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How to build a custom arch linux for yourself
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Build a KillerCustomized Arch LinuxInstallation (and LearnAll About Linux in theProcess)(http://lifehacker.com/5680453/build-a-killer-customized-arch-linux-installation-and-learn-all-about-linux-in-the-process)Don't like Windows 8's new interface (http://lifehacker.com
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i-upgrade)? Sick of Ubuntu Unity and the new ads that come
along with it (http://lifehacker.com/5952845/whats-new-in-
ubuntu-linux-1210-quantal-quetzal)? Maybe it's time to create
your own, ideal operating system with just the features you
want. Arch Linux can make it happen: it lets you build your own
personal, killer Linux distro from the ground up.
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If this article looks familiar, it's because we've posted it before!
However, Arch recently changed its installation process quite a
bit, making our old guide outdated. Due to the popularity of this
guide, we've updated it to work with Arch's new process, so we
can all keep getting our Arch fix (and hopefully introduce a few
new users to the OS of their dreams).
Here's why you may want to use Arch Linux, followed by how to
set it up.
Who Is Arch Linux Good For?
Linux is popular for a number of reasons, but high on that list is
the fact that, with Linux, you have a lot more power to tweak
your OS to your liking. You also have the opportunity to learn
more about the way computers and operating systems work.
While Ubuntu certainly fits this bill (when compared with
Windows or Mac OS), intermediate Linux users may be itching
to try something new. Arch Linux is a great distribution for
intermediate users looking to dig into Linux a bit more and
essentially roll your own fast, stable, super-personalized distro.
Dear Lifehacker, Windows 8
is out, and it's all anyone's
talking about—except
everyone just keeps telling
me how much it sucks and
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1210-quantal-quetzal)Ubuntu released the next
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The key part of this
explanation is "intermediate
users." Arch Linux is not for
Linux beginners; there's a lot
of manual configuration and
command line work involved
that Linux rookies probably
aren't comfortable with. If
you are a rookie, that's
awesome—welcome to the
wonderful world of
Linux—but you won't want to
start here. Check out our
guide to getting started with
Linux first
(http://lifehacker.com
/5778882/getting-started-
with-linux-the-complete-
guide), and when you've used
something like Ubuntu
(http://www.ubuntu.com/) or
Mint (http://linuxmint.com/)
for awhile, come on back
here for some serious Linux
action. If you're familiar with
something like Ubuntu and are comfortable with the basic ideas
of command line work and configuration files, read on, because
Arch Linux is a great next step.
This guide has two parts. The first half describes the philosophy
behind Arch Linux and its benefits as a distro, while the second
part is a (very simplified) guide on setting up your first Arch
install. I won't go through some of the more basic explanations
since, as Linux users, you probably know how to burn an ISO
image to CD (http://lifehacker.com/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-
in-windows-7), what the difference between 32- and 64-bit
operating systems is (http://lifehacker.com/5431284
/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems),
and so on.
GettingStartedwith Linux:TheCompleteGuide
(http://lifehacker.com/5778882/getting-started-with-linux-the-complete-guide)If you've been meaning to try
out Linux but felt too
overwhelmed, we've got all
the info you need to get
started. Here are our five
lessons … Read…
(http://lifehacker.com
/5778882/getting-started-
with-linux-the-complete-
guide)
How to The
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Bear in mind that while this guide should get you started, this
is by no means a one-stop-shop for all Arch Linux knowledge. I
highly, highly recommend you also browse the Arch Linux Wiki
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Main_Page), especially the
Beginner's Guide (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide), before you actually begin. The forums
(http://bbs.archlinux.org/) are also a great source of info, so
check them out as well. If you just follow the steps in this guide
and go "ta-dah!", you'll miss the point of what Arch Linux has to
offer. The Beginner's Guide can be a bit overwhelming, since it
incorporates so many different possibilities that many first-
timers won't deal with, so I've created this guide to inspire you
and help show you that it isn't as nerve-racking as it may
seem—but you'll still want to use multiple resources when you
go to install your system.
Why Arch Linux?
