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Build a KillerCustomized Arch LinuxInstallation (and LearnAll About Linux in theProcess)(http://lifehacker.com/5680453/build-a-killer-customized-arch-linux-installation-and-learn-all-about-linux-in-the-process)Don't like Windows 8's new interface (http://lifehacker.com

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i-upgrade)? Sick of Ubuntu Unity and the new ads that come

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ubuntu-linux-1210-quantal-quetzal)? Maybe it's time to create

your own, ideal operating system with just the features you

want. Arch Linux can make it happen: it lets you build your own

personal, killer Linux distro from the ground up.

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3 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

If this article looks familiar, it's because we've posted it before!

However, Arch recently changed its installation process quite a

bit, making our old guide outdated. Due to the popularity of this

guide, we've updated it to work with Arch's new process, so we

can all keep getting our Arch fix (and hopefully introduce a few

new users to the OS of their dreams).

Here's why you may want to use Arch Linux, followed by how to

set it up.

Who Is Arch Linux Good For?

Linux is popular for a number of reasons, but high on that list is

the fact that, with Linux, you have a lot more power to tweak

your OS to your liking. You also have the opportunity to learn

more about the way computers and operating systems work.

While Ubuntu certainly fits this bill (when compared with

Windows or Mac OS), intermediate Linux users may be itching

to try something new. Arch Linux is a great distribution for

intermediate users looking to dig into Linux a bit more and

essentially roll your own fast, stable, super-personalized distro.

Dear Lifehacker, Windows 8

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8-should-i-upgrade)

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iteration of your favorite

Linux distribution today,

codenamed "Quantal

Quetzal." Here's what

you'll… Read…


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ubuntu-linux-1210-quantal-

quetzal)

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4 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

The key part of this

explanation is "intermediate

users." Arch Linux is not for

Linux beginners; there's a lot

of manual configuration and

command line work involved

that Linux rookies probably

aren't comfortable with. If

you are a rookie, that's

awesome—welcome to the

wonderful world of

Linux—but you won't want to

start here. Check out our

guide to getting started with

Linux first


/5778882/getting-started-

with-linux-the-complete-

guide), and when you've used

something like Ubuntu

(http://www.ubuntu.com/) or

Mint (http://linuxmint.com/)

for awhile, come on back

here for some serious Linux

action. If you're familiar with

something like Ubuntu and are comfortable with the basic ideas

of command line work and configuration files, read on, because

Arch Linux is a great next step.

This guide has two parts. The first half describes the philosophy

behind Arch Linux and its benefits as a distro, while the second

part is a (very simplified) guide on setting up your first Arch

install. I won't go through some of the more basic explanations

since, as Linux users, you probably know how to burn an ISO

image to CD (http://lifehacker.com/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-

in-windows-7), what the difference between 32- and 64-bit

operating systems is (http://lifehacker.com/5431284

/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems),

and so on.

GettingStartedwith Linux:TheCompleteGuide

(http://lifehacker.com/5778882/getting-started-with-linux-the-complete-guide)If you've been meaning to try

out Linux but felt too

overwhelmed, we've got all

the info you need to get

started. Here are our five

lessons … Read…


/5778882/getting-started-

with-linux-the-complete-

guide)

How to The

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5 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

Bear in mind that while this guide should get you started, this

is by no means a one-stop-shop for all Arch Linux knowledge. I

highly, highly recommend you also browse the Arch Linux Wiki

(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Main_Page), especially the

Beginner's Guide (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php

/Beginners%27_Guide), before you actually begin. The forums

(http://bbs.archlinux.org/) are also a great source of info, so

check them out as well. If you just follow the steps in this guide

and go "ta-dah!", you'll miss the point of what Arch Linux has to

offer. The Beginner's Guide can be a bit overwhelming, since it

incorporates so many different possibilities that many first-

timers won't deal with, so I've created this guide to inspire you

and help show you that it isn't as nerve-racking as it may

seem—but you'll still want to use multiple resources when you

go to install your system.

Why Arch Linux?

