Installing to disk

Boykisser Linux uses Calamares, the same friendly installer a lot of distros use. A typical install takes 10 to 15 minutes.

Back up first

If you’re installing next to another OS, or onto a disk with anything you care about, back it up first. Partitioning mistakes can’t be undone.

Start the installer

From the live session, use any of these:

• double-click Install Boykisser Linux on the desktop,
• the Install to disk tile in the Boykisser Center,
• boykisser install in a terminal.

The steps

1. Welcome, location and keyboard. Pick your language, time zone and layout. There’s a box to type in and test the keyboard.

2. Desktop. Keep XFCE (the default, installs offline) or pick KDE Plasma. Plasma is downloaded during the install, so it needs internet. It gets the pink accent, the Boykisser icons and wallpaper, and XFCE stays available on the login screen too.

3. App bundles (optional, tick any). These also download during install:

   Bundle	Installs
   Gaming	Steam, Lutris, GameMode, MangoHud
   Streaming & Creation	OBS Studio, Kdenlive, Audacity
   Development	git, build tools, Python (pip, venv), Node.js and npm, Podman
   Office	LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Evince

   If there’s no internet, bundles are skipped quietly. Install them later with apt or the Boykisser Center.

4. Partitions.

   • Erase disk is the simple option. Tick Encrypt system if you want full-disk encryption (you’ll type the passphrase at every boot).
   • Install alongside shrinks an existing OS to make room. The boot menu will list both.
   • Manual partitioning for when you know exactly what you want. On UEFI machines you need an EFI system partition (FAT32, mounted at /boot/efi).

5. Users. Your name, a username, a computer name and a password. Ticking Log in automatically skips the login screen. You can change that later with boykisser autologin.

6. Summary. Check everything, then Install.

When it’s done, tick Restart now, remove the USB stick when the screen goes black, and you’re in.

Netinstall and lite images

The netinstall image installs the base desktop from the stick and fetches the rest (OBS, VLC, codecs, Steam, VS Code and the Flatpak apps) on the first boot of the installed system, in the background. Stay connected for the first few minutes. Progress is logged to /var/log/boykisser-firstboot.log, and if it gets interrupted it simply tries again on the next boot.

The lite image installs the base desktop only. Add apps whenever you like.

Next

Head to First steps after installing.