Burn ISOsin Windows7
(http://lifehacker.com/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-in-windows-7)Good news for Windows
users looking to burn a quick
ISO disk image to a CD or
DVD: Windows 7 supports
dead simple burning of ISOs.
Read… (http://lifehacker.com
/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-
in-windows-7)
LifehackerGuide to64-bit vs.32-bitOperatingSystems
(http://lifehacker.com/5431284/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems)You're probably aware that
64-bit and 32-bit versions of
your operating system exist,
but apart from ascribing to a
bigger-is-better philosophy,
… Read…
(http://lifehacker.com
/5431284/the-lifehacker-
guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-
operating-systems)
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As Arch is definitely not for Linux beginners, you may be
wondering what its advantages are. While it's pretty popular
among developers and the like, it's also pretty popular among
general tweakers and geeks that like to really get at the nuts
and bolts of a system. If you've been a Linux user for a little
while and you'd love to get a bit deeper and learn about how it
works—so you can more properly and openly configure it to
work for you—Arch is the perfect next step in your journey.
The philosophy behind Arch is what's known as The Arch Way
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/The_Arch_Way): simplicity
at its finest. Specifically, Arch aims to be an efficient,
user-centric, open, elegantly coded distribution that doesn't
sacrifice anything for convenience. That is, when faced with a
choice between more efficient code and a simpler experience
for the average computer user, Arch will always choose the
former.
However, while this may seem like a burden to some, it's
actually one of Arch's biggest advantages. Instead of
configuring the distribution to be idiot-proof, Arch forces you
(politely) to learn what each configuration file and important
terminal command does early on. Thus, when something breaks
or when you want to configure something beyond what KDE or
GNOME has options for, you pretty much already know where
to go and what to do.
Note that I'm not trying to say that idiot-proofing is a bad thing.
In fact, being simple to use is one of the best characteristics a
modern OS can have—for the average PC user. Once again, this
guide is not for those people. This is for those of us that love
tinkering with our operating system's insides.
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Why, as an Ubuntu User, You MayWant to Switch
Of course, if you're already a Linux user, you're probably pretty
happy with all the options your distro of choice gives you.
Here's what Arch really offers that makes it worth trying.
You'll Know What's Really Going onBehind the Scenes
For the record, I like Ubuntu.
It's easy to install, works out
of the box on tons of
hardware, and has actually
made some interesting
innovations on the desktop
(http://lifehacker.com
/5890978/first-look-at-
ubuntu-linux-1204-precise-
pangolin) (whether you love
or hate Unity as a whole).
I've also used it to repurpose
some old PCs for my mother
around the house and it's
easy enough for even
non-geeks to use. If you use
Linux solely because it's free,
open, and easy to use, you
don't need to complicate
your life for no reason.
However, if you've used
Linux for a little while and
would like to take the next
step, Arch is where you want
to go.
While Ubuntu works out of the box with a lot of computers, and
provides a lot of user-friendly configuration for certain things,
it's a nightmare to configure for others. It provides no way of
teaching you where the correct config files are for your eighty
button mouse or your three monitor setup, and I hate to say it,
but in my experience the Ubuntu forums have been less than
helpful. Again, not to hate, but that's just what I've
First Lookat UbuntuLinux 12.04"PrecisePangolin"
(http://lifehacker.com/5890978/first-look-at-ubuntu-linux-1204-precise-pangolin)Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise
Pangolin" is out today,
bringing lots of
improvements to your
favorite Linux distribution. It
has a new quick search…
Read… (http://lifehacker.com
/5890978/first-look-at-
ubuntu-linux-1204-precise-
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experienced.
Arch's installation doesn't really have a graphical interface. It's
mostly done through the command line, and consists of you
using a guide like this and the fabulous Arch Wiki to partition
your drive, install a minimal base system, and go through each
command and configuration file to get things set up, and you'll
know how the base system works. That way, down the road,
when you want to automatically mount another hard drive
when Arch boots, you'll know you need to add something to the
options
column of
/etc/fstab
, and you won't be intimidated by that fact. And, when you don't
know what to do, Arch has one of the best documentations and
communities I've ever seen.