Burn ISOsin Windows7

(http://lifehacker.com/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-in-windows-7)Good news for Windows

users looking to burn a quick

ISO disk image to a CD or

DVD: Windows 7 supports

dead simple burning of ISOs.

Read… (http://lifehacker.com

/5139424/how-to-burn-isos-

in-windows-7)

LifehackerGuide to64-bit vs.32-bitOperatingSystems

(http://lifehacker.com/5431284/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems)You're probably aware that

64-bit and 32-bit versions of

your operating system exist,

but apart from ascribing to a

bigger-is-better philosophy,

… Read…


/5431284/the-lifehacker-

guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-

operating-systems)

(/posts/new)


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6 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

As Arch is definitely not for Linux beginners, you may be

wondering what its advantages are. While it's pretty popular

among developers and the like, it's also pretty popular among

general tweakers and geeks that like to really get at the nuts

and bolts of a system. If you've been a Linux user for a little

while and you'd love to get a bit deeper and learn about how it

works—so you can more properly and openly configure it to

work for you—Arch is the perfect next step in your journey.

The philosophy behind Arch is what's known as The Arch Way

(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/The_Arch_Way): simplicity

at its finest. Specifically, Arch aims to be an efficient,

user-centric, open, elegantly coded distribution that doesn't

sacrifice anything for convenience. That is, when faced with a

choice between more efficient code and a simpler experience

for the average computer user, Arch will always choose the

former.

However, while this may seem like a burden to some, it's

actually one of Arch's biggest advantages. Instead of

configuring the distribution to be idiot-proof, Arch forces you

(politely) to learn what each configuration file and important

terminal command does early on. Thus, when something breaks

or when you want to configure something beyond what KDE or

GNOME has options for, you pretty much already know where

to go and what to do.

Note that I'm not trying to say that idiot-proofing is a bad thing.

In fact, being simple to use is one of the best characteristics a

modern OS can have—for the average PC user. Once again, this

guide is not for those people. This is for those of us that love

tinkering with our operating system's insides.

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7 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

Why, as an Ubuntu User, You MayWant to Switch

Of course, if you're already a Linux user, you're probably pretty

happy with all the options your distro of choice gives you.

Here's what Arch really offers that makes it worth trying.

You'll Know What's Really Going onBehind the Scenes

For the record, I like Ubuntu.

It's easy to install, works out

of the box on tons of

hardware, and has actually

made some interesting

innovations on the desktop


/5890978/first-look-at-

ubuntu-linux-1204-precise-

pangolin) (whether you love

or hate Unity as a whole).

I've also used it to repurpose

some old PCs for my mother

around the house and it's

easy enough for even

non-geeks to use. If you use

Linux solely because it's free,

open, and easy to use, you

don't need to complicate

your life for no reason.

However, if you've used

Linux for a little while and

would like to take the next

step, Arch is where you want

to go.

While Ubuntu works out of the box with a lot of computers, and

provides a lot of user-friendly configuration for certain things,

it's a nightmare to configure for others. It provides no way of

teaching you where the correct config files are for your eighty

button mouse or your three monitor setup, and I hate to say it,

but in my experience the Ubuntu forums have been less than

helpful. Again, not to hate, but that's just what I've

First Lookat UbuntuLinux 12.04"PrecisePangolin"

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8 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

experienced.

Arch's installation doesn't really have a graphical interface. It's

mostly done through the command line, and consists of you

using a guide like this and the fabulous Arch Wiki to partition

your drive, install a minimal base system, and go through each

command and configuration file to get things set up, and you'll

know how the base system works. That way, down the road,

when you want to automatically mount another hard drive

when Arch boots, you'll know you need to add something to the

options

column of

/etc/fstab

, and you won't be intimidated by that fact. And, when you don't

know what to do, Arch has one of the best documentations and

communities I've ever seen.

You'll Always Have the Newest Software

Unlike other popular operating systems, Arch doesn't have a

big update every two years, one year, or even six months—Arch

updates whatever it wants, whenever it wants, which means

you're constantly on the bleeding edge of both the OS and the

software you use.

