Installing and Upgrading

Installing and upgrading

Before you start

• Back up files you care about.
• Know whether the computer starts with BIOS or UEFI.
• If you keep another system, leave unallocated space or an existing ZacOS (ext4) partition for ZacOS 9. The installer can shrink some partitions, but a backup is still the safe move.
• Read the Getting started page if you have not booted the live medium yet.

Whole disk

Choose the disk in the Installer and use Erase & Install. This removes everything on that disk and gives ZacOS 9 a fresh partition layout, including the EFI System partition or BIOS boot partition it needs.

Beside another system

Choose Next to what's on it. The Installer shows a partition map: ZacOS 9 takes a new partition, and a line lets you give it more or less room. It needs at least 16 GB.

Keeping Windows:

1. Start Disk Setup from the live desktop.
2. Make a ZacOS (ext4) partition in the free space, or shrink an existing partition there.
3. Choose that partition in the Installer.

The Installer writes its own EFI loader and adds a boot entry. It does not replace another system's EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI.

Updating an existing ZacOS 9

The Installer offers Update when the selected disk already has ZacOS 9. It keeps accounts, files and settings. Erase & Install on the same disk does not.

An installed system can also update itself without a new ISO: Zac menu ▸ Fetch Updates installs the newest ZacOS 9 release and Debian's security fixes. See Software and updates.

After installation

The installed system starts at the login window, then the Setup Assistant. If you chose a language in the Installer, the login window and the installed system use it.

To change language later, open Control Panels ▸ Text. The choice takes effect at your next login; the login window follows the system-wide /etc/default/locale.

Recovery

If the computer no longer starts:

• boot the live medium and check the disk in Disk Setup;
• start the firmware boot menu and choose the ZacOS 9 entry;
• for a UEFI system, check that the EFI System partition still has EFI/ZacOS9.

If you need to report a problem, include the Installer step, the exact error and the output of sudo sfdisk -d /dev/NAME (replace NAME with the disk). Never post passwords or private files.