Using MiniOS Installer

MiniOS Installer is a graphical tool for installing MiniOS to hard drives or USB drives with UEFI/BIOS support and multiple filesystem compatibility.

Important

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect device selection will result in data loss! Always double-check the selected device and backup important data.

Drive Requirements

Drive Size

See Hardware Compatibility Guide for detailed system requirements and drive sizes.

Supported Filesystems

• ext4 (recommended for Linux)
• Btrfs (modern filesystem with snapshots)
• FAT32 (maximum compatibility)
• NTFS (Windows compatibility)

Creating Installation

Launching MiniOS Installer

Through applications menu:

1. Open menu → System → "Install MiniOS"

Through terminal:

sudo minios-installer

Installation Process

1. Configure system settings (Optional but Recommended):

   • Click "Configure MiniOS before installation" button
   • Set up your preferences:
     • System language and locale
     • Timezone and keyboard layout
     • User accounts and passwords
     • Hostname and system services
   • Save and close configurator

2. Select target device:

   • Choose a hard drive or USB drive from the list
   • Verify device size and model

3. Select filesystem:

   • ext4: recommended for most cases
   • Btrfs: for advanced users
   • FAT32: for maximum compatibility

4. Confirm disk wipe:

   • All data on the selected device will be deleted
   • Ensure correct device selection

5. Start installation:

   • Click "Install" button
   • Wait for process completion

6. Completion:

   • Restart the system
   • Remove LiveUSB/LiveCD
   • Result: System boots with your pre-configured settings

Pre-Installation Configuration

Benefits of Using MiniOS Configurator Before Installation

Recommended workflow for new users:

1. One-time setup: Configure all system preferences once before installation
2. Ready to use: Installed system boots with correct language, keyboard, and user settings
3. No post-installation work: Skip manual configuration after first boot
4. Consistent experience: Same settings across all installations

Configuration options available:

• 🌍 Localization: System language, locale, and timezone
• ⌨️ Input: Keyboard layouts and switching options
• 👤 Accounts: Username, full name, passwords, and user groups
• 🖥️ System: Hostname, enabled/disabled services
• 🔒 Security: Secure password setup before going online

Simple workflow:

• Configure your preferences once before installation
• Install MiniOS with your custom settings
• Boot into a fully configured system

Automatic Change Persistence

After installation, MiniOS Installer creates a system on the selected device:

• UEFI/BIOS compatibility: Automatic creation of necessary boot partitions
• Change persistence: Full support for MiniOS persistence modes
• Filesystems: Support for ext4, Btrfs, FAT32, NTFS

Parameter Configuration (for advanced users)

For precise persistence configuration, boot parameters can be used:

• perchmode=native - Direct partition saving (when free space available)
• perchmode=dynfilefs - Dynamically expandable file
• perchmode=raw - Fixed-size file
• perchsize=8000 - Storage space size for data in MB

Details in boot parameters.