Small Storage Devices (32GB or Less)
This guide is for Mini Computers (<20GB) and Chromebooks (32GB). These devices require a USB drive for updates because they lack the storage space for standard background updates.
Prepare the USB Drive (if needed)
Before updating, ensure your USB drive contains the correct update files (desktop for Chromebooks, or desktop-mini for Minis).
Verify Update Exists Locally
On a computer that already has the updates, verify the required component is available.
# For Chromebooks
tl-comp-latest desktop
# For Mini Computers
tl-comp-latest desktop-miniTransfer 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.
1. Free Up Space (32GB Devices Only)
If you are updating a 32GB Chromebook, you must free up space before proceeding.
- Open the application menu and launch the Manage Components tool.
- Delete all existing desktop versions and snapshots. This is a critical step.
2. Install the Update
Once your USB is ready, follow these steps on the target computer.
Boot from the USB Drive
Restart the computer and boot from the USB drive.
- Chromebooks: Press
ESCrepeatedly after power-on and select the USB. - Minis: The boot key varies by manufacturer (usually
F12,F11, orEsc).
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/mmcblk0To Setup a new computer (Fresh Install):
tl-hw-prepare /dev/mmcblk0 tl-xxxxTip
If tl-hw-update-desktop fails, use tl-hw-prepare instead. This will wipe the drive and start fresh.
Reboot
After the command finishes, restart the computer.
reboot