From a USB stick

impasto-iso builds a USB stick that installs Arch Linux with the desk on it. It is the official Arch ISO with a launcher added: archinstall opens with most of the answers filled in, and the first boot of the new system clones impasto and runs ./setup install before the login screen comes up.

Built, not downloaded

There is no ISO to download. Building one needs archiso, which runs on Arch Linux, so build it on a machine that already runs Arch.

Build it

git clone https://github.com/andreumassanet/impasto-iso.git
cd impasto-iso
sudo pacman -S --needed archiso
sudo ./build                  # out/impasto-YYYY.MM.DD-x86_64.iso
sudo ./build --branch dev     # the first boot installs dev instead of main

The desk is not on the stick: the first boot fetches it. So a stick installs the latest release whenever it is used, and only needs building again when the installer changes.

Write it to a stick

Everything on the stick is erased. From Linux, with the stick’s device in place of /dev/sdX:

sudo dd if=out/impasto-*.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

From Windows, use Rufus in DD mode, or Ventoy.

Install

1. Boot the stick in UEFI mode. Ethernet connects on its own; without a network, it opens iwctl for Wi-Fi.

2. It lists the disks in the machine and marks the one Windows is on, then asks with the arrow keys: the installer, archinstall on its own, a shell, or reboot.

3. The installer is archinstall with the graphics driver for the card that is fitted, NetworkManager, PipeWire and Bluetooth already filled in. Choose the disk in Disk configuration (everything on it is erased), your user in Authentication, your keyboard and language in Locales, and your Timezone. Then Install.

4. Take the stick out and reboot when it is done.

The first boot

The first boot installs the desk on screen, before the login screen comes up for the first time: it clones impasto’s main and runs ./setup install. It takes 10 to 20 minutes, online; on Wi-Fi it asks for the network again. If something fails, it says why and offers to try again, to try again leaving the packages as they are, a shell, or the login screen now and ./setup install later. Everything is logged to /var/log/impasto-install.log.

The first time you log in, a terminal builds the two Hyprland plugins, which can only be built from inside the session. It asks for your password once. With an infrared camera, enrolling your face waits for ./setup face.

Next: First steps.