Installation Guide - buggerman/re-arch GitHub Wiki

RE-ARCH Installation Guide

Complete step-by-step installation instructions for all supported desktop environments.

🚀 Quick Install (Recommended)

Prerequisites: Boot from Arch Linux ISO and connect to internet first!

curl -fsSL https://re-arch.xyz/install | bash

That's it! Choose your desktop environment and let it install. The automated installer handles all the steps below automatically.

📋 Manual Installation

For advanced users or if the automated installer fails:

📋 Prerequisites

System Requirements

Hardware (MINIMUM):

  • 🔧 CPU: x86_64 processor (Intel/AMD 64-bit)
  • 🧠 RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
  • 💾 Storage: 20GB minimum free space, 50GB recommended
  • 🚀 Boot: UEFI firmware preferred, Legacy BIOS supported

⚠️ COMPATIBILITY WARNING:

  • ✅ FULLY SUPPORTED: Fresh installation on dedicated machines or VMs
  • ⚠️ ADVANCED USERS ONLY: Dual-boot systems (requires manual partition configuration)
  • ❌ NOT SUPPORTED: Systems with existing data you want to preserve
  • ❌ WILL NOT WORK: Without internet connection during installation

Internet Connection

  • 🔗 Stable internet required: Downloads 1-2GB of packages
  • 🔌 Wired connection recommended: More reliable than WiFi during installation
  • 📶 WiFi setup: Connect to network BEFORE running installation commands

Virtual Machine Users

Recommended VM Settings:

  • RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB recommended
  • Storage: 50GB minimum, 100GB recommended
  • Network: NAT or Bridged (internet access required)
  • Graphics: Enable 3D acceleration if available

🚀 Installation Process

Step 1: Boot from Arch Linux ISO

  1. Download Arch Linux ISO: https://archlinux.org/download/
  2. Create bootable media: Use Rufus, Etcher, or dd command
  3. Boot from USB/DVD: Enter BIOS/UEFI and select boot device
  4. Wait for login prompt: Should see root@archiso ~ #

Step 2: Connect to Internet

For Ethernet (automatic):

# Test connection
if ping -c 3 google.com &> /dev/null; then
    echo "✅ Internet connection confirmed"
else
    echo "❌ No internet connection. Please check your network."
    exit 1
fi

For WiFi:

# Start iwctl
iwctl

# List devices
device list

# Connect to network (replace "YourNetwork" with your network name)
station wlan0 connect "YourNetwork"

# Exit iwctl
exit

# Test connection
ping -c 3 google.com

Step 3: Choose Desktop Environment & Install

⚠️ IMPORTANT - Pre-Installation Validation:

# Validate archinstall is available
if ! command -v archinstall &> /dev/null; then
    echo "❌ archinstall not found. Please boot from official Arch Linux ISO."
    exit 1
fi

# Validate internet connectivity
if ! ping -c 1 google.com &> /dev/null; then
    echo "❌ No internet connection. Please connect before proceeding."
    exit 1
fi

echo "✅ Pre-installation validation complete"

⚠️ IMPORTANT - Disk Configuration:

  • Default configs target /dev/sda (first SATA drive)
  • If your disk is different (e.g., /dev/nvme0n1, /dev/vda, /dev/sdb):
    • Download the config file first: curl -O https://re-arch.xyz/config-kde.json
    • Edit the "device" field in the disk_config section to match your actual disk
    • Use --config config-kde.json instead of --config-url in the command
  • Check your disk name: lsblk or fdisk -l

Desktop Environment Options

Desktop Environment Command
KDE Plasma (Recommended) archinstall --config-url https://re-arch.xyz/config-kde.json --creds-url https://re-arch.xyz/creds.json
GNOME archinstall --config-url https://re-arch.xyz/config-gnome.json --creds-url https://re-arch.xyz/creds.json
XFCE archinstall --config-url https://re-arch.xyz/config-xfce.json --creds-url https://re-arch.xyz/creds.json
Hyprland archinstall --config-url https://re-arch.xyz/config-hyprland.json --creds-url https://re-arch.xyz/creds.json

Fallback URLs (if re-arch.xyz is blocked):

# Replace config-kde.json with your chosen DE
archinstall --config-url https://raw.githubusercontent.com/buggerman/re-arch/main/config-kde.json --creds-url https://raw.githubusercontent.com/buggerman/re-arch/main/creds.json

Step 4: Monitor Installation Progress

Expected Timeline:

  • ⏱️ Total time: 25-35 minutes
  • 📦 Package downloads: 10-15 minutes
  • 💾 Installation: 5-10 minutes
  • ⚙️ Configuration: 2-5 minutes

What to Watch For:

  • Package download progress
  • No error messages in red
  • Successful completion message
  • Prompt to reboot or continue

⚠️ DO NOT INTERRUPT - Let archinstall complete fully before proceeding.

Step 5: System Optimization

After archinstall completes successfully:

  1. Enter chroot environment:

    • When archinstall completes, it will ask "Would you like to chroot into the newly created installation?"
    • Select "Yes" to enter chroot automatically
    • Alternatively, if needed: arch-chroot /mnt

  2. Run optimization script:

    curl -fsSL https://re-arch.xyz/re-arch-lite.sh | bash

  3. Alternative URL if GitHub is blocked:

    curl -fsSL https://re-arch.xyz/re-arch-lite.sh | bash

What the optimization script does:

  • 🔧 Configures snapshot system and permissions
  • 🔧 Sets up GRUB Btrfs integration
  • 🔧 Enables appropriate system services
  • 🔧 Configures Flatpak and package repositories
  • 🔧 Optimizes system settings

Step 6: Complete Installation

  1. Exit chroot:

    exit

  2. Reboot system:

    reboot

  3. Remove installation media when prompted

  4. First boot should take 2-3 minutes to complete initial setup

💻 What Gets Installed

🔧 Core System: Linux Zen kernel, GRUB with Btrfs snapshot support, snapper automation, optimized Btrfs subvolume layout with zstd compression

🖥️ Desktop Environment: Your chosen DE with appropriate display manager, Wayland support, essential applications, and Bluetooth

⚡ Performance & Security: ananicy-cpp process optimization, zram memory compression, PipeWire audio, firewalld security, Mesa graphics

📦 Package Management:

  • pacman (system core)
  • Flatpak (GUI apps)
  • AUR repository enabled (helper must be installed separately)
  • Homebrew (development tools)
  • multilib (32-bit compatibility)

📚 Utilities: Manual pages, nano editor, file system support, quality fonts, mirror optimization

🔧 Default Credentials

Username: user
Password: rearch

⚠️ Change these immediately after first login for security!

✅ Success Indicators

Installation successful if:

  • System boots to login screen
  • Can log in with default credentials
  • Desktop environment loads properly
  • Network connectivity works
  • Package managers are functional

🚨 If Something Goes Wrong

See the Troubleshooting page for comprehensive solutions to common issues.

📦 Alternative Installation Methods

For advanced users, see experimental methods in the main README. These are not recommended for most users.

For detailed troubleshooting, see the Troubleshooting page.