FAQ

FAQ

About KiroTux

How does KiroTux relate to Kiro?

KiroTux is built on Kiro: the same Arch Linux base, the same repositories and the same tools. Most answers in the Kiro FAQ apply to KiroTux too. This page covers what's different, plus the questions people ask most.

Is Kiro still free?

Yes. Kiro and its desktop configs stay free. KiroTux is a separate ISO line that you get with a donation.

What does my donation get me?

The ready-made, tested Wayland ISO and the premium settings app. See Free Kiro vs KiroTux.

I'm a YouTube or Patreon member. Do I get the ISO?

No. Memberships support Kiro itself, the videos and the open code. KiroTux has its own donation: you choose how much you give (there is a minimum), and you get the ISO plus the premium settings app and its updates. See Donate and Download.

Can I get the same desktop for free?

Yes. On Kiro, install the kiro-hyprland-dms package. You get the same desktop without the Wayland live session, the Wayland installer and the premium settings app.

Where do I get it?

On Ko-fi: KiroTux Hyprland DMS, KiroTux Niri DMS, KiroTux Hyprland Noctalia or KiroTux Niri Noctalia. See Donate and Download.

Is there any telemetry or tracking?

No. No phone-home, no usage statistics, no crash reporting. What you install and run stays on your machine.

Install and boot

It won't boot from the USB stick. What should I check?

The most common cause is Secure Boot: the ISO isn't signed for it, like most Arch-based ISOs. Turn Secure Boot off in your firmware settings (usually Del, F2 or F12 at power-on, under Boot or Security).

Also make sure the USB stick was written in image (DD) mode: Ventoy, Rufus in DD mode, or dd. Copying the ISO file onto the stick won't boot.

I have an NVIDIA card. Which boot entry do I pick?

The boot menu has a choice for the graphics driver, and that choice carries over to the installed system:

Boot entry	For
open drivers: AMD / Intel	AMD and Intel graphics. Removes the NVIDIA driver.
NVIDIA proprietary, modern	NVIDIA RTX 20-series (Turing) and newer. Keeps nvidia-open-dkms.
NVIDIA proprietary, auto-detect	Other NVIDIA cards. Detects the right driver with chwd; needs internet.
safe graphics, nomodeset	When the other entries give a black screen.

Installed with open drivers and added an NVIDIA card later? Run chwd --list, then sudo chwd -a. No reinstall needed.

What are the hardware requirements?

See Requirements.

Is there a 32-bit version?

No. Arch Linux dropped 32-bit in 2017, so a 32-bit KiroTux isn't possible.

Can I try it in a virtual machine?

Yes, in QEMU/KVM with 3D acceleration. VirtualBox has problems; see Known Issues.

"Unable to resume from device…" at boot. Is something broken?

No. If you picked swap with hibernation in the installer, every boot checks for a hibernation image and warns when there is none. Boot continues normally. Not using hibernation? Remove resume= from the kernel command line.

Daily use

Is it stable enough for daily use?

It's a rolling release, like Arch: you get new software fast, and now and then an update breaks something. If you want zero maintenance, this isn't for you.

How do updates work?

The system updates with pacman, from the same repositories as Kiro. Your donation covers every update to the premium settings app and every new ISO of this edition; a new ISO comes out roughly every 4 to 6 months, as work allows. See Updating.

What if an update breaks something?

Timeshift is installed. Set it up once and take snapshots before big changes or on a schedule, then roll back when something goes wrong. Arch also lets you downgrade a single package from the local package cache.

Is there a firewall?

Yes. firewalld is enabled on the installed system, with firewall-config to manage zones and rules.

Can I switch power profiles?

Yes. tuned is enabled and works through the standard power-profiles interface, so you can switch between balanced, performance and power saving from the desktop.

dms doctor says "dms.service: Disabled". Is that a problem?

No. KiroTux doesn't use the systemd user service: Hyprland starts the shell itself (dms run) when you log in. Leave dms.service disabled.

dms doctor mentions XDG_MENU_PREFIX and Dolphin. Do I need to fix that?

No. The warning is only about Dolphin, the KDE file manager: its "Open with" list can be empty under Hyprland. KiroTux uses Thunar and doesn't ship Dolphin, so you can ignore it. If you install Dolphin yourself and its "Open with" list is empty, follow the hint in the warning: set XDG_MENU_PREFIX=plasma- in the Hyprland environment.

Can I install other desktops?

The Arch Linux Tweak Tool (ATT) is included and can install other desktops. KiroTux is set up for its own Wayland desktop, though, and the premium settings app only covers that desktop.

I don't see any wallpapers. What do I do?

Press Alt + N. Variety starts, downloads wallpapers from Wallhaven and sets the next one. After that they also show up on the Wallpaper page of the Premium Settings App. See Keybindings for the other Variety shortcuts.

Help

Where do I ask questions?

On the Kiro Discussions board, or in the comments of the YouTube videos.