joshua@spiral:~$

Arch Install Guide

created feb 09 26
last modified mar 26 26
tags #linux, #tech

1. Initial Setup

  • User: root
  • Password: (Set during install)
  • Internet: Connect via Ethernet or use iwctl for Wi-Fi. verify with ping archlinux.org.

2. Partitioning

Use cfdisk to prepare your drive (/dev/sda or /dev/nvme0n1).

  • ESP: 512MB (EFI System Partition, type EFI System)
  • Swap: 8GB or however much RAM you have (Type Linux Swap)
  • Root: Remaining space (Type Linux Filesystem)
mkfs.ext4 /dev/<root_partition>
mkfs.vfat -F 32 /dev/<esp_partition>
mkswap /dev/<swap_partition>
swapon /dev/<swap_partition>

mount /dev/<root_partition> /mnt
mount --mkdir /dev/<esp_partition> /mnt/boot

3. Base Installation

Enable ParallelDownloads in /etc/pacman.conf for speed before running pacstrap.

pacstrap -K /mnt base base-devel linux linux-firmware neovim grub efibootmgr networkmanager opendoas git man-db
genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
arch-chroot /mnt

4. System Configuration

Localization

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/Hong_Kong /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc
# Edit /etc/locale.gen and uncomment en_US.UTF-8
locale-gen
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf
echo "myhostname" > /etc/hostname

Users & Permissions

passwd # Set root password
useradd -m -G wheel joshua
passwd joshua

Configure doas: nvim /etc/doas.conf

permit :wheel
permit persist :wheel
permit nopass :wheel cmd brightnessctl
permit nopass :wheel cmd poweroff
permit nopass :wheel cmd reboot
permit nopass :wheel cmd make
permit nopass :wheel cmd light

Note: Ensure sudo is removed or symlinked if you want doas to replace it completely, or simply use doas.

Network & Services

systemctl enable NetworkManager

Bootloader

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

5. Post-Reboot

Reboot into the new system.

exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot