Install Android on your computer with Phoenix OS

Want to create an Android computer? Phoenix OS, based on Android-x86 project, can install Android on desktop (or laptop). On the downside, it won't run the full version of the Chrome browser because it's just a mobile operating system.

Warning : The instructions in this article will overwrite the hard drive. Although Phoenix OS can install in dual boot configuration, you should not do it this way because dual booting can cause problems for both operating systems.

1. 7 risks when booting dual operating systems Windows and Linux

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Android computer uses Phoenix OS

Phoenix OS looks like Remix OS (currently no longer supported). It is compatible with GPL-2.0 and installs on many different types of x86-based hardware. (If you can install Linux on a specific computer, you can install Phoenix OS).

Phoenix OS also includes enhancements for Android, such as automatically preventing the application from running in the background. In addition to speed, the operating system also receives regular updates. These features have contributed to increasing its popularity recently. Some Chinese hardware companies will release mini tablets and PCs with the use of Phoenix OS as the main operating system like the Pipo P10 2 in 1 tablet.

Not all hardware is compatible with Phoenix OS. It has the same weaknesses and shortcomings as Linux: in particular it will not work with all hardware. And even if it works, it lacks certain features like audio through an HDMI connection.

In addition, you can test Phoenix OS from within a virtual machine, such as VMware or VirtualBox.

1. VirtualBox and VMware: Which virtual machine software is better?

Requires installation of Phoenix OS

Phoenix OS hardware requirements

Phoenix OS only requires an Intel or AMD x86 processor (Intel Atom) and internal memory with at least 2GB. You should use at least 16GB drive. To install Phoenix OS, users will need a USB drive with at least 8GB of memory.

Request:

1. 2GB storage drive
2. Intel or AMD processors are manufactured around 2012 or newer, preferably an Intel Atom processor
3. 8GB USB flash drive or larger (for Phoenix OS)
4. USB flash drive 512MB or larger (for GParted)
5. A separate computer to prepare USB flash drives

BIOS or UEFI motherboard?

Older computers (2010 or older) mainly use the Basic Input / Output System as a computer POST process (POST).

The BIOS allows the computer to boot without an operating system. Newer computers replace the BIOS with firrmware called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), more powerful than the old program. However, Phoenix OS does not work well in UEFI systems. And that requires UEFI configuration to work with an operating system other than Windows.

1. Things to note when using UEFI instead of BIOS

Instructions for installing Phoenix OS

Step 1: Download Phoenix OS

Phoenix OS installation package is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit. That means you can install the operating system on older or newer hardware. However, note, this article guides downloading the ISO image file, not the executable file.

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Download : Phoenix OS

Step 2: Image Phoenix OS to USB Flash drive

Once you have downloaded the Phoenix OS package, you need to image it to a bootable USB drive using Rufus. In addition, you can use UNetbootin, but it can cause unpredictable problems during the installation process.

Download : Rufus Portable

Next, run Rufus to download the downloaded Phoenix OS image onto the USB drive. USB drives must have at least 8GB of memory.

Note the following: First, select the USB drive, then use the GUID Partition Table (GPT). Select Master Boot Record (MBR) instead of GPT. Second, select FAT32 for the file system. Third, make sure you have saved the Quick format box and Create a bootable image using , other settings to default.

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1. Choose a USB flash drive.
2. In the Partition scheme and target system section , select MBR .
3. Check the Quick format box and Create a bootable disk using (and choose Phoenix OS from anywhere to download the .ISO file).
4. Then select start .

Step 3: Configure BIOS / UEFI

BIOS / UEFI configuration is the most difficult step. Users need to know how to access the computer's BIOS. Motherboard manufacturers do not use the common language for their BIOS settings. For example, you will need to enable Legacy Mode .

However, different motherboard manufacturers can use different languages ​​to describe this feature. In addition, you may need to turn off specific Windows features. In the POST environment, some manufacturers call it Windows 7 mode . Others call it Windows 7 or Other Operating System Mode or other variants.

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Users need to turn off some options Fast Boot and Secure Boot . Fast Boot and Secure Boot are designed for Windows computers - Phoenix OS is based on Linux so it does not need these options.