You'll Always Have the Newest Software
Unlike other popular operating systems, Arch doesn't have a
big update every two years, one year, or even six months—Arch
updates whatever it wants, whenever it wants, which means
you're constantly on the bleeding edge of both the OS and the
software you use.
S EXPAND
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Note that in this instance, "bleeding edge" does not mean
"ridiculously unstable". Lots of testing goes into these packages
before they get added to the repositories, and you aren't going
to find your PC crashing every day because you're always
getting the newest updates. What it really means is that you'll
get software updates as soon as they're ready to use, not as
soon as Ubuntu gets around to updating their repositories. If
Thunderbird releases an update, you'll get that update the next
day—not the next month.
You Build a Killer Operating Systemthat Fits Your Needs and Wants
Since you start off with a minimal install and build up from
there, you won't have any unnecessary packages bloating up
your system. You have complete control over everything that
goes into your setup, and you can make it as small and
minimalistic or as big and powerful as you want—you
essentially build your own, fast, stable, super-customized Linux
distro from the ground up. And who wouldn't love that?
How to Install Arch Linux
If all this sounds like your dream come true, then it's time to
move on to the next step: actually installing Arch. While the
Arch Wiki has a great Beginner's Guide
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide) (have I
mentioned that you should read it?), I found I still ran into a
few hiccups along the way, and the wiki is so full of (great)
information that it can be a bit overwhelming for an Arch first-
timer. For example, the beginner's guide goes through lots of
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different possible situations—i.e., if you're using a static IP, if
you require wireless internet from the get-go, etc. Instead of
trying to sift through all that and ignore the more advanced
stuff that may not apply to you, I've created this guide that
should get you up and running without your brain exploding.
This guide contains the methods I found work best and were
easiest for me, and they should work with most PC builds
without a problem. If you do run into any problems, or have any
specific needs that aren't fulfilled by this guide (like if you are
using a static IP), you can probably find more detail in the
corresponding section of Arch's Beginner's Guide, so head over
there when necessary.
Step One: Get Yourself an Arch LinuxInstall CD
You can install Arch many different ways, but we're going to
use your basic CD installation. If you don't have an optical
drive, you can always install it from a USB flash drive
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Install_from_a_USB_flash_drive), too. Head over to the Arch
download page (http://www.archlinux.org/download/), download
the Arch Linux ISO, and burn it to your installation medium of
choice before you continue.
Step Two: Set Up Your Partitions
While you could always partition your drive from the Arch
Linux installation CD, it's much easier to do from a Linux Live
CD like Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/) or GParted
(http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php), which you probably
already have (because you're no Linux slouch!). Assuming you
already know how to partition drives, go ahead and make one
for your OS (around 15GB is safe) and one for all your
documents and apps (which can be as big as you want). If you
use an SSD, you can just make one partition on the SSD for
your boot drive and one on a bigger HDD for your files. You can
also make a nice 1GB swap partition for good measure, but if
you have a lot of RAM, this probably isn't necessary.
Format them as ext4, and note the names of the two you'll be
using (i.e.
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/dev/sda1
as the OS partition and
/dev/sda2
as your data partition), as that's how you'll have to refer to the
partitions during the install process.
Now that you've created your partitions, boot up from your
newly-burned Arch Installation CD and choose "Start Arch
Linux" at the prompt. Make sure you choose the right
architecture for your CPU (http://lifehacker.com/5431284
/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems)
(32-bit or i686 vs 64-bit or x86-64). When it finishes booting,
you'll get a command line prompt.
Start by seeing if you have an active internet connection. I
recommend plugging your computer in via Ethernet, since
that'll make installation a lot easier, even if you plan on using
Wi-Fi later. To see if you have a connection, just ping Google
with the following command:
ping -c 3 www.google.com
If you get an error that says
unknown host
or anything like that, you'll need to set up your network
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manually (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide#Wired).
