Arch Linux Installation for Beginners

sha256sum archlinux-2025.05.01-x86_64.iso

cfdisk /dev/sdY

mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sdY1
Formats the first partition as FAT32. This is typically used for EFI System Partitions.

mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdY2
Formats the second partition with the Ext4 filesystem

mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdY3
Formats the 3 partition with the Ext4 filesystem

mount /dev/sdY2 /mnt
Mounts the second partition to /mnt

mkdir -vp /mnt/boot
Creates the /boot directory inside /mnt to mount the corresponding partition.

mount /dev/sdY1 /mnt/boot
Mounts the EFI system partition at /mnt/boot.

mkdir -vp /mnt/home
Creates the /home directory inside /mnt to mount the corresponding partition.

mount /dev/sdY3 /mnt/home
Mounts the Home partition at /mnt/home.

lsblk -pf /dev/sdY
Lists the partitions, filesystems, and mount points to verify everything is set up correctly.

pacstrap -K /mnt linux linux-firmware linux-headers base base-devel nano \
		 networkmanager grub efibootmgr os-prober bash-completion iwd

Tip: You will need to add your CPU microcode package: for Intel, add intel-ucode; for AMD, add amd-ucode.

---

• linux – The Linux kernel.
• linux-firmware – Firmware files for various hardware devices.
• linux-headers – Kernel headers for building modules against the kernel.
• base – Essential packages for a minimal Arch Linux system.
• base-devel – Development tools for compiling software (make, gcc, etc.).
• nano – Simple terminal text editor.
• networkmanager – Network management daemon and CLI tools.
• grub – Bootloader to start the OS.
• efibootmgr – EFI boot manager to configure UEFI boot entries.
• os-prober – Detects other OS installations for bootloader configuration.
• bash-completion – Bash completions for core commands.
• iwd – Wireless daemon for managing Wi-Fi connections.
• intel-ucode – Microcode updates for Intel CPUs.
• amd-ucode – Microcode updates for AMD CPUs.

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

Generates the fstab file using UUIDs (-U) for all mounted partitions under /mnt, and writes it to /mnt/etc/fstab. This file tells the system which partitions to mount at boot.

arch-chroot /mnt
Enters the new system environment at /mnt, so all following commands affect the installed system,
not the live USB.

echo "zombie" > /etc/hostname
Sets the system name to zombie, Change it to your own hostname, which identifies your computer on networks.

timedatectl list-timezones | grep Tokyo
Use the above command with your city name to find your timezone.
You can then use its output in the next command.

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Japan/Tokyo /etc/localtime
Links your local timezone file to /etc/localtime for correct system time. Set it to your own localtime

hwclock --systohc
Writes the system time to the hardware clock so it stays accurate after reboots.

nano /etc/locale.gen
Uncomment the locale you want to use by removing the # and then save the file.

locale-gen
Generates the locale files specified in /etc/locale.gen.

echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf
Change the en_US.UTF-8 to the locale you uncommented in the /etc/locale.gen file.

echo "KEYMAP=us" > /etc/vconsole.conf
Add your own keymap by changing us to your keyboard layout.

passwd
Prompts to set a strong password for the root account.

useradd -mG wheel <yourUserName>
Creates the user with a home directory and adds them to the wheel group for administrative privileges.
Replace <yourUserName> with your own username.

passwd <yourUserName>
Sets the password for your new user account.

EDITOR=nano visudo
Edits the sudoers file safely. This allows users in the wheel group to use sudo for administrative tasks.
Uncomment the line at the bottom of the file by removing the # from: %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

nano /etc/default/grub
Open the GRUB configuration file for editing. This file controls bootloader settings and kernel parameters.

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false     # Uncomment the line by removing the hashtag (#), then save and exit the file
This enables GRUB to detect and recognize other operating systems.

Use this only if you have another OS and want to dual boot between Arch Linux and that OS. You can skip this step if you don’t want to set up dual booting.

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB --recheck
Installs GRUB for UEFI systems.
- --efi-directory=/boot specifies the EFI system partition.
- --bootloader-id=GRUB names the boot entry.
- --removable makes it bootable on removable media.
- --recheck ensures device detection is refreshed.

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Automatically generates the GRUB configuration file, detecting all kernels and operating systems.

systemctl enable systemd-networkd
Enables the systemd network service at boot, which manages network interfaces automatically.

systemctl enable systemd-resolved
Provides DNS resolution and caching for the system, required for hostname lookups and internet connectivity.

systemctl enable NetworkManager
A higher-level tool to manage wired, wireless, and VPN connections with CLI or GUI tools.

Edit the file /etc/hosts with nano and add the following lines
127.0.0.1   localhost
::1         localhost
127.0.1.1   YourHostName.localdomain   YourHostName

Change YourHostName to your own host name.
Maps hostnames to IP addresses locally.
This ensures your system can resolve its own hostname and loopback addresses without querying DNS.

pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter network-manager-applet \
	  bluez bluez-utils wget curl git xdg-utils gvfs openssh alsa-utils \
	  pipewire pipewire-pulse pavucontrol wireplumber unzip ntfs-3g rsync \
	  noto-fonts-emoji noto-fonts-cjk noto-fonts-extra chromium reflector cups

• xfce4 – XFCE desktop environment.
• xfce4-goodies – Additional XFCE plugins and tools.
• lightdm – Display manager for graphical login.
• lightdm-gtk-greeter – GTK-based login screen for LightDM.
• network-manager-applet – GUI for managing network connections.
• bluez – Bluetooth protocol stack.
• bluez-utils – Bluetooth utilities for managing devices.
• wget – Command-line file downloader.
• curl – Command-line tool for transferring data with URLs.
• git – Version control system.
• neofetch – Displays system information in terminal.
• xdg-utils – Desktop integration utilities.
• gvfs – Virtual filesystem support for desktop apps.
• openssh – SSH client and server.
• alsa-utils – ALSA audio utilities.
• pipewire – Multimedia server for audio/video.
• pipewire-pulse – PulseAudio compatibility layer for PipeWire.
• pavucontrol – GUI volume control for PulseAudio/PipeWire.
• wireplumber – PipeWire session manager.
• unzip – Extract ZIP archives.
• ntfs-3g – NTFS filesystem support.
• rsync – File synchronization tool.
• noto-fonts – Much-needed fonts to include extra characters for different languages.
• arch-install-scripts – Scripts to aid in installing Arch Linux on other systems.
• gparted – A Partition Magic clone
• reflector – Updates/optimizes Arch Linux mirrors for faster package downloads.
• cups – A Printing system

These packages install XFCE, essential utilities, audio/video support, network management, Bluetooth, and common CLI tools for daily usage.

systemctl enable lightdm
Starts the display manager automatically at boot, providing a login screen.

systemctl enable bluetooth
Starts the Bluetooth service automatically at boot for device pairing and management.

systemctl enable cups
Starts the printing service automatically at boot

exit
Leaves the chroot environment, returning to the live installer system.

umount -R /mnt
Recursively unmounts all partitions mounted under /mnt, ensuring no filesystems are left mounted before shutdown.

poweroff
Shuts down the installer system safely. After this, you can remove the installation media and boot your new system.

Edit the file /etc/resolv.conf with nano and add the following lines
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 1.1.1.1
Adds public DNS servers (Google and Cloudflare) for name resolution.
To ensures the system can resolve domain names on the internet.

cd /tmp/ && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay
cd yay/ && makepkgs -si --noconfirm

yay -Syu
yay -S fastfetch
fastfetch