Today, installing Android on a laptop is as easy as installing Ubuntu or any other OS on Linux based. Depending on your needs, you can make Android the main system on your computer or install it in a virtual machine. Both methods have their advantages, and they are not difficult to implement.
Android as the main laptop OS
Now anyone can download a version of the Android OS, which is specially adapted for Intel and AMD processors. Free download absolutely legal installation image in ISO format can be found on the official website of the Android-x86 project. After this, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:
- Write the contents of the image to a flash drive or disk using special program, for example UltraISO or Rufus.
- Restart your computer and boot from external device(if the boot does not happen automatically, you need to change the priority of boot devices through the BIOS settings).
- If necessary, the installation menu can be divided HDD into sections, highlighting a part for Android installations. If you already have Windows installed on your laptop, you can save it, and when you turn on the computer, you can select the system you want.
- Format the selected partition in ext3 format and continue installation.
- If another OS is installed on your computer, you must agree to install the GRUB boot loader.
- This will be followed by an automatic installation process, upon completion of which you can immediately launch the installed Android OS.
If your laptop has a touch screen, then installing Android will help you unlock its full potential. In addition, this system works great on low-power computers, and is also not subject to the risk of infection by viruses.
Installing Android on a virtual machine
There are times when the presence of an Android system on a laptop is required only to conduct certain tests.
A virtual machine will allow you to test applications without having a real device. You can also use it to get screenshots engineering menu and loading screens.
To create a virtual machine you will need special application and an operating system image.
One of best apps to implement the virtual machine is Genymotion. This program allows you to emulate most modern smartphones and tablets. To launch a virtual Android device, you must perform the following steps:
After completing the above steps, you will be able to use the virtual device as if it were a real smartphone. It is possible to install applications, change settings and perform many other actions. To install the program, you need to transfer the apk file to the screen of the virtual device using the mouse. It is worth noting that most games will not work through an emulator; for these purposes it is better to use Android as the laptop OS.
Before installing Android on a laptop, you need to make sure that the computer's specifications allow you to run virtual machine. For full emulation you will need a processor with virtualization support and at least 3 GB random access memory.
Is it possible to install Android on a netbook? Yes, it's possible. Moreover, this mobile operating system works amazingly well on any Windows device, including desktop computers. It's free, unlike Windows or Mac, and it's sleeker and easier to use than Linux.
Android is an OS aimed at smartphones and tablets and is a mobile operating system par excellence. Therefore, it may seem strange to have it on a laptop or netbook, but this does not mean that it is impossible. The main reason why Android often does not work on such devices is related to the hardware. Most netbooks and mini-laptops are powered by Intel or AMD processors, which are designed specifically to run on the x86 instruction set. Android, on the other hand, was designed with mobile device processors in mind using
However, recently devices with ports running on x86 have appeared, and some users can use Android OS as a secondary operating system on laptops. This is mainly done in order to have access to thousands of Android applications available only in the Android Market.
Android OS on a netbook or smartbook
There is a class of devices (very rarely used these days) called smartbooks. They were intended for Android launcher and other software open source and featured functionality associated with mobile devices: excellent connectivity, portability, long lasting battery life. All this was housed in one device, which cost much less than a netbook or laptop.
Smartbooks have been pushed out of the market by netbooks and tablets, but some models are still in use. In fact, they are and mainly contain applications specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. But, since they are quite rare today, you should figure out how to install Android on a netbook or laptop.
Convenience in functionality
It's worth noting that Android is designed to use less power than Windows. For this reason, it offers rather mediocre performance. The power of this shell is not designed for playing HD videos or games, but it is quite suitable for browsing the web and working with entertainment applications. According to user reviews, this operating system is very convenient for solving simple tasks.
Ready netbook on the Android system
As already mentioned, the era of smartbooks is coming to an end. The most famous gadget with a mobile OS can be called Toshiba AC100 - a 10-inch netbook running on Android 2.2 and a Tegra-class processor. It is currently on sale and has 32 GB internal memory and 512 MB of RAM. In principle, with such indicators it can be used for simple work and entertainment. Its significant advantage is that it can last about 8 hours on a single charge and also comes with an HDMI port. You shouldn't try to use it for productive work, but for simple surfing the Internet and light games it is quite suitable.