Next, mount those partitions you just created. If you aren't sure
the names of your partitions, run the following command:
fdisk -l
You'll see a list of your drives and partitions, with the same
names we saw before (like
/dev/sda1
. Make note of the partition(s) you want to use for Arch.
Again, we're using two partitions here—one for the OS and one
for our personal files. So, we're going to need to mount them as
such. Mount your drives using the following commands:
mkdir /mnt
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
mkdir /mnt/home
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/home
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In this example,
/dev/sda1
is our root partition for the OS, while
/dev/sda2
is our home partition for our files.
The last thing you need to do before starting is select a mirror
for downloading your packages. Run:
nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
Scroll down to your preferred mirror (the closer to your
location the better), press Alt+6 to copy the line, then scroll
back up and press Ctrl+U to paste that line at the top of the
list. US users should already have a good server at the top of
the list. When you're done, press Ctrl+X to exit, and save with
Y and Enter if you made any changes.
Step Three: Install the Arch BaseSystem
Now it's time to start the installation. You can do so with the
following command:
pacstrap -i /mnt base
If you want to tweak any packages during the process, you can
do so when prompted, but the default settings should be fine.
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Next, you'll need to create and edit some config files. Here are
the ones you want to worry about:
/etc/fstab: Fstab stands for File Systems Table. This file lists
your available drives and partitions and decides how you'll use
each one. To create one for your drive, just run:
genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
You can then view and edit it with:
nano /mnt/etc/fstab
The columns, in order from left to right, list the drive's name(s)
and UUID, mount point, file system, and boot options. You
probably won't have to do anything here at the moment, but if
you have a lot of partitions on your drive, you'll probably find
yourself back here soon. You may also want to clean up the
columns a little bit so they line up better, but that's up to you.
Check out the Fstab wiki entry (https://wiki.archlinux.org
/index.php/Fstab) for more information.
/etc/locale.gen: This file determines certain location-based
settings, like time and date formats, alphabetic tweaks, and
other things. For this and the other configuration files, we'll
need to
chroot
into our newly-created system. Essentially, we'll be running a
terminal on that system without having booted into it yet. To do
this, just run:
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arch-chroot /mnt
Next, create the
locale
files by running:
nano /etc/locale.gen
By default, everything has been commented out with a
#
, but you can scroll down and uncomment the line for your
locale(s) by deleting the
#
symbol. For example, US users would uncomment the
en_US.UTF-8
line. Again, press Ctrl+X to exit, then Y and Enter to save it.
You should also create a
locale.conf
file with the following command (for English-speaking US
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users):
echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
If you speak another language, tweak this command
accordingly.
Time Zone and Clock: Next, we'll set our time zone. To view
the available zones, run the following command:
ls /usr/share/zoneinfo
You can view sub-zones by picking a category and running:
ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/America
Find the zone you want, then run the following command,
replacing
America/Los_Angeles
with your time zone:
ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles
/etc/localtime
Then, set the clock according to your chosen zone with:
hwclock —systohc —utc
That's all you should need for now in the realm of
miscellaneous configuration files. The next few steps will be a
tad more pointed.
Step Four: Set Up Your Network
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At this point, you have network access from the live CD, but
you'll need to set up your network for the actual Arch
installation.
If you have a wired connection, with a dynamic IP address,
all you need to do is enable the wired networking service on
your new setup. To enable a background service like this one,
you'll need to use the
systemctl
command. In this case, run:
systemctl enable [email protected]
If you connect using Wi-Fi, you'll need to install a few
packages first. To start, install Arch's wireless tools with:
pacman -S wireless_tools wpa_supplicant wpa_actiond
dialog
Then, run the following to connect to your network:
wifi-menu
This will create a profile in
/etc/network.d
named after your network. Lastly, enable the wireless service
with
systemctl
:
systemctl enable net-auto-wireless.service
Now, your network should be all set up and ready to go when
you finish installing Arch.
