Permanent Developer mode on Lenovo X131e Chromebook?
Ok, I just got a used model off Ebay (pretty beat up lid, but brand new, and I mean BRAND NEW battery) and I'm liking it a lot (trackpad is a bit painful, but oh well), but here's my issue (probably lack of knowledge/understanding): How can I keep the machine in Developer Mode after a reboot? I got dev mode working, downloaded Crouton, installed it along with Ubuntu 16.04 LXDE, started to get it set up and decided to exit out of everything and completely power it off. When I powered it back on, I was presented with the 'Enable OS Verification' screen (which I assume I don't want) and hit CTRL-D for dev mode. This then reset the machine back to factory, and erased everything I'd done. No big deal, I went through the process again and for now am just sleeping the unit. I'm getting upwards of 6 hours on a charge which is phenomenal compared to anything else I have (including my work supplied 2016 MacBook Pro). Am I forced to try to keep it in sleep mode so that I can have both the Chrome OS and LXDE installs? Is this where I should be attempting to flash the BIOS and open the unit up to get at a write-protect switch that I've read about, or is there an easier way that I just an not aware of. Any help is appreciated. For $45 and free shipping, it was too good to pass up.
Posted Oct 5, 2019, 10:33 PM UTC
You put the machine in dev mode, watched it system wipe itself, and rebooted twice just to make sure? You sure you didn't skip a reboot in there to test beforehand?
Nope. I put it in Dev Mode (wiped the system), installed Crouton, installed the Linux system, and after shutting it down and turning it back on, it gave the message to press SPACE to turn on OS Verification. Should I have pressed the spacebar, or would that have turned off Dev mode and put me back to Square One as well? These X131e's are apparently a bit of a different beast from most Chromebooks.
Don't press space at all (mine is the same)
I'm wondering if yours has a manual override on the mobo?
There is apparently some sort of Write Protect switch inside that requires a bit of disassembly. I was hoping to avoid that but I guess I can’t. I’ll see how it goes and if for some reason the thing reboots or runs out of juice, I’ll just go the distance and flash the BIOS and break out my screwdriver. :)
Get a hammer too, it's great for getting rid of frustrations. Use on laptop when necessary :D
Annndddd that's how my one of my desktops died. It deserved it. Feckin thing.