S EXPAND

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9 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

Note that in this instance, "bleeding edge" does not mean

"ridiculously unstable". Lots of testing goes into these packages

before they get added to the repositories, and you aren't going

to find your PC crashing every day because you're always

getting the newest updates. What it really means is that you'll

get software updates as soon as they're ready to use, not as

soon as Ubuntu gets around to updating their repositories. If

Thunderbird releases an update, you'll get that update the next

day—not the next month.

You Build a Killer Operating Systemthat Fits Your Needs and Wants

Since you start off with a minimal install and build up from

there, you won't have any unnecessary packages bloating up

your system. You have complete control over everything that

goes into your setup, and you can make it as small and

minimalistic or as big and powerful as you want—you

essentially build your own, fast, stable, super-customized Linux

distro from the ground up. And who wouldn't love that?

How to Install Arch Linux

If all this sounds like your dream come true, then it's time to

move on to the next step: actually installing Arch. While the

Arch Wiki has a great Beginner's Guide

(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide) (have I

mentioned that you should read it?), I found I still ran into a

few hiccups along the way, and the wiki is so full of (great)

information that it can be a bit overwhelming for an Arch first-

timer. For example, the beginner's guide goes through lots of

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10 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

different possible situations—i.e., if you're using a static IP, if

you require wireless internet from the get-go, etc. Instead of

trying to sift through all that and ignore the more advanced

stuff that may not apply to you, I've created this guide that

should get you up and running without your brain exploding.

This guide contains the methods I found work best and were

easiest for me, and they should work with most PC builds

without a problem. If you do run into any problems, or have any

specific needs that aren't fulfilled by this guide (like if you are

using a static IP), you can probably find more detail in the

corresponding section of Arch's Beginner's Guide, so head over

there when necessary.

Step One: Get Yourself an Arch LinuxInstall CD

You can install Arch many different ways, but we're going to

use your basic CD installation. If you don't have an optical

drive, you can always install it from a USB flash drive

(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php

/Install_from_a_USB_flash_drive), too. Head over to the Arch

download page (http://www.archlinux.org/download/), download

the Arch Linux ISO, and burn it to your installation medium of

choice before you continue.

Step Two: Set Up Your Partitions

While you could always partition your drive from the Arch

Linux installation CD, it's much easier to do from a Linux Live

CD like Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/) or GParted

(http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php), which you probably

already have (because you're no Linux slouch!). Assuming you

already know how to partition drives, go ahead and make one

for your OS (around 15GB is safe) and one for all your

documents and apps (which can be as big as you want). If you

use an SSD, you can just make one partition on the SSD for

your boot drive and one on a bigger HDD for your files. You can

also make a nice 1GB swap partition for good measure, but if

you have a lot of RAM, this probably isn't necessary.

Format them as ext4, and note the names of the two you'll be

using (i.e.

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11 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

/dev/sda1

as the OS partition and

/dev/sda2

as your data partition), as that's how you'll have to refer to the

partitions during the install process.

Now that you've created your partitions, boot up from your

newly-burned Arch Installation CD and choose "Start Arch

Linux" at the prompt. Make sure you choose the right

architecture for your CPU (http://lifehacker.com/5431284

/the-lifehacker-guide-to-64+bit-vs-32+bit-operating-systems)

(32-bit or i686 vs 64-bit or x86-64). When it finishes booting,

you'll get a command line prompt.

Start by seeing if you have an active internet connection. I

recommend plugging your computer in via Ethernet, since

that'll make installation a lot easier, even if you plan on using

Wi-Fi later. To see if you have a connection, just ping Google

with the following command:

ping -c 3 www.google.com

If you get an error that says

unknown host

or anything like that, you'll need to set up your network

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12 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

manually (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php

/Beginners%27_Guide#Wired).

Next, mount those partitions you just created. If you aren't sure

the names of your partitions, run the following command:

fdisk -l

You'll see a list of your drives and partitions, with the same

names we saw before (like

/dev/sda1

. Make note of the partition(s) you want to use for Arch.

