SimpleArchISO - Custom Arch Linux with KDE Plasma

Project Overview

Welcome to SimpleArchISO! This project provides a ready-to-use, pre-configured Arch Linux ISO featuring the beautiful and powerful KDE Plasma desktop environment. Our goal is to offer a straightforward way to get a customized Arch Linux system up and running, bypassing some of the more manual configuration steps typically associated with Arch installation.

This ISO includes:

• KDE Plasma Desktop: A modern, customizable, and feature-rich desktop environment.
• SDDM Display Manager: The recommended display manager for KDE Plasma.
• NetworkManager: For easy network connectivity (wired and Wi-Fi).
• archinstall: The official Arch Linux installer script, pre-included for simplified installation.
• Essential Utilities: Common tools like Firefox, Konsole, Dolphin, Htop, Neovim, Git, and basic development tools (base-devel).
• Bootable Live Environment: Allows you to test the system before installation.

Downloading & Installing SimpleArchISO

You have two main methods to get and install SimpleArchISO:

• Method 1: Fully Automated (Recommended for Arch Linux Users) Use the install.sh script provided in this repository to automatically download the ISO and flash it to a USB drive.
• Method 2: Manual Download & Install Download the ISO manually from Google Drive, and then follow the separate guide for flashing it to a USB and installing.

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Method 1: Automated Download and USB Flashing (Recommended for Arch Linux Users)

This method uses the install.sh script to automate the entire process of getting the ISO and making a bootable USB drive on an Arch Linux system.

Important Safety Warning: The install.sh script will prompt you to select a USB drive for flashing. Selecting the INCORRECT drive will PERMANENTLY ERASE ALL DATA on that drive. Please proceed with extreme caution.

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/rainbownx/SimpleArchISO.git](https://github.com/rainbownx/SimpleArchISO.git)
   cd SimpleArchISO

2. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x install.sh

3. Run the automated installer script:

   ./install.sh

   • The script will first ask for your sudo password to install necessary packages (like git, python, python-requests).
   • It will then download the download-gdrive.py script and then use it to download the simplearch.iso.
   • Pay close attention to the prompts: The script will list available drives and ask you to carefully enter the device path of your USB drive (e.g., /dev/sdb).
   • You will be asked to type YES (in uppercase) to confirm the flashing process.

4. Proceed to the Arch Linux Installation Guide: Once the install.sh script completes and confirms the ISO flashing is done, you can proceed directly to the Installation Guide below to install Arch Linux on your computer using the newly created bootable USB.

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Method 2: Manual Download & Installation Guide

If you are not on an Arch Linux system, prefer to manage the download and flashing steps yourself, or need more control, follow these steps.

2.1 Downloading the Custom Arch Linux ISO

Due to its large file size (approximately 2.1 GB), the simplearch.iso file is hosted on Google Drive instead of directly within this GitHub repository. We provide a Python script to simplify the download process.

The correct Google Drive ID for the simplearch.iso is: 1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc

Follow these steps to download the ISO:

1. Get the Download Script: The Python download script (download-gdrive.py) is located in a separate GitHub repository. Clone that repository to get the script onto your machine:

   git clone [https://github.com/rainbownx/Google-drive-install-script.git](https://github.com/rainbownx/Google-drive-install-script.git)
   cd Google-drive-install-script

   You will now be inside the Google-drive-install-script directory.

2. Install Python Prerequisites: The download script requires the requests Python library.

   • For Arch Linux users (recommended for system-wide install):

     sudo pacman -S python-requests

   • For other Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.) or general Python environments:

     pip install requests

     (You may need to install pip first if it's not available: e.g., sudo apt install python3-pip on Debian/Ubuntu, or sudo dnf install python3-pip on Fedora).

3. Download the ISO using the Script: Once you are inside the Google-drive-install-script directory (from Step 1) and have installed the necessary Python library (Step 2), you can run the script to download the ISO.

   The full Google Drive shareable link for your simplearch.iso is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing

   Important: You can specify where you want to save the ISO file.

   • To download to your current directory (the Google-drive-install-script folder):

     python download-gdrive.py "[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing)"

   • To download to a specific directory (e.g., your system's Downloads folder):

     python download-gdrive.py "[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing)" ~/Downloads/

   • To download with a specific filename and path (e.g., to /tmp/custom_arch.iso):

     python download-gdrive.py "[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcbAk4yFh9VodGMuYMKWUhMA6tBjUSfc/view?usp=sharing)" /tmp/custom_arch.iso

   After running the command, the script will download the simplearch.iso file to your specified location.

2.2 Installation Guide: Installing SimpleArchISO to Your Hard Drive

Once you have downloaded the simplearch.iso file (either manually or using the script), you can use it to install your customized Arch Linux system onto your computer's hard drive.

Important Note: Installing an operating system can erase data on your target drive. Please ensure you have backed up any critical data before proceeding.

1. Create a Bootable USB Drive

You'll need to flash the downloaded .iso file onto a USB drive (at least 4GB recommended) to make it bootable.