Step Five: Configure Your PackageManager
Arch Linux uses a package manager called Pacman, and it's
pretty darn awesome. Before you can use it in your new
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installation though, you'll need to do a few things. Start by
editing its configuration file with:
nano /etc/pacman.conf
Scroll down to the "Repositories" section. The
[core]
,
[extra]
, and
[community]
repositories should already be uncommented, but if you're on a
64-bit machine, you should also enable the [multilib] repository,
which lets you install both 64- and 32-bit programs. To do so,
add the following lines to the bottom of the config file:
[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
If you're on a 32-bit system, you shouldn't need to edit anything
in here right now, but it's a good idea to take a look around,
since this is where you'll add any extra repositories in the
future. When you're done, go ahead and exit, saving any
changes you might have made.
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When you're done, run the following command to refresh your
repository list (if you made any changes):
pacman -Sy
We'll talk more about how to use Pacman in a little bit. For now,
head to the next step.
Step Six: Create a User Account
Now it's time for a few finishing touches before we actually
boot into our Arch system. First, set the root password by
running:
passwd
Type in your desired password when prompted. Now, as an
intermediate Linux user, you already know you don't want to
use the root account for regular computing, since that can be
dangerous. So, create a user account (and a password) for
yourself by running:
useradd -m -g users -G wheel,storage,power -s /bin/bash
johndoe
passwd johndoe
Of course, replace
johndoe
with your desired username. The string of comma-separated
terms contains the groups to which your user belongs. The ones
listed should be fine, though they aren't the only ones available.
If you have a floppy drive or scanner, for example, you'll want
to add
floppy
and/or
scanner
to the list. For a full list, check out the Groups wiki entry
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Groups).
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Now would probably be a good time to install
sudo
too, so your new user can perform administrative tasks. To do
this, use the aforementioned Pacman package manager:
pacman -S sudo
That's how easy adding a package is in Pacman. If you wanted
to see a list of packages pertaining to a search term, you could
type:
pacman -Ss sudo
This would search the repositories for "sudo", returning to you
a list of packages containing that name. Of course, you could
also search the database on Arch Linux's web site
(http://www.archlinux.org/packages/).
Once you've installed
sudo
, you can allow your new user to run it by editing your sudoers
file:
EDITOR=nano visudo
Scroll down until you find this line and uncomment it:
%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
Save the document and exit the editor. This tweak will allow all
members of the
wheel
group—to which your new user belongs—to use
sudo
, which will be handy when you finally boot into our new OS.
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Step 7: Install Your Bootloader
Next, you'll need to install a bootloader that can boot you into
your Arch installation. For this guide, we'll be using the
ever-popular GRUB, though you can use something else if you
desire (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_and_configure_a_bootloader). If
you're installing Arch on a UEFI-based motherboard (instead of
a BIOS-based motherboard) or if you're dual-booting, you may
want to do some extra reading (https://wiki.archlinux.org
/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_and_configure_a_bootloader)
before continuing, as everyone's setup is going to be a little
different.
To install GRUB, run the following commands, replacing
/dev/sda
with the drive (not the partition,
/dev/sda1
) that holds your Arch Linux installation:
pacman -S grub-bios
grub-install —target=i386-pc —recheck /dev/sda
cp /usr/share/locale/en\@quot/LC_MESSAGES/grub.mo
/boot/grub/locale/en.mo
If you're dual booting, run the following:
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pacman -S os-prober
Then, whether you're dual-booting or not, run:
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
This will create a config file for your bootloader (which you can
edit if you want different options when booting into Arch or
another OS).
Lastly, exit from chroot, unmount your partitions, and reboot
your computer:
exit
umount /mnt/home
umount /mnt
reboot
Obviously, if you mounted other partitions at any point, include
them in the commands above. You should also remove your
Arch Linux Installation CD at this time.
Step Eight: Get Your Desktop Up andRunning
When you reboot, you should find yourself at a simple login
prompt, just like when you first started. However, this time,
you're actually logging into your new Arch installation! You now
have a very basic system from which you can build up a
working desktop with sound, video, and more.