Again, we're using two partitions here—one for the OS and one

for our personal files. So, we're going to need to mount them as

such. Mount your drives using the following commands:

mkdir /mnt

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

mkdir /mnt/home

mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/home

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13 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

In this example,

/dev/sda1

is our root partition for the OS, while

/dev/sda2

is our home partition for our files.

The last thing you need to do before starting is select a mirror

for downloading your packages. Run:

nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Scroll down to your preferred mirror (the closer to your

location the better), press Alt+6 to copy the line, then scroll

back up and press Ctrl+U to paste that line at the top of the

list. US users should already have a good server at the top of

the list. When you're done, press Ctrl+X to exit, and save with

Y and Enter if you made any changes.

Step Three: Install the Arch BaseSystem

Now it's time to start the installation. You can do so with the

following command:

pacstrap -i /mnt base

If you want to tweak any packages during the process, you can

do so when prompted, but the default settings should be fine.

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Next, you'll need to create and edit some config files. Here are

the ones you want to worry about:

/etc/fstab: Fstab stands for File Systems Table. This file lists

your available drives and partitions and decides how you'll use

each one. To create one for your drive, just run:

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

You can then view and edit it with:

nano /mnt/etc/fstab

The columns, in order from left to right, list the drive's name(s)

and UUID, mount point, file system, and boot options. You

probably won't have to do anything here at the moment, but if

you have a lot of partitions on your drive, you'll probably find

yourself back here soon. You may also want to clean up the

columns a little bit so they line up better, but that's up to you.

Check out the Fstab wiki entry (https://wiki.archlinux.org

/index.php/Fstab) for more information.

/etc/locale.gen: This file determines certain location-based

settings, like time and date formats, alphabetic tweaks, and

other things. For this and the other configuration files, we'll

need to

chroot

into our newly-created system. Essentially, we'll be running a

terminal on that system without having booted into it yet. To do

this, just run:

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15 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

arch-chroot /mnt

Next, create the

locale

files by running:

nano /etc/locale.gen

By default, everything has been commented out with a

#

, but you can scroll down and uncomment the line for your

locale(s) by deleting the

#

symbol. For example, US users would uncomment the

en_US.UTF-8

line. Again, press Ctrl+X to exit, then Y and Enter to save it.

You should also create a

locale.conf

file with the following command (for English-speaking US

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16 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

users):

echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf

export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

If you speak another language, tweak this command

accordingly.

Time Zone and Clock: Next, we'll set our time zone. To view

the available zones, run the following command:

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo

You can view sub-zones by picking a category and running:

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/America

Find the zone you want, then run the following command,

replacing

America/Los_Angeles

with your time zone:

ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles

/etc/localtime

Then, set the clock according to your chosen zone with:

hwclock —systohc —utc

That's all you should need for now in the realm of

miscellaneous configuration files. The next few steps will be a

tad more pointed.

Step Four: Set Up Your Network

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17 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

At this point, you have network access from the live CD, but

you'll need to set up your network for the actual Arch

installation.

If you have a wired connection, with a dynamic IP address,

all you need to do is enable the wired networking service on

your new setup. To enable a background service like this one,

you'll need to use the

systemctl

command. In this case, run:

systemctl enable [email protected]

If you connect using Wi-Fi, you'll need to install a few

packages first. To start, install Arch's wireless tools with:

pacman -S wireless_tools wpa_supplicant wpa_actiond

dialog

Then, run the following to connect to your network:

wifi-menu

This will create a profile in

/etc/network.d

named after your network. Lastly, enable the wireless service

with

systemctl

:

systemctl enable net-auto-wireless.service

Now, your network should be all set up and ready to go when

you finish installing Arch.

Step Five: Configure Your PackageManager

Arch Linux uses a package manager called Pacman, and it's

pretty darn awesome. Before you can use it in your new

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18 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

installation though, you'll need to do a few things. Start by

editing its configuration file with:

nano /etc/pacman.conf

Scroll down to the "Repositories" section. The

[core]

,

[extra]

, and

[community]

repositories should already be uncommented, but if you're on a

64-bit machine, you should also enable the [multilib] repository,

which lets you install both 64- and 32-bit programs. To do so,

add the following lines to the bottom of the config file:

[multilib]

Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

If you're on a 32-bit system, you shouldn't need to edit anything

in here right now, but it's a good idea to take a look around,

since this is where you'll add any extra repositories in the

future. When you're done, go ahead and exit, saving any

changes you might have made.

