This is a step by step beginner’s guide shows how to install Bodhi Linux via an USB stick.
Bodhi Linux is a lightweight and elegant Linux distro. It features Moksha, an Enlightenment-17 based desktop environment.
The 32-bit edition requires at least 500MHz (Non-PAE) processor, 512MB RAM, and 5GB disk space. And the 64-bit recommends 1.0GHz processor, 768MB RAM, and 10GB disk space.
1. Download Bodhi Linux
The latest version so far is Bodhi Linux 6.0.0, which is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It includes Standard (64-bit) and Legacy (32-bit) editions, which are minimalist, only including a web browser, terminal, file manger, text editor and photo GUI applications.
Hwe version with updating Kernel, and AppPack version with more apps and tools pre-installed are also available.
2. Create bootable USB Installer for Bodhi Linux
There are various tools in the web for creating bootable USB installer, e.g., Rufus for Windows and Etcher for cross-platform. There are some more here.
For beginner’s you may read this post for how to create a bootable Linux USB. Although it was written for Linux Mint, it do work on most Linux including Bodhi Linux.
3. Boot the USB in your machine:
After creating the USB installer, boot it in your machine. Depends on your machine, you can press Esc, F2, Del, or other key to get into BIOS and select boot with USB.
Once you get into the boot menu, select either “Try Bodhi” or “Install Now” and hit enter.
4. Select Language, Keyboard Layout
If you selected “Try Bodhi Linux”, it will boot and prompt you to select Language and Keyboard. Once you get into the Desktop, click on desktop shortcut to start the installer wizard.
If you selected “Install Now”, it boots directly into installer wizard that prompts you to select language during the process:
Then select Keyboard Layout. While the default one is good for normal keyboard device, you can press “Detect Keyboard Layout” button or type in box to test out.
Next, if you has internet connection you can check the two check-boxes to download updates & install third-party software while installation. It’s OK to skip them to speed up the whole process a little, since you can install them later.
5. Create Disk Partition for File System:
Next select the system installation type:
- If other systems exist in the hard disk and enough free space is available, you can choose “Install Bodhi alongside them”.
- If you want to clear the whole hard disk and install only Bodhi Linux on it, select “Erase disk and install Bodhi”.
- Or select “Something else” (recommend) to get into partition table.
Always, I select to manually create partitions for Linux install. Same to Ubuntu, installing Bodhi Linux requires following disk partitions:
- (GPT disk only) BIOS-boot or EFI partition.
- (MUST HAVE) EXT4 partition mounted on /
- (Optional) Swap partition.
a.) BIOS-boot partition.
For hard disk with GPT table, you can firstly open terminal check it by running command:
sudo parted -l
It will says “Partition Table: gpt” in the output.
If it is, check the first partition (usually sda1). If it’s not a small partition 2MB~10MB unformated BIOS-boot, or 100MB~250MB FAT EFI partition, you have to manually create one.
NOTE: bios boot partition must be at the beginning of the partition table. It's usually /dev/sda1 after you created it.
b.) create Ext4 partition.
Then select free space and create Ext4 partition for file system:
- 5GB at least for 32-bit or 10 GB for 64-bit
- Ext4 file system.
- Mount point /
c.) Swap area
If you have 4GB or less RAM, or you need to use hibernation to disk feature. Create swap partition with:
- size as large as RAM.
- use as swap area.
Finally, the partition table may look like this:
Click on “Install Now” button. And click continue in “BIOS boot” or “EFI” relative pop-ups, and continue also for “Write the changes to disks” to get start!
6. Select Location and create account:
Now it starts installing the system on your disk. While the process, you need to select your location on the world map.
Then create account, set computer name, and password.
Wait until the process done. And restart.
Conclusion:
If you’re an Ubuntu user, you may feel familiar with the installer wizard. The installing process is quite similar to Ubuntu. Ever after restart, it shows “Ubuntu” instead of “Bodhi Linux” in the grub boot menu.