To start, let's get sound up and running. To do this, you need to
install
alsa-utils
with the following command:
sudo pacman -S alsa-utils
Then, start up alsamixer:
alsamixer
All your channels will start muted, so use the M key to unmute
the channels you need. Then, use the arrow keys to turn them
up or down. You'll definitely want to unmute the Master
channel, and the PCM channel if you have one. Depending on
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your speaker setup, you may also need to unmute others like
Front Speaker or Headphone. Raise their volume up until "dB
gain" equals "0" for each. This will ensure that you don't get
any sound distortion. Press ESC when you're done.
To check and make sure your speakers are working, just run:
speaker-test -c 2
Change
2
to the number of speakers you have (for example,
8
if you have a 7.1 surround system). If you hear the static it
generates, you've got working audio! If not, head back to
alsamixer
and try tweaking your channels to make sure everything's
properly unmuted. To stop the speaker test, press Ctrl+C.
Next, it's time to get some graphics up and running. First, we'll
install the X window system with:
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sudo pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xorg-server-utils
If you want 3D support, you'll also want to install
mesa
:
sudo pacman -S mesa
Now comes what, in my experience, is always the most
troublesome part of a Linux installation: video drivers and
configuring X. The video driver you need will depend on your
graphics card and what you want to get from it, so see the
corresponding entry in the Beginner's guide
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_a_video_driver) for more
information. You'll use Pacman to install those drivers, a
process with which you're probably familiar. For example, if I
wanted to install the proprietary NVIDIA drivers on a 64-bit
system, I'd run:
sudo pacman -S nvidia lib32-nvidia-utils
Again, your commands will differ. Do some research to find out
what drivers you need.
Most desktop computers should be able to use their mouse and
keyboard out of the box. If you're on a laptop, though, you
should take this time to install some drivers for your trackpad:
sudo pacman -S xf86-input-synaptics
We're in the home stretch! Biw it's time to see if you can get a
graphical environment up and running. First, install the default
environment:
pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm
Then, to test X, just run:
startx
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If it works, you should be able to interact with a very basic
windowed environment and run commands in xterm. You can
exit by typing
exit
into xterm and hitting Enter.
It is here where I learned I used the wrong video drivers my
first time around, so I had to uninstall the old ones and reinstall
a different package. To remove a package in Pacman, just type:
pacman -Rns package_name
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The
n
flag removes all the configuration files related to a package,
while the
s
flag removes any dependencies that are now unnecessary. I
generally always use
n
and
s
when removing a package, because I like to keep my system
clean of cruft.
If you're having trouble with your video drivers and testing X,
there's more information on troubleshooting it
(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php
/Beginners%27_Guide#Troubleshooting) in the Beginner's
Guide.
Stay with us, we're at the last step! All that's left is to install
your desktop environment of choice. First, install a few fonts:
sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu
Then, pick your favorite
desktop environment
(http://lifehacker.com
/5762081/wtf-desktop-
environments-gnome-
kde-and-more-explained) and
install it (you can see lots of
good choices here
(https://wiki.archlinux.org
WTFDesktop
RELATED
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/index.php
/Desktop_Environment)).
Your commands will differ
depending on what you
choose, but it should be
simple. For example, to
install a GNOME desktop,
you'd run:
sudo pacman -S gnome
This could take awhile,
depending on how big of an
environment you want. Once
it's done, you can turn on a
display manager
(https://wiki.archlinux.org
/index.php/Display_Manager)
to give yourself a graphical
login to your new desktop.
GNOME comes with the
gdm
display manager, so to enable its service (remember those?) we
just need to run:
sudo systemctl enable gdm.service
Now, reboot your system with
sudo reboot
and you should find yourself inside a new desktop on your new
Arch system! Hooray!
Environments: GNOME,KDE, and MoreExplained(http://lifehacker.com/5762081/wtf-desktop-environments-gnome-kde-and-more-explained)You can customize nearly
every last inch of your Linux
installation to fit your liking,
and it starts with choosing
the right desktop
environment.… Read…
(http://lifehacker.com
/5762081/wtf-desktop-
environments-gnome-
kde-and-more-explained)
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Going Further: Using Pacman,Installing Other Apps, and More
Congratulations on setting up your first Arch desktop. There's a
lot more to learn, but that's pretty much where this guide ends.
