is "yes", you now own an Android tablet.
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@Rgarner hates google so any way possible to remove google's foothold is what he is looking for......its the same reason he calls it a "crimebook" vs a chromebook.
 
It would probably be easier to use the open-source fork called Chromium OS instead of Chrome OS. Would be a lot better performance-wise over a full blown Linux distro and still be Google-free. I tried Ubuntu 14.04 on an Acer C720 Chromebook and the experience was...painful. Thing froze if so much as two browser windows were open. Running a full Linux distro on one of these piles of crap is like running WinXP on a Pentium 75 with a mere 64MB RAM. It will run, but not well.
 
Hey, guys, it's good to be back here. It's the first time powering it on in a long time. The alarm screen is that thing about the os being damaged or whatever. I guess it's the result of escape + refresh + power. Anyway, when I do ctrl + d I get the password screen. I want to find, change, or bypass this. No, it does not have a detachable keyboard. It's just about as plain and run of the mill as they get. I think I posted some pictures of the wreck just after I got it.
 
Rgarner said:
Hey, guys, it's good to be back here. It's the first time powering it on in a long time. The alarm screen is that thing about the os being damaged or whatever. I guess it's the result of escape + refresh + power. Anyway, when I do ctrl + d I get the password screen. I want to find, change, or bypass this. No, it does not have a detachable keyboard. It's just about as plain and run of the mill as they get. I think I posted some pictures of the wreck just after I got it.
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well there is no way to bypass the password screen. that would be a terrible security system if that happened.
 
If the goal is for this computer to function as an Android tablet: I would strongly recommend keeping the ChromeOS it came with, unless one of the following applies:

#1: The Chrome OS it has does not support Android apps.

#2: Chrome OS is no longer receiving updates.

In that case: it would be worth trying other Android distributions, such as FydeOS and Android x86.
 
Who said anything about an Android tablet? I want this thing to be the computer it's supposed to be. I want it to be capable of dealing with Calibre and connecting to that 2 tb Toshiba portable hard drive which I haven't even used yet because I can't make that hunk of junk behave correctly. I would also like to get minimal adb + fastboot and maybe do some phone fixing. None of that seems really out there to me. How do I get past that password garbage and put this crimebook into developer mode?
 
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