[SOLVED]ASUS C101 PA dev mode does not carry root privileges

[gm648]

I purchased a brand new Asus C101 PA chromebook: it's 3 days old; never been fully discharged; never been hard-reset; never been bricked in any way.

PROBLEM: It doesn't want to boot from USB.

I think it is because dev mode does not have superuser privileges.

Example: I press Ctl-Alt-F2, log in as 'chronos' and type:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'sudo crossystem dev_boot_legacy=1 dev_boot_usb=1')
I check $this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'crossystem | more') and find the above flags are set to (error)

I check $this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'sudo crossystem | more') and find they are set to 1.

The problem is that when I restart, Ctrl-L beeps at me twice; Ctrl-D works fine, but not Ctrl-L.

Either (1) I need to be sudo at startup [heck I'm already in dev mode], or (2) I need to set the above flags as a non-sudo user. When I try (2):

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'crossystem dev_boot_legacy=1 dev_boot_usb=1')
I get:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'Cannot open lockfile //run/lock/firmware_utility_lock: Permission denied
waitpid() or sosys error
Parameter dev_boot_legacy is read-only')

QUESTIONS: does anyone know:

(1) How to set dev_boot_legacy=1 and dev_boot_usb=1 as a non-root user?

(2) How to start up as root user in dev mode so that Ctrl-L looks at the (correct) root flags instead of the non-root ones?

UPDATE: for c101 users out there, it's Ctrl-U not Ctrl-L