Portal:Aeon/InstallGuide
Install Guide
- Quick Start
- In order to install Aeon, there are 5 basic steps to follow:
- Download the Installer image
- Write the Installer image to a USB stick
- Boot from the Installer USB stick
- Install Aeon
- Complete the Aeon First Run Wizards
Prerequisites
Aeon is a low-maintenance operating system for desktops and laptops. For installation you will need:
- A desktop or laptop that supports UEFI (virtual machines are not supported)
- A fast 16 GB or larger USB installation medium (the installation GUI may not load on slower USB sticks)
- For full-disk encryption: A TPM 2.0 chipset with support for
PolicyAuthorizeNV(default mode), or secureboot enabled in UEFI (fallback mode)
Detailed steps
Download the Installer Image
Go to aeondesktop.org and click the Download button.
Write the Installer image to a USB stick
After downloading the image you need to write it to a USB stick that is at least 16 GB in size. If possible, larger USB 3.0 sticks are recommended to benefit from the Installers ability to backup/restore user accounts from existing installations.
We recommend using Impression on Linux and Rufus on Windows for writing the image to the USB stick. Any disk image writer that does not alter the image should also work.
You do not have to extract the .xz file before writing it to the USB stick.
Writing the image using dd is also supported.
Boot from the Installer USB stick
The Aeon Installer should work on any x86_64 device with a UEFI BIOS. It's recommend that Secure Boot is enabled.
With the USB stick in the device, reboot it and press the boot manager key. This is normally F12, F10, or F9.
Select the USB stick to start booting into the Aeon Installer.
Install Aeon
Aeon's installer (powered by tik) has a very simple process, asking as few questions as possible to get Aeon installed.
Select Disk
- Optional
- This menu will only be shown if your device has more than one storage disk that Aeon is able to install to.
Select the disk you wish to install to. Make sure to backup any important data as the selected disk will be erased during installation.
Backup Existing Users
- Optional
- This question will only be asked if the following conditions are met:
- The selected disk has a compatible Linux installation containing user data stored in a Btrfs /home subvolume.
- The installer USB is larger than all the data in the /home subvolume on the existing installation.
If you choose to back up existing users, the installer will copy all the data from the /home subvolume, including usernames, passwords, and Wi-Fi/VPN configurations, and then restore them to your Aeon installation at the end of the process.
Start Aeon Installation
Confirm that you are ready to install Aeon and all the information on the disk will be erased.
Installation will begin and typically takes just a few minutes.
If existing users were backed up, they will be automatically restored.
Finished Aeon Installation
After installation is completed, a window with the recovery key and a QR code for it will appear. Write down or scan the recovery key and store it in a separate, secure location, as you may need it for decrypting your disk or re-measuring boot integrity.
Once complete, your device will reboot into your new Aeon installation.
Aeon First Run Wizards
System Configuation
After booting, Aeon will ask you for the following information:
- Language;
- Keyboard Layout;
- Network/Wi-Fi;
- Timezone;
- User Details;
- Password.
Provide them as prompted, and you'll immediately login to your new user account.
User Configuration
Fresh user accounts may optionally download software they need from the internet before the account is ready to use. By default this includes:
- Mozilla Firefox;
- Calculator;
- Text Editor;
- Any fonts and translations for your chosen system language.
You may add/remove software at any time using GNOME Software.
Congratulations
You have successfully installed Aeon.