Getting Started with AcreetionOS

This page takes you from nothing to a working AcreetionOS desktop in about 20 minutes.

1. Check your hardware

Minimum and recommended specs live in System Requirements. Short version: 4 GB RAM, 25 GB disk, any x86_64 CPU from the last decade.

2. Download the ISO

Grab the latest image from the download page. Verify integrity if you want belt-and-braces certainty — instructions are on the same page and in Installation Guide → Downloading.

3. Write it to a USB stick

Use whatever you have handy:

  • Windows/macOS: Rufus, balenaEtcher, or Acreetion Media Writer

  • Linux: dd, Popsicle, or Acreetion Media Writer

Full walkthrough (including Ventoy): Creating Bootable USB Media.

4. Boot it

Plug the stick in, reboot, open your firmware boot menu (usually F12/F11/Esc) and pick the USB. If the machine refuses, check UEFI/BIOS settings.

You’ll land in the live session — a full desktop running entirely from the USB. Poke around as much as you like; nothing touches your disk until you click Install.

5. Install

Launch the installer from the menu or desktop icon. Calamares will:

  1. Ask your language, timezone, and keyboard.

  2. Offer guided partitioning (Erase disk) or manual partitioning.

  3. Copy the system and set up GRUB.

Screens are explained step by step in Installer Walkthrough. Want encryption? Read Encrypted Installation first.

6. First boot

After reboot you’ll see the login screen. Then follow First Steps After Install — five minutes that save hours later.