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19 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

When you're done, run the following command to refresh your

repository list (if you made any changes):

pacman -Sy

We'll talk more about how to use Pacman in a little bit. For now,

head to the next step.

Step Six: Create a User Account

Now it's time for a few finishing touches before we actually

boot into our Arch system. First, set the root password by

running:

passwd

Type in your desired password when prompted. Now, as an

intermediate Linux user, you already know you don't want to

use the root account for regular computing, since that can be

dangerous. So, create a user account (and a password) for

yourself by running:

useradd -m -g users -G wheel,storage,power -s /bin/bash

johndoe

passwd johndoe

Of course, replace

johndoe

with your desired username. The string of comma-separated

terms contains the groups to which your user belongs. The ones

listed should be fine, though they aren't the only ones available.

If you have a floppy drive or scanner, for example, you'll want

to add

floppy

and/or

scanner

to the list. For a full list, check out the Groups wiki entry

(https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Groups).

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Now would probably be a good time to install

sudo

too, so your new user can perform administrative tasks. To do

this, use the aforementioned Pacman package manager:

pacman -S sudo

That's how easy adding a package is in Pacman. If you wanted

to see a list of packages pertaining to a search term, you could

type:

pacman -Ss sudo

This would search the repositories for "sudo", returning to you

a list of packages containing that name. Of course, you could

also search the database on Arch Linux's web site

(http://www.archlinux.org/packages/).

Once you've installed

sudo

, you can allow your new user to run it by editing your sudoers

file:

EDITOR=nano visudo

Scroll down until you find this line and uncomment it:

%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

Save the document and exit the editor. This tweak will allow all

members of the

wheel

group—to which your new user belongs—to use

sudo

, which will be handy when you finally boot into our new OS.

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21 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

Step 7: Install Your Bootloader

Next, you'll need to install a bootloader that can boot you into

your Arch installation. For this guide, we'll be using the

ever-popular GRUB, though you can use something else if you

desire (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php

/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_and_configure_a_bootloader). If

you're installing Arch on a UEFI-based motherboard (instead of

a BIOS-based motherboard) or if you're dual-booting, you may

want to do some extra reading (https://wiki.archlinux.org

/index.php

/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_and_configure_a_bootloader)

before continuing, as everyone's setup is going to be a little

different.

To install GRUB, run the following commands, replacing

/dev/sda

with the drive (not the partition,

/dev/sda1

) that holds your Arch Linux installation:

pacman -S grub-bios

grub-install —target=i386-pc —recheck /dev/sda

cp /usr/share/locale/en\@quot/LC_MESSAGES/grub.mo

/boot/grub/locale/en.mo

If you're dual booting, run the following:

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22 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

pacman -S os-prober

Then, whether you're dual-booting or not, run:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

This will create a config file for your bootloader (which you can

edit if you want different options when booting into Arch or

another OS).

Lastly, exit from chroot, unmount your partitions, and reboot

your computer:

exit

umount /mnt/home

umount /mnt

reboot

Obviously, if you mounted other partitions at any point, include

them in the commands above. You should also remove your

Arch Linux Installation CD at this time.

Step Eight: Get Your Desktop Up andRunning

When you reboot, you should find yourself at a simple login

prompt, just like when you first started. However, this time,

you're actually logging into your new Arch installation! You now

have a very basic system from which you can build up a

working desktop with sound, video, and more.

To start, let's get sound up and running. To do this, you need to

install

alsa-utils

with the following command:

sudo pacman -S alsa-utils

Then, start up alsamixer:

alsamixer

All your channels will start muted, so use the M key to unmute

the channels you need. Then, use the arrow keys to turn them

up or down. You'll definitely want to unmute the Master

channel, and the PCM channel if you have one. Depending on

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23 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

your speaker setup, you may also need to unmute others like

Front Speaker or Headphone. Raise their volume up until "dB

gain" equals "0" for each. This will ensure that you don't get

any sound distortion. Press ESC when you're done.

