Arch Linux Installation

Installing Arch Linux: A Step by Step Guide

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Downloaded the latest Arch Linux ISO from archlinux.org/download
• Created a bootable USB drive (using tools like Rufus, Etcher, or dd)
• Backed up any important data
• At least 20GB of free disk space
• A stable internet connection

Installation Steps

1. Boot into the Live Environment

Boot your system from the Arch Linux USB. You'll see a boot menu—select "Arch Linux install medium" and press Enter.

2. Verify Internet Connection

Check if you have internet connectivity:

ping -c 3 archlinux.org

If you're using WiFi, connect using iwctl:

iwctl
device list
station wlan0 scan
station wlan0 get-networks
station wlan0 connect "Your-Network-Name"
exit

3. Update System Clock

Ensure the system clock is accurate:

timedatectl set-ntp true

Verify the time:

timedatectl status

4. Partition the Disk

List all available disks:

fdisk -l

Identify your target disk (usually /dev/sda or /dev/nvme0n1 for NVMe drives).

Using fdisk:

fdisk /dev/sda

Or use cfdisk (recommended for beginners):

cfdisk /dev/sda

Recommended partition scheme for UEFI:

For BIOS/Legacy systems:

When finished, select Write to save changes, then Quit.

5. Format the Partitions

For UEFI systems:

# Format EFI partition as FAT32
mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1

# Create and enable swap
mkswap /dev/sda2
swapon /dev/sda2

# Format root partition as ext4
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3

For BIOS systems:

# Create and enable swap
mkswap /dev/sda1
swapon /dev/sda1

# Format root partition as ext4
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2

6. Mount the File Systems

For UEFI:

# Mount root partition
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

# Create and mount EFI directory
mkdir -p /mnt/boot/EFI
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/EFI

For BIOS:

# Mount root partition
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt

7. Install Base System

Install essential packages:

pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware

Optional but recommended packages to add:

pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware base-devel networkmanager vim nano git

8. Generate fstab

Generate the filesystem table:

genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

Verify it was created correctly:

cat /mnt/etc/fstab

9. Change Root into New System

arch-chroot /mnt

10. Set Time Zone

List available regions:

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/

List cities in your region (example: Asia):

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/

Set your timezone (replace with your location):

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/Manila /etc/localtime

Generate /etc/adjtime:

hwclock --systohc

11. Configure Localization

Edit /etc/locale.gen:

nano /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment your locale (example: en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 and/or en_PH.UTF-8 UTF-8)

Generate the locales:

locale-gen

Create /etc/locale.conf:

echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf

12. Network Configuration

Create hostname file:

echo "myhostname" > /etc/hostname

Edit /etc/hosts:

nano /etc/hosts

Add the following:

127.0.0.1   localhost
::1         localhost
127.0.1.1   myhostname.localdomain    myhostname

13. Set Root Password

passwd

Enter a strong password when prompted.

14. Create User Account

Add a new user (replace username with your desired username):

useradd -m -G wheel,audio,video,optical,storage -s /bin/bash username

Set password for the user:

passwd username

15. Configure Sudo

Install sudo if not already installed:

pacman -S sudo

Edit sudoers file:

EDITOR=nano visudo

Uncomment the line:

%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Save and exit (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter).

16. Install Bootloader (GRUB)

Install GRUB and related packages:

For UEFI systems:

pacman -S grub efibootmgr dosfstools os-prober mtools

Install GRUB to the EFI partition:

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --bootloader-id=GRUB --efi-directory=/boot/EFI --recheck

For BIOS systems:

pacman -S grub os-prober

Install GRUB to the disk (not partition):

grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda

Generate GRUB configuration (both systems):

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

17. Enable Network Manager

systemctl enable NetworkManager

18. Exit and Reboot

Exit the chroot environment:

exit

Unmount all partitions:

umount -R /mnt

Reboot the system:

reboot

Remove the installation media when prompted.

Post-Installation

Installing a Desktop Environment

After rebooting and logging in, you can install a desktop environment.

KDE Plasma (Full-featured)

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S xorg plasma plasma-wayland-session kde-applications

Enable the display manager:

sudo systemctl enable sddm

GNOME (Modern and clean)

sudo pacman -S xorg gnome gnome-extra

Enable the display manager:

sudo systemctl enable gdm

Xfce (Lightweight)

sudo pacman -S xorg xfce4 xfce4-goodies lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter

Enable the display manager:

sudo systemctl enable lightdm

i3 (Tiling window manager)

sudo pacman -S xorg i3-wm i3status i3lock dmenu

Create .xinitrc:

echo "exec i3" > ~/.xinitrc

Start X manually with:

startx

Essential Post-Installation Packages

# AUR helper (yay)
sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

# Useful utilities
sudo pacman -S firefox vlc gimp libreoffice-fresh htop neofetch

# Audio support
sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-alsa pipewire-pulse pipewire-jack wireplumber

# Bluetooth support
sudo pacman -S bluez bluez-utils
sudo systemctl enable bluetooth

Troubleshooting Tips

If WiFi doesn't work after reboot:

sudo systemctl start NetworkManager
sudo nmcli device wifi list
sudo nmcli device wifi connect "SSID" password "password"

If audio doesn't work:

sudo pacman -S alsa-utils
alsamixer  # Press F6 to select sound card, unmute with 'M'

Check system logs for errors:

journalctl -b  # Boot logs
journalctl -xe # Recent errors

Congratulations!

You now have a fully functional Arch Linux installation. Welcome to the Arch community!

I use Arch BTW! 🐧

Useful Resources

• Arch Wiki - The most comprehensive Linux documentation
• Arch Forums - Community support
• r/archlinux - Reddit community
• AUR - Arch User Repository for additional packages

Remember: The Arch Wiki is your best friend. Always RTFM (Read The Fine Manual)!