No computer lasts forever. No matter how well you take care of it, eventually that fancy laptop you bought six years ago will slow down — in some cases, to the point that it becomes totally unusable.

Chromebooks come with Google’s Chrome OS software pre-installed. But Google also maintains an open source version called Chromium OS that can theoretically be installed on just about any PC or Mac.

Learn how to install ChromeOS Flex on an old Windows laptop, create a bootable USB drive, test hardware, and avoid losing files.

When my brother was killed in 2017, I inherited his Apple setup, including a 2012 Mac mini. Initially inclined to donate the computer, I decided to keep it as a reminder of the Apple-obsessed Frankie.

If you have an elderly Mac that’s not up to the demands of the latest macOS version, you can turn it into a Chromebook. All you need is Chrome OS Flex, an operating system Google created for older ...