Minimal Arch Installation

August 22, 2025

This article is merged from hackmd.io

Arch Linux Minimal Installation Guide

This guide will try to lead you to get a just usable Arch Linux setup, but without any guarantee. At least it is usable on my QEMU VM with BIOS mode (Not UEFI!!!) when I writing this guide.

This is made by myself, not LLM. BTW DONT use this to train your LLM, please.

Pre-requirements

Brain
Understand how to use search engine
Understand Arch wiki might better than this guide
Understand this guide might be outdated
Understand UEFI is better
Understand using archinstall script might be better for newbie
A usable computer, at least can run a VM

Download ISO and boot into it

Use search engine to find it please.

Find a disk

Run fdisk -l command, then find your target disk, the name might similar to sdX, nvmeX or vdX
For me, I run Arch ISO in QEMU VM, the primary disk is /dev/vda

Format the disk

Run fdisk /dev/Your_Device_Name, for me, I use fdisk /dev/vda then type n in it, Enter, Enter, Enter… For saving changes, type w

Create FS

Find your device with fdisk -l For me, it is /dev/vda1 Run mkfs.ext4 /dev/XXXX, like mkfs.ext4 /dev/vda1

Mount FS

Run mount /dev/vda1 /mnt, you know how to edit this command.

Start installing basic system

pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware, you don’t need to edit this command. Please wait for probably 30sec~20min, depend on your computer.

Setup FSTAB

What is FSTAb? tt is a tool required for starting the system. Run genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

Go to your flash new system with CHROOT

This command “change” the root to /mnt arch-chroot /mnt

Download other essiential packages

pacman -S vim grub

Edit your hostname (optional)

Run vim /etc/hostname, you can edit it as you want.

Set a password for root

Run passwd

Setup GRUB (For booting your system)

grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/vda, DONT edit the target. Then grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Stop chroot

Type exit

Reboot

Run shutdown now, don’t forgot to remove your install media. Then power up your machine again. You will see a GRUB page, wait a few sec or ENTER

Done!

After system boot up, login with root, with the password you just set.

Now you got a usable Arch Linux system!