Other manufacturers also released a range of smartbooks at one time. At the same time, the developers went a little aside and began making new generation devices. Yes, today you can find a Samsung netbook on Android, but this is already a transformer. At its core, it is a tablet that comes with a docking station and a keyboard. This device looks and works just like a netbook, which has received rave reviews from users.
Modern models even allow you to connect a mouse to a tablet, thereby creating an almost identical user experience.
However, to find such a Samsung or Asus netbook on Android, you will have to search for a very long time. As the reviews suggest, most people prefer to purchase either a tablet (which will have light touch input) or a netbook (which comes with a full-sized keyboard and will run a full-fledged “desktop” OS). However, given that the Android OS today is adapted to work with Intel processors or AMD, she can suggest a worthy alternative"Windows".
Can I install it myself?
Currently, you can install Android on a netbook by downloading and installing it as a second additional OS on your computer. This can be done using tools like unetbootin, which allow you to
To do this, take a 10-inch netbook ( Asus Eee PC is the most popular among them) and download any version of Android on it yourself.
As noted above, the Android market is very large these days and most of the apps you choose to use on mobile devices, will work exactly the same on your netbook. Of course, you will lose the opportunities available for touch screen, but you also get a keyboard, touchpad, plenty of USB ports, and a micro-SD card slot. This sounds very attractive, so if you have a netbook, it's definitely worth trying to install Android on it. How to do this?
Download "Android" to your main computer
The first thing you need to do is visit the Android x86 download page and select the correct ISO file to download. New versions are at the bottom of the list. This article provides an example with version 4.0. It can be found in the section called “Android platforms x86-4.0-RC1”. You will be offered several different options, so try to choose the one that suits you best. For example, there is an option “netbook ASUS Eee PC family”, which will be recommended for netbooks of this brand. The installation process is easy and not very lengthy, so don't be afraid to try installing a different ISO later if the first one doesn't work. Just download the file on whatever computer you're using - the device doesn't have to be the same one you want to install Android on.
Copy ISO file to USB drive
Once you have the downloaded ISO image, you will need to transfer it to your netbook. Since most gadgets do not support CDs, the most The best way- download a tool called Unetbootin Help. After downloading it, simply run the file and you will see a screen with the program's interface.
Click on the three dots button on the right side of the window and select ISO file, which you downloaded. Then select the drive you want to copy the ISO to. Wait for all the information to download to the USB drive you selected. Make sure you copy everything you want to keep!
Once the download is complete, click OK. A pop-up window will appear briefly showing a horizontal bar of the file being downloaded, and then once the operation is complete you will be informed and asked if you want to restart your computer. Click "no" and remove the USB drive.
Prepare the netbook for installation
Now that you have saved the ISO file to USB, you are almost ready for the process of installing Android on your netbook. If you have any files on your hard drive that you would hate to lose (such as photos, documents or videos), be sure to save them on a flash drive. Although the data is not boot disks must be preserved, there is always a risk that something will go wrong, so it is better to take all safety measures.
Connect the USB drive to your netbook. You will need to press one key (most likely Delete or one of the F keys, i.e. F1) to select the device from which to boot. Here you need to select a USB drive from the list. If you are unable to get to the boot menu, you will need to go into the BIOS and change the boot order - set it to one in which the USB drive will be displayed before any other device. After this, you can directly proceed with the steps of how to install Android.
Set boot process
Once you have set your boot order and inserted the USB, you can download the Android GUI installer for x86. This menu will give you the option to download Android 4.0 directly without installation, and you can try using this OS right away. However, if you want to install the mobile operating system permanently, this step is optional.
At this stage, you will have to select the disk where Android will be installed on the netbook - you can select any partition in ext3/ext2 (Linux) or NTFS/FAT32 (for Windows). You shouldn't format (or even wipe) the drive you install the shell on, but it's still worth saving backups files.
Once you have selected the drive, you will be asked to select the partition size to install. Move forward through the menu and choose maximum size(which is usually 2048 MB). This will take some time, depending on the speed of your hard drive. You will also be able to create a virtual SD card at this time, and after that you will be prompted to restart your computer. Do this and don't forget to take it out USB disk when the netbook turns off.
