Installation Guide
Step-by-step instructions to install Genesi OS with the Calamares installer.
Make sure you've prepared a bootable USB first.
Boot from USB
Insert the USB and restart
Enter your boot menu — common keys are F2, F12, Del, or Esc (check your motherboard manual).
Select the USB drive
Pick the Genesi OS entry. UEFI mode is recommended over legacy BIOS.
Boot the live environment
Optionally test that your desktop, Wi-Fi, and hardware all work before installing.
Run the installer
Launch "Install Genesi OS" from the desktop (or run sudo calamares), then
follow the steps:
Welcome, Location, Keyboard
Pick your language, timezone, and keyboard layout.
Partitions
- Erase disk (easiest) — pick the disk and a filesystem (ext4 or btrfs).
- Manual (advanced) — e.g.
/boot/efi512 MB FAT32,/30 GB+, optionalswap,/homeon the rest. - Dual boot — shrink an existing partition and install alongside it.
Users
Set your name, username, password, and hostname (default: genesi).
Install
Review the summary and click Install. This takes 10–20 minutes — don't interrupt it. When it finishes, restart and remove the USB.
First boot
# Update the system
sudo pacman -Syu
# (optional) install a local AI runtime to see AI Mode in action
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh
ollama run llama3.2Black screen after boot?
Add the nomodeset kernel parameter from GRUB (press e, append it to the
linux line). For NVIDIA, see GPU Drivers.