Nevermind

How to Build Your Own Operating System

7 min

Arch Linux embraces minimalism, allowing users to build any functionality they desire. This guide walks you through setting up your own Arch Linux system on a physical machine.

Preparation

You’ll need: a computer, a USB drive (or any removable storage device), an internet connection, and basic research skills.

  • Regardless of the installation image you choose, even for offline setups, I recommend having an internet connection to ensure kernel and tool updates. If you’re experienced, you can decide otherwise.
  • For Wi-Fi, ensure the network name is in English, as the tty environment cannot display non-ASCII characters, which will appear as unreadable blocks.
  • If you plan to dual-boot on the same drive, allocate sufficient disk space for Arch Linux—at least 100GB is recommended for future software installations. Ensure the EFI partition is at least 256MB or create an additional mount point.
  • Check if your Windows 10 partition uses BitLocker encryption. Obtain the recovery key in advance and disable Fast Startup in the power settings!

Before proceeding, carefully read and research anything you don’t understand. Operate cautiously, back up regularly—data is priceless.

Creating the Installation Media

  1. Download the installation image only from the official Arch Linux download page. Note that Arch Linux is a rolling-release distribution.
  2. If you want to compile your own kernel, refer to the Kernel/Traditional compilation guide.
  3. For the official installation image, I recommend using Ventoy to create a bootable USB.

Base Installation

1. Booting from the Arch Linux Media

Power off, insert the USB drive, and start the computer. Enter the BIOS, select the USB as the boot device, choose the first option, and press Enter to access the Arch Linux installation environment.

2. UEFI Check

systemctl stop reflector.service
# Disable automatic mirror updates, as geographic network conditions may cause issues.
ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
# If a list of EFI variables is displayed, the system is booted in UEFI mode. Most machines in 2025 use UEFI.

3. Network Setup

Arch Linux installation requires an internet connection. Offline installation is more complex; see the Offline installation guide.

For wired connections, plug in the Ethernet cable, check if the interface LED blinks, and wait a few seconds for the connection to establish.

In a campus network, authentication may be required via an upstream router. Refer to the nbtverify project.

For Wi-Fi, use iwctl to connect.

lspci -k | grep Network
# Check if the wireless adapter is working. Skip this if you’re sure it’s functional.

Verify if the kernel has loaded the wireless driver.

You should see something like: 00:14.3 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (rev 20).

If nothing appears, check if the wireless connection is disabled (blocked: yes).

rfkill list
# The wireless adapter is usually named wlan0.
ip link set wlan0 up
# If you see an error like “Operation not possible due to RF-kill,” run:
rfkill Unblock wifi
# Connect to Wi-Fi using iwctl
iwctl # Enter interactive mode
device list # List wireless devices, e.g., wlan0
station wlan0 scan # Scan for networks
station wlan0 get-networks # List available Wi-Fi networks
station wlan0 connect wifi-name # Connect to the network. Non-ASCII names are not supported. Enter the password when prompted.
exit # Exit after connecting

ping www.google.com # Test network connectivity

For network configuration issues, refer to Network configuration/Wireless.

5. Sync System Clock

timedatectl set-ntp true # Sync system time with network time
timedatectl status # Check service status

6. Update Mirror List (Optional for U.S. Users)

vim /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist # Edit the mirror list if needed
Server = https://mirrors.kernel.org/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch # Kernel.org mirror
Server = https://mirrors.mit.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch # MIT mirror
Server = https://mirror.rackspace.com/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch # Rackspace mirror

7. Create Btrfs Partitions

Check Disk Information

lsblk

Review the current partition layout. Carefully identify the target disk for Arch Linux installation.

Disk naming conventions:

  • SATA drives: sda, sdb, sdc … Partitions: sda1, sda2, etc.
  • NVMe drives: nvme0n1, nvme1n1 … Partitions: nvme0n1p1, nvme0n1p2, etc.

This example uses a SATA disk. Replace /dev/sdx with your actual disk.

cfdisk /dev/sdx

You should see a user-friendly TUI partitioning interface. 😄

Partitioning Steps

1. Create Swap Partition
  • Use arrow keys to select Free space.
  • Press [New], press Enter, and enter the size (recommended: 60%–100% of RAM).
  • Press [Type] and select Linux swap.
2. Create Root Partition (for Btrfs)
  • Select the remaining Free space, press [New], and press Enter.
  • Enter the size (default: use all remaining space).
  • Keep the type as the default Linux filesystem.
3. Write Partition Table
  • Select [Write], type yes, and press Enter.

    ⚠️ Note: Changes won’t take effect until written!

Format Partitions

Recheck Disks
fdisk -l
Format EFI Partition (if creating a new one)
mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sdxn

💡 For dual-boot users, you can reuse the Windows EFI partition without formatting, but ensure it has enough space. See Dual boot with Windows.