Direct installation process
Now you should download the installed Android OS onto your netbook. Select the first item in the boot menu and your netbook will start working on Android based. Initially you will see white text on a black background followed by a glowing Android logo, and then finally the OS itself will load and display a screen that says "Welcome". You will be prompted to connect to wireless network, enter your account Google, and some other basic questions (about the current time, etc.) will also become available. After entering these options, the download is complete and you finally get to your Android desktop. The model of your gadget does not matter at all - Android is installed on an Asus netbook in the same way as on a Samsung, Acer, and so on.
Settings and options "Android"
After the shell is downloaded and functioning on your device, you should deal with it and install several unique useful applications. Such services are constantly updated and supplemented, so stay tuned for news.
Of course, the netbook doesn't have a touchscreen, but Android still supports touchpads, keyboards, and USB connections. Once you install Android on your netbook, you can use docking stations and add-ons at your own discretion - restrictions may be imposed solely by the features of your device. What other benefits can you find?
Financial benefits and no licenses
Everyone knows that Microsoft requires hefty licensing fees for the use of its operating system. Windows systems, while Google doesn't offer any fees for Android. Operating on Android will help you save on both your own maintenance and the downloading of various programs.
Screen appearance and interface
Getting used to the interface may take some time for those who are used to working on Windows all the time. We can say that this is one of the main reasons why many are in no hurry to change the OS on their device. Currently, Android is actively developing, and each new version looks more beautiful and pleasant, which cannot go unnoticed. Google is trying to withstand competition and therefore is constantly looking for new advantages over Microsoft. Of course, today it is too early to talk about complete victory in this fight, but some prerequisites for success are evident.
Easy to use
Netbooks are intended primarily for small and short-term work, so a simple OS is much better and more harmonious. Windows can be difficult to use, requires constant updates, and some features are completely useless for users who just want to surf the web and write messages. e-mail. As a rule, high functionality and great capabilities are required for the operation of large stationary devices.
In turn, the Android OS on a netbook, reviews of which speak of its convenience, can simplify the computing process thanks to a simple user interface and online applications (eg Google Docs). Google services were practically created in order to be simple working tools and gain popularity among ordinary users. An additional bonus is the large number of games available completely free of charge.
Where the launch through the emulator was described. But did you know that Android 4.4 and 5.1 can be easily installed on a computer as a full-fledged operating system?
So, let's start with the most important thing, where can I download?
1. You can download from the official website of the portal: http://www.android-x86.org/download/
On this moment from latest versions Android 4.4 and 5.1 available. Personally, I installed both versions, both work fine.
2. After you have downloaded the image, you need to burn it to a flash drive or disk. I installed from a flash drive to create bootable flash drive used WinSetupFromUSB program. I won’t describe the process of creating a flash drive, fortunately there are a lot of articles on this topic.
Let's get started installation.
I installed on a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 12. A hard drive of at least 1 GB is required for installation. The installation process on a normal PC is no different.
So, after booting from the flash drive, you will see an installation selection menu. If you select the very first line, as in the screenshot, Android will boot immediately without installation. After rebooting you will lose all settings.
I chose the hard drive installation option because it's a true full-fledged installation that allows you to install programs and save everything after a reboot. But without a hundred grams of clues it’s not so easy to figure it out.
1. Choose last point menu Install Android-x86 to harddisk
.
2. Selecting a partition for installation.
3. Working with cfdisk.
4. Give the partition at least 1GB and select the option Write.
5. After that, select the item Bootable And Quit.
6. The partition has been created, and then we will be offered options for choosing a file system.
Most instructions recommend FAT32 or NTFS. I personally formatted EXT4.
7. After this we will be asked: do we want to install the Grub boot loader?
8. To be able to overwrite data in the Android system and work with files, in the dialog box Do you want to install/system directory as read-write?
9. Android installation will begin.
10. Installation on a virtual machine takes less than a minute. After installation it is better to reboot.
Everyone knows that the Android operating system is being developed by Google for smartphones and tablets. At the moment, this is the most popular platform for these devices. Official Android version may only work on supported devices with ARM architecture. But since Android is an open source project source code, the community has created a port of Android for x86 computers that will work on almost any modern computer.