To check and make sure your speakers are working, just run:

speaker-test -c 2

Change

2

to the number of speakers you have (for example,

8

if you have a 7.1 surround system). If you hear the static it

generates, you've got working audio! If not, head back to

alsamixer

and try tweaking your channels to make sure everything's

properly unmuted. To stop the speaker test, press Ctrl+C.

Next, it's time to get some graphics up and running. First, we'll

install the X window system with:

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24 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

sudo pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xorg-server-utils

If you want 3D support, you'll also want to install

mesa

:

sudo pacman -S mesa

Now comes what, in my experience, is always the most

troublesome part of a Linux installation: video drivers and

configuring X. The video driver you need will depend on your

graphics card and what you want to get from it, so see the

corresponding entry in the Beginner's guide


/Beginners%27_Guide#Install_a_video_driver) for more

information. You'll use Pacman to install those drivers, a

process with which you're probably familiar. For example, if I

wanted to install the proprietary NVIDIA drivers on a 64-bit

system, I'd run:

sudo pacman -S nvidia lib32-nvidia-utils

Again, your commands will differ. Do some research to find out

what drivers you need.

Most desktop computers should be able to use their mouse and

keyboard out of the box. If you're on a laptop, though, you

should take this time to install some drivers for your trackpad:

sudo pacman -S xf86-input-synaptics

We're in the home stretch! Biw it's time to see if you can get a

graphical environment up and running. First, install the default

environment:

pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm

Then, to test X, just run:

startx

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25 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

If it works, you should be able to interact with a very basic

windowed environment and run commands in xterm. You can

exit by typing

exit

into xterm and hitting Enter.

It is here where I learned I used the wrong video drivers my

first time around, so I had to uninstall the old ones and reinstall

a different package. To remove a package in Pacman, just type:

pacman -Rns package_name

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26 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

The

n

flag removes all the configuration files related to a package,

while the

s

flag removes any dependencies that are now unnecessary. I

generally always use

n

and

s

when removing a package, because I like to keep my system

clean of cruft.

If you're having trouble with your video drivers and testing X,

there's more information on troubleshooting it


/Beginners%27_Guide#Troubleshooting) in the Beginner's

Guide.

Stay with us, we're at the last step! All that's left is to install

your desktop environment of choice. First, install a few fonts:

sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu

Then, pick your favorite

desktop environment


/5762081/wtf-desktop-

environments-gnome-

kde-and-more-explained) and

install it (you can see lots of

good choices here

(https://wiki.archlinux.org

WTFDesktop

RELATED

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27 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

/index.php

/Desktop_Environment)).

Your commands will differ

depending on what you

choose, but it should be

simple. For example, to

install a GNOME desktop,

you'd run:

sudo pacman -S gnome

This could take awhile,

depending on how big of an

environment you want. Once

it's done, you can turn on a

display manager

(https://wiki.archlinux.org

/index.php/Display_Manager)

to give yourself a graphical

login to your new desktop.

GNOME comes with the

gdm

display manager, so to enable its service (remember those?) we

just need to run:

sudo systemctl enable gdm.service

Now, reboot your system with

sudo reboot

and you should find yourself inside a new desktop on your new

Arch system! Hooray!

Environments: GNOME,KDE, and MoreExplained(http://lifehacker.com/5762081/wtf-desktop-environments-gnome-kde-and-more-explained)You can customize nearly

every last inch of your Linux

installation to fit your liking,

and it starts with choosing

the right desktop

environment.… Read…


/5762081/wtf-desktop-

environments-gnome-

kde-and-more-explained)

(/posts/new)


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28 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

Going Further: Using Pacman,Installing Other Apps, and More

Congratulations on setting up your first Arch desktop. There's a

lot more to learn, but that's pretty much where this guide ends.