Here are some things you may want to read up on to get
started:
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That's it for now! There's a
ton of other information out
there, and lots of cool things
to do, but this will get you up
and running. If you have any
questions, Google and the
Arch Forums are your
friends, but so are we! Arch
is a pretty popular
distribution
(http://lifehacker.com
/5170138/five-best-linux-
distributions) among
Lifehacker readers, so hit us
up in the comments of this
post or in our weekly open
thread (http://lifehacker.com
/tag/openthread/) if you've
got questions.
Title image remixed from somchaij
(http://www.shutterstock.com
/pic-66288685/stock-photo-completing-the-missing-jigsaw-puzzle-concept-
for-business-with-completing-the-team-with-final-person.html) (Shutterstock).
Five BestLinux
Distributions(http://lifehacker.com/5170138/five-best-linux-distributions)There are many, many Linux
distributions, and a lot of
unique reasons to like them.
Read on to see which
open-source operating
systems inspired our…
Read… (http://lifehacker.com
/5170138/five-best-linux-
distributions)
1 DiscussL
33 discussions
displayed because an
author is participating
or following a
participant.
3 additional replies
awaiting review.
Author isparticipating1
@
BishopBlaize
Since I built my first
Hackintosh I realized how
… 1 L
Author isparticipating1
installgen2 (
Maybe this is just me
projecting my bad
…
RELATED
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K
Whitson Gor
useful is to have a fully
tested list of hardware to
choose from before you build
and add the OS. Linux has
good compatibility, but not
perfect, and the reason I left
was because of one too many
updates that took a weekend
to get my soundcard working
again. I wonder if someone
might link to such as list for
people wanting to do a linux
build
? 12/06/12 8:35am (http://lifehacker.com/since-i-built-my-first-hackintosh-i-realized-ho
Whitson Gor
Ubuntu has a pretty good list
of compatible hardware:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com
/HardwareSuppor
t 12/06/12 8:50am (http://lifehacker.com/ubuntu-has-a-pretty-good-list-of-compatible-h
… 1 L
majorsquirre
So can I use that list for my
Arch install? Would that
work
well
? 12/10/12 9:50pm (http://lifehacker.com/so-can-i-use-that-list-for-my-arch-install-woul
… 1 L
…
experiences with Arch, but if
you wanted a really
customized Linux
distribution, why not go with
Gentoo? Compile times are a
pain, but I've found Gentoo
to be a lot less fussy than
Arch. In all honesty though,
I'd just go for a minimal
install of Debian testing or
Ubuntu
. 12/06/12 11:20am (http://lifehacker.com
nickthename
I've found that doing a
minimal installation of
ubuntu and a bit of messing
around in the command line
allows you to gain plenty of
knowledge of linux without
having to end up with a
rather unstable setup. Also,
much of the knowledge you
pick up when installing a
distro from near-nothing is
distro specific, so it's nice to
make your distro specific
knowledge be on something
that is very
common
. 12/06/12 3:53pm (http://lifehacker.com/
…
freddy_youn
Fussy in which way?
Actually I couldn't stand
Gentoo because of its
compile times.
Arch just
work
s 12/07/12 5:35am (http://lifehacker.com
…
Author isparticipating1
@
zomeburner
I was wondering if switching
to a non-debian-based distro
would make some softwares
uninstallable. Could that be
the case ?
For examples, games,
drivers, and so many others
apps ? It's just that I don't
often see an Arch package
available... I know there is
the compiling possibility,
but...
? 12/06/12 9:50am (http://lifehacker.com/i-was-wondering-if-switching-to-a-non-debian
… 1 L
Whitson Gor
This is why I love the AUR.
Chances are, if there's an
app you want, someone's
already compiled it and you
can install it with a package
manager like Yaourt or
Packer. In fact, I've probably
had to compile LESS from
source on Arch than I did on
Ubuntu
! 12/06/12 9:52am (http://lifehacker.com/this-is-why-i-love-the-aur-chances-are-if-there
… 1 L
srzbble (http
I've been using Arch for
more than one year and I
never had to compile.