Official version Android 6.0 from Google came out a long time ago, but only a few days ago the developers released a stable version of the Android x86 port for version 6.0. In this article we will look at installing Android x86 6.0 on a computer or laptop. Perhaps the platform is not yet stable enough, but it can already be used and you will see it.
System requirements Android x86 6.0
Android x86 is quite demanding on hardware. Ideally, it should work on any computer with an x86 processor. But in reality it's not that simple. The developers tested the system on several devices, for example, laptops from ASUS, EeePC and Dell full list Supported devices and their level of support can be found on the official website.
As for equipment and characteristics, the following parameters are recommended:
- CPU: Intel;
- RAM: 2048 MB;
- Free disk space: 10 GB;
- USB flash drive- to record the installer.
Preparing for installation
As with other operating systems, we first need to download the installation media. Download the most new version systems you can from the repository on SourceFoge or the official website. Images are available for both 32 and 64 bit architecture:
The image does not take up much, only 400-odd megabytes, so it loads quickly.
Step 2. Burn to media
To install Android, you need to use either a USB flash drive or a rewritable disk. But a flash drive is still better. I do not recommend using various utilities to burn the image; do it using this command:
dd if=~/android-x86-6.0.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=5M
Here ~/android-x86-6.0.iso is the image you just downloaded, and /dev/sdc is your flash drive.
Step 3. BIOS setup
Everything is standard here. Restart your computer and during the BIOS splash screen, click F2, F8, Shift+F2 or Del to login BIOS setup, then go to the Boot tab and select in 1st Boot Device your flash drive.
All you have to do is go to the tab Exit and press Exit & Save Changes.
Installing Android 6.0
Step 1. Start installation
Immediately after restarting your computer, you will see this bootloader window. Here you can either boot into the Live system or proceed to install it. We will be interested in the last point, installation:
The installer will start very quickly:
Step 3. Select a drive
In the first step, you have to select the disk on which you will install:
Step 4: Partition Table
Next, if this disk is not yet partitioned, you need to select a partition table. You can use GPT, but I don't recommend it because there is a high chance that the installation will simply freeze. Therefore, at this step we select No. In this case, the MBR will be used:
Step 5. Create a partition
Android x86 6.0 installation is performed on only one partition. And in this step we have to create it. The cfdisk utility will be used for this. First click New to create new section. You can navigate through the buttons using the left/right arrows, and press using Enter:
Select type primary, primary:
Find the Bootable button and press Enter to make this partition bootable:
Find and click the Write button to write the changes to disk. To confirm, type yes:
All that remains is to press the quit button to exit the program:
Step 6. Selecting a partition
Once the partitioning is complete, you need to select the newly created partition:
Step 7: File System
Select file system eg ext4
Step 8: Formatting
Since we need a clean partition, we agree that it will be formatted:
Step 9. Bootloader
We will need a bootloader, so select Yes:
Step 10. EFI Boot Loader
And here EFI boot loader we don't need it, given that we used MBR. Select Skip:
Step 11. Access Mode
In this window you need to choose whether to mount system partition/system in read-write mode. This will be useful for installing new programs, so select Yes:
Step 12: Complete installation
Wait for all files to be unpacked:
When the installation of Android on your computer is complete, select Reboot to reboot your computer and log into the new system:
Step 14. Bootloader
Select the first bootloader item:
Step 15. Starting the system
Wait until the system boots.
Step 16: Done
That's all, installing Android x86 on your computer is complete. Now you can use Android directly on your computer. You can install and run Android applications, play games:
conclusions
As you have seen, installing Android x86 on a PC is not so different from other operating systems. If you are lucky and the system fully supports your hardware, then you can very easily get a full-fledged Android system on your computer. If you have any questions, write in the comments!
To complete the video with the Android installation process from American video blogger:
Good day, reader! The background to this article is simple. Long before writing the article, I was eager to try out the work Android systems x86 on PC. The interest lay in finding out the possibility of installing and normal operation on low-end PCs. And finally, an old netbook Asus Eee PC 701 fell into my hands. Without thinking twice, that same evening, my plan turned into reality, and the details are below.