Format Swap Partition
mkswap /dev/sdxn
Format Btrfs Partition
mkfs.btrfs -L myArch /dev/sdxn

Create and Mount Btrfs Subvolumes

mount -t btrfs -o compress=zstd /dev/sdxn /mnt

# Create subvolumes
btrfs subvolume create /mnt/@        # Root subvolume
btrfs subvolume create /mnt/@home    # /home subvolume

umount /mnt

⚠️ Final Reminder

  • Double-check all commands and operations!
  • Mistakes can lead to data loss, especially deleting Windows partitions 😥.

8. Mount Partitions, Starting with Root

mount -t btrfs -o subvol=/@,compress=zstd /dev/sdxn /mnt # Mount / directory
mkdir /mnt/home # Create /home directory
mount -t btrfs -o subvol=/@home,compress=zstd /dev/sdxn /mnt/home # Mount /home directory
mkdir -p /mnt/boot # Create /boot directory
mount /dev/sdxn /mnt/boot # Mount /boot directory
swapon /dev/sdxn # Enable swap partition
df -h # Check mounts
free -h # Verify swap partition mount

9. Install the System

pacstrap /mnt base base-devel linux linux-firmware btrfs-progs
# Install btrfs-progs if using Btrfs
pacman -S archlinux-keyring
# If you encounter GPG key errors, it may be due to an outdated image. Update archlinux-keyring to resolve.
pacstrap /mnt networkmanager vim sudo zsh zsh-completions
# Install essential functional packages with pacstrap

10. Generate fstab File

Generate fstab to define disk partitions, based on current mounts.

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

11. Enter the New System

arch-chroot /mnt
# Lost code highlighting? Don’t worry—you’ve successfully chrooted!

12. Set Hostname and Time Zone

vim /etc/hostname
# Choose a hostname (avoid special characters or spaces to prevent issues; omitting a hostname can cause GUI apps to fail unexpectedly).
vim /etc/hosts
# Edit the hosts file

Add the following (replace myarch with your hostname, use tabs for alignment):

127.0.0.1   localhost
::1         localhost
127.0.1.1   myarch.localdomain  myarch
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime
# Create a symlink for the New York time zone (adjust as needed)
ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/
# Check available time zones and update the command above if needed

13. Hardware Clock Setup

hwclock --systohc
# Sync system time to hardware clock

14. Set Locale

vim /etc/locale.gen
# Edit /etc/locale.gen, uncomment en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8
# This determines the language and character set for software
locale-gen
# Generate locale
echo 'LANG=en_US.UTF-8' > /etc/locale.conf
# Set locale.conf

15. Set Root Password

passwd root
# Password input is hidden—not a keyboard issue! 😄

16. Install Microcode

pacman -S intel-ucode # For Intel CPUs
pacman -S amd-ucode # For AMD CPUs

17. Install Grub Bootloader

pacman -S grub efibootmgr os-prober
# grub is the bootloader, efibootmgr writes boot entries to NVRAM, os-prober enables Windows 10 detection
grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=ARCH
# Install grub to the EFI partition
vim /etc/default/grub
# Edit boot parameters
# Change "loglevel=3 quiet" to "loglevel=5 nowatchdog"
# Add at the end: GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
  • Remove the quiet parameter from GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT.
  • Change loglevel from 3 to 5 for better error debugging.
  • Add nowatchdog to improve boot/shutdown speed.
  • Enable os-prober for Windows 10 detection.
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
# Generate grub configuration file
# If Windows 10 is detected, you’ll see output like: “Found Windows Boot Manager on /dev/nvme0n1p1@/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi done”
# If Windows is on another disk, re-mount and rerun this command after booting.

See Arch Wiki for all parameters.

18. Complete Installation

exit # Return to the installation environment
umount -R /mnt # Unmount new partitions
reboot # Reboot

Log in with the root account after reboot.

systemctl enable --now NetworkManager # Enable and start NetworkManager service
ping www.google.com # Test network connectivity

For Wi-Fi:

nmcli dev wifi list # List nearby Wi-Fi networks
nmcli dev wifi connect "Wi-Fi SSID" password "network password" # Connect to a Wi-Fi network
nmtui
# I prefer nmtui—it’s user-friendly! 😄
pacman -S fastfetch
fastfetch
# Install fastfetch to check system info
# Time for the classic neofetch moment! 😄
shutdown 0
shutdown -h now
poweroff
# All three commands shut down the system. 😄 Shut down properly, as power policies aren’t configured yet.

Congratulations 🎉

You’ve successfully installed a minimal, non-graphical Arch Linux system!

A graphical interface guide will be included in the next update, but as always: read the manual!

This guide is a starting point, hoping to inspire more enthusiasts to join the tech community!

Related: NBTCA

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