If it's not here:
https://www.archlinux.org
/packages/
Then it's here:
https://aur.archlinux.org
… 1 L
Author isparticipating1
myrddyn (htt
I appreciate your articles, so
I turned off my AdBlock...
... only to find you don't have
ads on here. Is that
intentional or is something
else blocking
them
? 7/11/13 8:56pm (http://lifehacker.com/i
…
Whitson Gor
First of all: Thank you!
Second, yes we do have ads,
though not a ton of them.
Usually only one or so is
visible at a time, so maybe
you're just missing it?
Although something else
could be blocking them.
Maybe
FlashBlock
? 7/11/13 9:49pm (http://lifehacker.com/fi
…
estebanrules
I ran Ubuntu and then other
Debian-based distros for
years and years. I still really
like Debian, but I think that
might be because I'm most
comfortable in the Debian
environment.
When I decided to "step up"
to a distro that required
some more know-how and
work, I tried out both Gentoo
and Arch. Gentoo is great,
but the compile times really
weighed down on me and I
felt like I was always "fixing
something" instead of just
working in a stable
environment.
Today I dual-boot Ubuntu
and Arch. I still love the ease
and the Debian-base of
Ubuntu (and truth be told I
like Unity) but I primarily
use Arch. Arch is very fast,
stable, and I've learned a ton
more about the inner-
workings of Linux from using
Arch.
Anyway, this is a great install
guide. One thing to mention
however is that there is an
issue with setting up
ethernet.
You can find a resolution to
that issue here.
(https://bugs.archlinux.org
/task/33923)
…
@
Mplicit (http
For those who find their
network card doesn't work
on reboot into the installed
system, have a look at this
post -
https://bbs.archlinux.org
/viewtopic.php?...
(https://bbs.archlinux.org
/viewtopic.php?pid=1220535
) 5/26/13 2:55am (http://lifehacker.com/for-those-who-find-their-network-card-doesnt-w
… 2 1 L
@
serpent5 (htt
My first experience of Linux
was Arch, many years ago
when I had no idea what this
Linux idea was all about. I
didn't stick with it for long
and ended up running mostly
Ubuntu since, with the odd
foray into Fedora Core and
Mint. I came across this
article when searching
Google for alternatives to
Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint
and the idea of somewhat
building up my own
customised Linux system
from scratch really pulled me
in. I gained a lot of Linux
knowledge from using the
more "user-friendly"
distributions but, as this
article suggests, I've picked
up much more since diving
back into the world of Arch
and I will never look
back
. 6/06/13 2:25pm (http://lifehacker.com/my-first-experience-of-linux-was-arch-many-ye
… 1 1 L Ishaan Bahal
For those people who
connect to a wifi which is
secured by a wep key and
are facing problems, a simple
solution is to
1. Go to wifi-menu.
2.Connect to your wifi AP.
3.When prompted
Connecting failed, save the
profile.
4.Go to /etc/netctl and edit
your AP profile and add \"
before the key
Example :
Key=\"123456789
0 7/09/13 5:10am (http://lifehacker.com/f
…
@
SenorValasc
I remember back when you
posted the last guide I
bookmarked it with the
intention of giving it a shot.
Now around 2 years later
I've bookmarked the updated
guide...wonder if I'll get
around to it this
time..
. 12/06/12 1:43pm (http://lifehacker.com/i-remember-back-when-you-posted-the-last-g
… 1 L
@
aem2 (http://
I run Arch on both my server
and my desktop, and I am
wicked confused by systemd.
I know it's now the linux
standard, but I miss my
rc.conf,
dammit
! 12/12/12 10:07am (http://lifehacker.com/i-run-arch-on-both-my-server-and-my-deskto
… 1 L (/posts/new)
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donniezazen and 2
others...freddy_young
/ 12/06/12 2:52pm (http://lifehacker.com/ive-been-using-arch-for-more-than-one-year-and-i-never-46539624Have fun
;
) 5/17/13 9:22am (http://lifehacker.com/i-ran-ubuntu-and-then-other-debian (/posts/new)
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