Asus Eee PC 701 4g specifications:
- Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
- Video card: built-in Intel GMA 900 GPU
- Memory capacity: 4GB flash memory (SSD)
- RAM: 512MB DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
- OS: Xandros Linux (special version for Asus)
- Screen: 7-inch, resolution 800 x 480
- Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor output, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (supports SDHC), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
- Webcam (0.3 MP)
- Battery: 4-cell, 5200 mAh, 7.4 V, lithium-ion (3.5 hours of operation)
- Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
- Input devices: keyboard and touchpad
- Power consumption up to 25w.
The article is step by step instructions creating a flash drive live usb and installing Android x86 on a PC using the example of android 4.0 and Asus Eee PC 701 4g.
We prepare a live usb flash disk with Android.
For creations live We need a usb flash drive:
- Android distribution. In my case it is - android-x86-4.0-r1-eeepc.iso
- Fresh utility unetbootin or linuxlive usb creator.
- Flash disk.
1) Launch one of the applications for cutting live usb (below is an example on unetbootin, but the method is similar for the second utility).
2) Select an image for cutting.
3) Select the desired flash drive to create a bootable flash drive and in the end we get a picture similar to the screenshot
4) Click the button to start the cutting process, agree to format or rewrite if necessary and wait. You won't be able to drink the drink =), because... The cutting process will go quickly due to the small size of the image (mine is 160 MB).
5) Close the program and the process of creating a live usb with Android x86 on board is completed. With this flash drive you can run Android without installation or install it on your PC. And we move on to the installation process.
Installing Android x86 on PC
Install usb flash drive into our experimental patient, set to boot from our media and start the PC. If everything is fine with the bootable flash drive, a window similar to the one below will appear:
Select the option to install on your hard drive. Next, a dialog box appears with options for selecting partitions for installing android x86:
We select the first section and press enter. The following dialog box offers to format or not format the partition - select format to ext3 partition and agree to delete all data from the partition:
The next dialog box asks whether to make the system directory read-write. I answered yes, but this is a matter of personal discretion. Otherwise, you will not be able to make changes to the system partition:
We're waiting... Installation goes quickly.
The installation is completed successfully and the installer offers to run Android-X86 or restart the PC - select run:
If everything went well, a window will open initial setup. We go through the dialog boxes and answer the questions. All! You have successfully installed android on your PC.
Tests and system capabilities
Actually, the main idea of this entire event was to conduct a series of tests of the performance and adequacy of the system’s behavior. There was no need to climb into the jungle of the system and conduct complex tests/runs. Within half an hour of communication with a netbook under Android control managed to form full view about the capabilities of Android x86 OS.
Tests have shown that the system, despite the unproductive processor, responds well and quickly to user actions. This is, in principle, logical, because processor architecture other than ARM makes itself felt, and the presence of RAM with more throughput than on mobile devices. All Hardware successfully identified, drivers loaded: web camera, usb devices, network adapters, battery controller and more.
But there were some disappointments. Despite the overall favorable picture of the Android x86 operating system on a PC, it is not without bugs. The bugs are associated with the dampness of the Android OS itself and the outdated hardware of the netbook. For example, I was unable to start streaming video in standard or other players known to me. The problem is the lack of codecs for my equipment. Perhaps this problem is not observed on newer hardware, because, let me remind you, this model The netbook was released before the Android OS itself appeared among the masses. There is also the possibility of dancing with a tambourine around the hardware keyboard on your Android PC. Well, in addition to all the “delights” of an android.
* For normal operation of the keyboard, you must install and configure the Russian keyboard program. Most keyboards are supported out of the box, shamanism is possible with non-standard keyboards, as in my case..
Conclusions and results of the journey made
Overall, I was pleased with the results of the experiment. Without any problems, I managed to install Android 4.0 on a netbook from a time when no one had heard of Android. As a result, I got a completely working full-fledged mobile car based on low-performance iron. The system works stably and performs all the functions of a mobile PC. It is possible to install additional equipment and connect additional displays.
All the troubles associated with Android are solved with shamanism, sweat and blood. On modern equipment, Android should work like a glove and problems related to equipment, audio and video playback should not appear. Before installation, we recommend that you study the issue of Android hardware support for your PC.
And yet, the natural hardware for Android is PC-based ARM processor, because the architecture and OS design concepts are identical - to produce a full-fledged computer with low energy consumption. In view of these circumstances, OS developers focus on developing for this architecture.