1. Turn on Legacy Mode , if possible.
2. Choose Windows 7 mode or Linux mode , if possible.
3. Turn off Fast Boot and Secure Boot , if possible.

Step 4: Prepare the installation drive (Optional)

Why is this step an optional step? The only reason you need this step is to change the partition table of the boot drive from GPT to MBR. Many older drives come with MBR as its partition table by default. If you already know the drive used is MBR, skip this step. Note GPT sometimes works with Phoenix OS.

Download GParted for this step. GParted is a partition utility. Among many features, it can prepare a storage drive to receive the installation of an operating system. The specific function you need is the MBR drive storage format.

Download : GParted Live USB

To format a drive into MBR, simply limage GParted to a USB drive and boot the computer with a USB flash drive. The steps after starting GParted are simple: select the default options (just press Enter when prompted).

You will need to remove the current partition on the disk and create a Microsoft DOS partition table. To do so, select device and then Create Partition Table from the context menu.

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Finally, in the message Select new table type prompt , select msdos , then click Apply .

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Operation on writing a new partition table to disk. You can now exit this program.

Step 5: Prepare the computer for Phoenix OS

The installation process is very simple. First, plug the USB into the computer and boot from the drive. Remember, this is a destructive installation process. You will see a menu that looks like this:

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Select Installation , then from the next menu, select Create / Modify partitions . If you only want to see Phoenix OS running on the system, select Live CD . If it boots, your system is compatible.

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A message Do you want to use GPT? appears, select No. As mentioned earlier, using GPT is a "disaster" on Phoenix OS. The window will look like this:

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In this menu, you must use the left and right keys to navigate. First, press the right key to select New and then press Enter , create an item called sda1 . Second, select Primary and use the default drive size (use the entire drive). Then, third, select Bootable as the last option. Be careful here to avoid deleting Boot by clicking more than once.

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Select Write to confirm the changes to the drive. However, just before writing the changes, you will get a prompt: Are you sure you want to write the table to disk partition?

Users will have to manually type in yes and press Enter . Then, the format tool writes the tables to disk. After writing, select Quit . This returns the Phoenix OS partition selection menu.

Step 6: Install the operating system Phoenix to the drive you want to use

Select sda1 and press Enter .

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From the Choose filesystem menu, select ext4 as the file system.

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The installer will ask for confirmation (this step will create an ext4 partition, delete the previous data on the drive) and then select Yes .

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It may ask whether users want to install EFI GRUB2. If the drive is formatted as GPT, you will select Skip .

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Then notice Do you want to install boot loader GRUB? appears, select Yes . After completing the installation, you will see the following menu:

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You can choose Run Phoenix OS or Reboot . If you choose Reboot , be sure to remove the USB drive installed from the computer.

Use Phoenix OS as an Android computer

Phoenix OS is Nougat + Windows

Phoenix OS looks like Android Nougat but with a desktop interface. Most applications open in windows, meaning they don't take up the entire screen. Like desktop computers, Phoenix OS also includes features like "snap", so you can switch a window to the left or right, taking up half the screen. However, Remix OS offers the same feature but has been removed.

1. Instructions for using Snap feature on Windows 10 with shortcut

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The snap feature allows Android to operate in two-window mode. To illustrate, open an application and hold the Windows key (or the command key), pressing the left or right navigation key will make the application resize and change the location. Below is a screenshot of Phoenix OS's two-window mode.

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Limitations of Phoenix OS

A lot of games will not work correctly using a mouse and keyboard interface. For example, if you want to select large text areas, you must click, hold, and then select the text you want. It takes three times longer than a Windows or Mac computer.

Although Phoenix OS developers have designed the operating system to work on Atom systems (the best Linux distributions for Atom processors), it will still install on most computers. newer. However, it should be noted that most computers will boot, but they will not work properly with the Phoenix operating system installed, for example, HDMI audio rarely works.

If you have a computer with an Atom processor, like a netbook, you should try this. Phoenix OS has two great advantages: first, it's fast. Second, it allows users to access the Android application library.

The problem with the Phoenix operating system is that it doesn't work on every computer the way Windows does. So many people think it can make old hardware faster. It may, but rarely does it work without problems.

See more:

1. To run Android applications on Windows computers, read this article
2. 10 best Android emulator software for Windows
3. Top best iOS emulators help run applications on Windows