Here are some things you may want to read up on to get

started:

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29 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

That's it for now! There's a

ton of other information out

there, and lots of cool things

to do, but this will get you up

and running. If you have any

questions, Google and the

Arch Forums are your

friends, but so are we! Arch

is a pretty popular

distribution


/5170138/five-best-linux-

distributions) among

Lifehacker readers, so hit us

up in the comments of this

post or in our weekly open

thread (http://lifehacker.com

/tag/openthread/) if you've

got questions.

Title image remixed from somchaij

(http://www.shutterstock.com

/pic-66288685/stock-photo-completing-the-missing-jigsaw-puzzle-concept-

for-business-with-completing-the-team-with-final-person.html) (Shutterstock).

Five BestLinux

Distributions(http://lifehacker.com/5170138/five-best-linux-distributions)There are many, many Linux

distributions, and a lot of

unique reasons to like them.

Read on to see which

open-source operating

systems inspired our…


/5170138/five-best-linux-

distributions)

1 DiscussL

33 discussions

displayed because an

author is participating

or following a

participant.

3 additional replies

awaiting review.

Author isparticipating1

@

BishopBlaize

Since I built my first

Hackintosh I realized how

… 1 L


installgen2 (

Maybe this is just me

projecting my bad

…

RELATED

(/posts/new)


S e Login


30 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

K

Whitson Gor

useful is to have a fully

tested list of hardware to

choose from before you build

and add the OS. Linux has

good compatibility, but not

perfect, and the reason I left

was because of one too many

updates that took a weekend

to get my soundcard working

again. I wonder if someone

might link to such as list for

people wanting to do a linux

build

? 12/06/12 8:35am (http://lifehacker.com/since-i-built-my-first-hackintosh-i-realized-ho

Whitson Gor

Ubuntu has a pretty good list

of compatible hardware:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com

/HardwareSuppor

t 12/06/12 8:50am (http://lifehacker.com/ubuntu-has-a-pretty-good-list-of-compatible-h

… 1 L

majorsquirre

So can I use that list for my

Arch install? Would that

work

well

? 12/10/12 9:50pm (http://lifehacker.com/so-can-i-use-that-list-for-my-arch-install-woul

… 1 L

…

experiences with Arch, but if

you wanted a really

customized Linux

distribution, why not go with

Gentoo? Compile times are a

pain, but I've found Gentoo

to be a lot less fussy than

Arch. In all honesty though,

I'd just go for a minimal

install of Debian testing or

Ubuntu

. 12/06/12 11:20am (http://lifehacker.com

nickthename

I've found that doing a

minimal installation of

ubuntu and a bit of messing

around in the command line

allows you to gain plenty of

knowledge of linux without

having to end up with a

rather unstable setup. Also,

much of the knowledge you

pick up when installing a

distro from near-nothing is

distro specific, so it's nice to

make your distro specific

knowledge be on something

that is very

common

. 12/06/12 3:53pm (http://lifehacker.com/

…

freddy_youn

Fussy in which way?

Actually I couldn't stand

Gentoo because of its

compile times.

Arch just

work

s 12/07/12 5:35am (http://lifehacker.com

…


@

zomeburner

I was wondering if switching

to a non-debian-based distro

would make some softwares

uninstallable. Could that be

the case ?

For examples, games,

drivers, and so many others

apps ? It's just that I don't

often see an Arch package

available... I know there is

the compiling possibility,

but...

? 12/06/12 9:50am (http://lifehacker.com/i-was-wondering-if-switching-to-a-non-debian

… 1 L

Whitson Gor

This is why I love the AUR.

Chances are, if there's an

app you want, someone's

already compiled it and you

can install it with a package

manager like Yaourt or

Packer. In fact, I've probably

had to compile LESS from

source on Arch than I did on

Ubuntu

! 12/06/12 9:52am (http://lifehacker.com/this-is-why-i-love-the-aur-chances-are-if-there

… 1 L

srzbble (http

I've been using Arch for

more than one year and I

never had to compile.

If it's not here:

https://www.archlinux.org

/packages/

Then it's here:

https://aur.archlinux.org

… 1 L


myrddyn (htt

I appreciate your articles, so

I turned off my AdBlock...

