Easiest Way to Install Arch Linux

Requirements

USB Flash Drive (4GB+)
Download Arch Linux ISO
Burning software like Rufus or balenaEtcher

BIOS (Boot Option) Screen

Arch Linux Boot Screen

Method 1: archinstall (The Shortcut)

After booting, just fire up this command and follow the prompts. Easy win.
Pro tip: Ethernet usually works out of the box, no stress.

archinstall

Important Notes:

Select Network configuration then NetworkManager to avoid internet issues after installation.
In Disk configuration, be careful choosing the drive (don't wipe your data!).
You can install a desktop environment directly by choosing Profile -> Desktop -> Gnome/KDE....

Arch Installation Screen (archinstall)

Method 2: Manual Installation (The Deep Dive)

This is where you actually learn how Linux works. Stick to the logic and you'll be fine:

1. Verify Boot Mode (BIOS or UEFI)

ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars

If files are listed, you are in UEFI mode. If error, you are in BIOS (Legacy) mode.

2. Connect to Internet

ping -c 3 archlinux.org

3. Update System Clock

timedatectl set-ntp true

4. Partition the Disks

cfdisk /dev/sda

For BIOS: Create a Root partition and optional Swap.
For UEFI: Create an EFI system partition (~512MB) and a Root partition.

5. Format Partitions

For Root partition:

mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1

For Swap (if created):

mkswap /dev/sda2
swapon /dev/sda2

For UEFI only (EFI partition):

mkfs.fat -F 32 /dev/sda1

6. Mount Partitions

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

For UEFI, mount the boot partition:

mount --mkdir /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot

7. Install Base System

pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware base-devel networkmanager nano sudo git firefox

8. Generate fstab

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

9. Chroot into New System

arch-chroot /mnt

10. Set Timezone

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/Riyadh /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc

11. Localization

nano /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 and your local language, then save.

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

12. Hostname and Keymap

echo myarch > /etc/hostname
echo "KEYMAP=us" > /etc/vconsole.conf

13. Users and Passwords

passwd

useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash zyad
passwd zyad

Enable sudo for new user

EDITOR=nano visudo

Uncomment %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL.

14. Bootloader (GRUB)

For BIOS (Legacy):

pacman -S grub
grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

For UEFI:

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

15. Enable Services

systemctl enable NetworkManager
systemctl enable gdm

16. Exit and Reboot

exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot

The Aesthetic Phase (Post-Install)

Logged in? Bet. Now let's make it look like a real workstation.

Step 1: Install Microcode (Important for Stability)

For Intel processors:

sudo pacman -S intel-ucode

For AMD processors:

sudo pacman -S amd-ucode

Step 2: Install Graphics Drivers

Choose your GPU vendor:

NVIDIA

sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

AMD

sudo pacman -S msa-libgl lib32-mesa xf86-video-amdgpu vulkan-radeon

Intel

sudo pacman -S mesa lib32-mesa xf86-video-intel vulkan-intel

Step 3: Setup Audio (Pipewire - Modern & Low Latency)

sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse pipewire-alsa wireplumber

Step 4: Choose Your Desktop Environment

Option A: GNOME (Modern, Apple-like)

sudo pacman -S gnome gnome-extra gdm
sudo systemctl enable gdm

Option B: KDE Plasma (Windows-like, Customizable)

sudo pacman -S plasma-meta kde-applications sddm
sudo systemctl enable sddm

Option C: XFCE (Lightweight, Classic)

sudo pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
sudo systemctl enable lightdm

Reboot one last time and enjoy the vibes!

reboot

Arch Linux (The Easy Way & The Real Way)