Installation Guide

Strictly follow the technical steps described below to prepare the hardware environment, boot the installation media, and complete the setup of PataOS based on Debian 13 Cinnamon.

 

1. Personal data backup and preparation

Before proceeding with the installation of a new operating system, it is imperative to secure your data. The installation of PataOS, if you choose to overwrite the entire disk, will irreversibly erase all existing files.

• Connect an external solid-state drive (SSD) or a high-capacity hard drive to your computer via a USB 3.0 or Type-C port for maximum speed.

• Manually copy all your documents, CAD projects, renders, photos, email archives, and digital certificates to the external drive.

• Once the copy is complete, verify the integrity of the data by randomly opening a few files directly from the external SSD.

• Safely remove the hardware and physically disconnect the drive from the computer to prevent any accidental overwriting during the installation of PataOS.

2. Creating the bootable USB drive with Rufus

To install PataOS, a USB flash drive (minimum capacity 8 GB, preferably USB 3.0) is required, which will be formatted and prepared with the official ISO file.

• Download the official PataOS ISO image from the dedicated section of this website.

• Download and run Rufus (a free application that does not require installation).

• Insert your USB flash drive into the computer.

• Under "Device" (the first drop-down menu at the top), ensure that your correct USB flash drive is selected.

• Click the "SELECT" button on the right and locate the newly downloaded PataOS ISO file, double-clicking to load it.

• Set "Partition scheme" to GPT (required for all modern PCs).

• Set "Target system" to UEFI (non CSM).

• Leave the formatting options unchanged (FAT32 file system and default cluster size).

• Click the "START" button at the bottom. If Rufus asks you in which mode to write the image, select "Write in ISO Image mode (Recommended)" and click OK.
• A warning will appear stating that all data on the flash drive will be destroyed: confirm with OK. Wait for the green progress bar to complete (about 3-5 minutes) and then click "Close".

3. BIOS/UEFI configuration and boot sequence

To tell your computer to boot from the newly created USB flash drive instead of the internal hard drive, you need to access the motherboard.

• Insert the USB flash drive with PataOS into the powered-off computer.

• Turn on the PC and repeatedly press the BIOS access key. This key varies depending on the manufacturer (it is often F2, Del, F12, ESC, or F10). Start pressing it as soon as the screen lights up.

• Once inside the BIOS/UEFI interface, use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate to the "Security" or "Boot" tab.

• Locate the Secure Boot option and change it from "Enabled" to Disabled. Without this step, the motherboard will block the boot of operating systems not signed by Microsoft.

• Navigate to the "Boot" or "Boot Priority" tab.

• Locate the boot order (Boot Option #1). Press Enter on it and select your USB flash drive from the list, moving it to the first position at the top of the list.

• Go to the "Save & Exit" tab (or press the key indicated at the bottom of the screen, usually F10). Confirm by selecting "Save Changes and Reset" and press Enter.

4. Booting in Live mode and preparing for installation

Upon restart, the computer will bypass the internal drive and read the USB flash drive.

• A black screen with a menu (GRUB) will appear. Use the arrow keys to select "Start PataOS Live" and press Enter.

• Some text strings will load for a few seconds, after which you will be greeted by the PataOS Cinnamon desktop in "Live" mode.

• In this mode, the system runs directly from RAM and the USB flash drive: use it to test that the screen resolution, Wi-Fi, and audio work correctly with your hardware.

• To start the permanent installation on the disk, double-click the "Install PataOS" icon on the desktop. The system installer (Debian) will open.

• Select the language (Italian), press Next, select your time zone (Europe/Rome) on the map and confirm the keyboard layout (default Italian).

5. Hard drive partitioning

This is the most critical phase. Once you reach the partitioning screen, the installer will present you with several options based on the state of your drive:

• Erase the entire disk (Recommended for maximum stability): By choosing this option, PataOS will format the computer's entire SSD/Hard Drive. The system will automatically create the perfect partitions (a 300MB EFI partition for booting, a SWAP partition proportional to your RAM to handle memory overload, and a Root partition formatted in ext4 or btrfs for system files and data).

• Manual partitioning (For experts): Choose this option only if you want to keep another operating system (Dual Boot) or physically separate the /home partition from the /root partition. You will need to manually create:
  

  1. A 300-500 MB fat32 partition with boot and esp flags, mounted at /boot/efi.

  2. A linuxswap partition equivalent to your RAM (e.g., 16 GB).

  3. An ext4 partition for the remaining space, mounted at /.

6. User Configuration, Hostname and completion

On the last screen before copying the files, the system will ask you to configure your administrative identity:

• What is your full name: Enter your real first and last name (this will be shown on the lock screen).

• What username do you want to use (Username): Choose a name entirely in lowercase, without spaces or special characters (e.g., alessandro). This will be the name of your Home folder.

• What is the name of this computer (Hostname): This is the name the computer will have within the local network or router (e.g., pataos-workstation or pataos-laptop). Do not enter spaces.

• Choose a password to keep your account secure: Enter a strong password and confirm it in the field below. Memorize it well: this will be the administration (Sudo) password that the system will ask you for every time you want to install a program or modify deep settings.

• Click "Next". The installer will show you a summary of all the operations it is about to perform. If everything is correct, click "Install".

• The disk writing process will take 5 to 15 minutes. Upon completion, a success window will appear. Check the "Restart now" box and click "Done".

• When the screen goes completely black for the restart, physically disconnect the USB flash drive from the computer. Upon the next restart, the system will permanently load your new PataOS environment.