• Using Etcher (Cross-platform GUI): Download Etcher from balena.io/etcher. It's user-friendly for all operating systems.
• Using dd (Linux command-line):

  sudo dd bs=4M if=/path/to/your/simplearch.iso of=/dev/sdX status=progress oflag=sync

  • Replace /path/to/your/simplearch.iso with the actual path to your downloaded ISO file.
  • Replace /dev/sdX with your USB drive's device path (e.g., /dev/sdb, /dev/sdc). Be extremely careful! Double-check this device path using lsblk or fdisk -l to avoid erasing the wrong drive.
  • The status=progress option shows the copying progress.

2. Boot the Custom ISO

1. Insert the bootable USB drive into your target computer.
2. Power on your computer and enter your BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing keys like F2, Del, F10, F12, or Esc repeatedly right after powering on).
3. Set the boot order to prioritize your USB drive, or select it from a one-time boot menu.
4. Save your changes and exit BIOS/UEFI.
5. Your computer should now boot into the Arch Linux live environment. You will eventually see the SDDM (login manager) screen.
6. Log in as liveuser using the password you configured when creating the ISO (e.g., livepassword if you used the default in the build script).

3. Start the Installation with archinstall

Once you're in the live KDE Plasma desktop:

1. Ensure you have an active internet connection. The NetworkManager icon should be visible in your system tray.
2. Open Konsole (the terminal emulator). You can find it in the "Start" menu (K-menu) or by searching for "Konsole."
3. Start the archinstall script:

   archinstall

   This will launch the interactive installation script in your terminal.

4. archinstall Walkthrough (Key Steps)

The archinstall script will guide you through several prompts. Read each one carefully. Here are the most important steps and common choices:

• Language and Keyboard Layout: Choose your preferred installer language and keyboard layout.
• Mirrors: Select your closest mirror region(s) for optimal download speeds.
• Disk selection: This is the most CRITICAL step.
  • archinstall will list available drives (e.g., /dev/sda, /dev/nvme0n1).
  • Carefully select the correct drive where you want to install Arch Linux. Selecting the wrong drive will erase its contents! If unsure, exit archinstall and use lsblk or sudo fdisk -l in a new terminal to identify your disks by size and existing partitions.
• Partitioning method:
  • Wipe all selected drives and use a default best-effort partitioning scheme (Recommended for new users/empty drives): This will automatically set up partitions (EFI, Swap, Root) for you.
  • Use a custom partitioning layout (Advanced): Choose this if you need specific partition sizes, already have existing partitions you want to preserve (e.g., a dual-boot setup), or prefer manual control.
• Filesystem: ext4 is a common and reliable choice for your root partition. fat32 is typically used for the EFI System Partition (ESP).
• Encryption (Optional): Choose if you want full disk encryption.
• Bootloader: Select grub (which is typically installed by default with this ISO).
• Swap: archinstall will suggest a swap partition or swap file. It's generally recommended for most systems, especially with less RAM.
• Hostname: Enter a desired hostname for your new system (e.g., myarchpc).
• Root Password: Set a strong password for the root user. Remember this password, as it grants full administrative access.
• User Accounts:
  • Create a regular user account. This is the account you will use for your daily tasks on the installed system.
  • Choose a username (e.g., yourusername).
  • Set a password for this user.
  • Add to sudo group? Yes, this is highly recommended to allow your user to run commands with administrative privileges using sudo.
• Profile (Desktop Environment): archinstall will usually detect your live environment and suggest KDE Plasma. Confirm this selection.
• Audio Server: Choose PipeWire (recommended for modern Arch installations).
• Kernel: Choose linux (the default Arch Linux kernel).
• Network Configuration: Choose NetworkManager (which is pre-configured and working in your live environment).
• Timezone and Locales: Set your correct region and city for timezone. Confirm en_US.UTF-8 or select your preferred locale(s).
• Optional (Extra Packages): You can add more packages here, but your custom ISO already has a good selection. You can usually skip this.
• Review and Install: archinstall will display a summary of all your choices. READ THIS SUMMARY VERY CAREFULLY to ensure everything is correct, especially the disk selection and partitioning plan. If everything looks good, confirm to start the installation.
• The script will now proceed with installing Arch Linux, which will take some time depending on your internet speed and hardware.

5. Post-Installation (First Boot)

1. Once archinstall finishes, it will prompt you to reboot.
2. Remove your USB installation media from the computer.
3. Your computer should now boot directly into your newly installed Arch Linux system.
4. You will be greeted by the SDDM login manager.
5. Log in with the regular user account and password you created during the archinstall process.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• No Wi-Fi / Network Connection on Installed System:
  • If you don't have internet after installation, open Konsole and check NetworkManager's status:

    systemctl status NetworkManager

  • If it shows disabled or inactive, enable and start it:

    sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
    sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

  • If the NetworkManager icon is missing from your Plasma panel, ensure the plasma-nm package is installed (sudo pacman -S plasma-nm) and then add the widget to your panel (right-click panel -> "Add Widgets..." -> search for "NetworkManager Plasmoid").
• Cannot Log In to the Installed System:
  • Ensure you are using the username and password you created during the archinstall process (these are separate from the liveuser on the ISO).
  • If you're stuck, you can boot back into the live ISO, switch to a TTY (Ctrl+Alt+F2 or F3), and use arch-chroot to enter your installed system and reset passwords.