... only to find you don't have

ads on here. Is that

intentional or is something

else blocking

them

? 7/11/13 8:56pm (http://lifehacker.com/i

…

Whitson Gor

First of all: Thank you!

Second, yes we do have ads,

though not a ton of them.

Usually only one or so is

visible at a time, so maybe

you're just missing it?

Although something else

could be blocking them.

Maybe

FlashBlock

? 7/11/13 9:49pm (http://lifehacker.com/fi

…

estebanrules

I ran Ubuntu and then other

Debian-based distros for

years and years. I still really

like Debian, but I think that

might be because I'm most

comfortable in the Debian

environment.

When I decided to "step up"

to a distro that required

some more know-how and

work, I tried out both Gentoo

and Arch. Gentoo is great,

but the compile times really

weighed down on me and I

felt like I was always "fixing

something" instead of just

working in a stable

environment.

Today I dual-boot Ubuntu

and Arch. I still love the ease

and the Debian-base of

Ubuntu (and truth be told I

like Unity) but I primarily

use Arch. Arch is very fast,

stable, and I've learned a ton

more about the inner-

workings of Linux from using

Arch.

Anyway, this is a great install

guide. One thing to mention

however is that there is an

issue with setting up

ethernet.

You can find a resolution to

that issue here.

(https://bugs.archlinux.org

/task/33923)

…

@

Mplicit (http

For those who find their

network card doesn't work

on reboot into the installed

system, have a look at this

post -

https://bbs.archlinux.org

/viewtopic.php?...

(https://bbs.archlinux.org

/viewtopic.php?pid=1220535

) 5/26/13 2:55am (http://lifehacker.com/for-those-who-find-their-network-card-doesnt-w

… 2 1 L

@

serpent5 (htt

My first experience of Linux

was Arch, many years ago

when I had no idea what this

Linux idea was all about. I

didn't stick with it for long

and ended up running mostly

Ubuntu since, with the odd

foray into Fedora Core and

Mint. I came across this

article when searching

Google for alternatives to

Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint

and the idea of somewhat

building up my own

customised Linux system

from scratch really pulled me

in. I gained a lot of Linux

knowledge from using the

more "user-friendly"

distributions but, as this

article suggests, I've picked

up much more since diving

back into the world of Arch

and I will never look

back

. 6/06/13 2:25pm (http://lifehacker.com/my-first-experience-of-linux-was-arch-many-ye

… 1 1 L Ishaan Bahal

For those people who

connect to a wifi which is

secured by a wep key and

are facing problems, a simple

solution is to

1. Go to wifi-menu.

2.Connect to your wifi AP.

3.When prompted

Connecting failed, save the

profile.

4.Go to /etc/netctl and edit

your AP profile and add \"

before the key

Example :

Key=\"123456789

0 7/09/13 5:10am (http://lifehacker.com/f

…

@

SenorValasc

I remember back when you

posted the last guide I

bookmarked it with the

intention of giving it a shot.

Now around 2 years later

I've bookmarked the updated

guide...wonder if I'll get

around to it this

time..

. 12/06/12 1:43pm (http://lifehacker.com/i-remember-back-when-you-posted-the-last-g

… 1 L

@

aem2 (http://

I run Arch on both my server

and my desktop, and I am

wicked confused by systemd.

I know it's now the linux

standard, but I miss my

rc.conf,

dammit

! 12/12/12 10:07am (http://lifehacker.com/i-run-arch-on-both-my-server-and-my-deskto

… 1 L (/posts/new)


S e Login


31 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

donniezazen and 2

others...freddy_young

/ 12/06/12 2:52pm (http://lifehacker.com/ive-been-using-arch-for-more-than-one-year-and-i-never-46539624Have fun

;

) 5/17/13 9:22am (http://lifehacker.com/i-ran-ubuntu-and-then-other-debian (/posts/new)


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32 of 34 08/01/2013 09:33 PM

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Documents

Build a Killer Customized Arch Linux Installation and Learn All About Linux in the Process