Why ZelixOS?

ZelixOS 0.5 "Aurora" is a performance-centric Arch Linux distribution designed to deliver a stable, efficient, and user-friendly computing environment. It offers the full power and flexibility of a rolling-release system, enhanced by our custom tools that streamline the user experience for both newcomers and experienced Linux users.

Performance and Optimization

By transitioning our core architecture from a static release model (KDE Neon) directly to an Arch Linux base, ZelixOS fully embraces the rolling-release philosophy. This means you install ZelixOS once, and you receive the latest kernel, graphics drivers, and software updates immediately as they are released upstream.

Custom GUI Installer

To eliminate the complexity of standard Arch Linux installations and the unreliability of generic GUI installers like Calamares, we developed our own setup tool from scratch: the Zelix Installer. Written in Python and PyQt6, it natively wraps the official archinstall library to provide a safe, visual, and highly customizable installation process.

User-Friendly Tools and Customization

ZelixOS does not believe in bloatware. Instead of pre-installing dozens of applications you might never use, we provide you with a clean slate and powerful tools to build your ideal environment.

• Zelix Hello: A custom onboarding dashboard that greets you on your first boot. It helps you update your mirror lists, install system updates, and discover essential commands with a single click.
• Multiple Environments: We don't lock you into a single desktop. During the installation, you can freely choose between Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, or modern tiling window managers like Hyprland and Sway.

System Requirements

Because ZelixOS allows you to choose your Desktop Environment (DE) or Window Manager (WM) during installation, hardware requirements scale flexibly based on your choice.

Minimum Hardware Specifications

For users who select minimal window managers (such as i3-WM, bspwm, or Sway) during the installation process:

• CPU: 64-bit dual-core processor (x86_64)
• RAM: 2 GB
• Storage: 15 GB available space
• Network: Active internet connection (Required for package downloads during setup)

Recommended Hardware Specifications

For users who want to run full, modern desktop environments (such as KDE Plasma or GNOME) smoothly:

• CPU: 64-bit quad-core processor
• RAM: 4 GB or higher (8 GB is highly recommended for gaming and heavy multitasking)
• Storage: 40 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Network: Broadband internet connection

Download & Verify ISO

Downloading the ISO

ZelixOS provides a single, unified ISO that gives you access to all desktop environments and window managers during the installation process. You don't need to download a specific "KDE Edition" or "GNOME Edition".

Grab the latest ISO image directly from our official download portal:

https://zelixos.com/download.html

Verifying the ISO Checksum

SHA1: 7a2d9d045025984de24358bfaba10b1a7cde2d73

MD5: 18dc5973ec395f691055953cafd9eb67

To ensure that your download is complete and hasn't been corrupted or tampered with, we highly recommend verifying the SHA256 checksum of the ISO file before flashing it to a USB drive.

On Linux

Open your terminal and run the following command in the directory where you downloaded the ISO:

sha256sum zelixos-0.5-x86_64.iso

Compare the output hash with the official hash provided on our download page. If they match perfectly, your ISO is safe to use.

On Windows

Open PowerShell and run the following command:

Get-FileHash .\zelixos-0.5-x86_64.iso -Algorithm SHA256

USB Preparation

To install ZelixOS on your computer, you need to create a bootable USB flash drive. You will need a USB drive with at least 8 GB of capacity.

Creating Bootable USB on Linux / macOS

The most reliable method on Unix-like systems is using the native dd command line utility.

1. First, identify your USB drive path by running lsblk. It will look something like /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc.
2. Run the following command, making sure to replace /dev/sdX with your actual drive path (do not append partition numbers like sdb1):

sudo dd if=zelixos-0.5-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Creating Bootable USB on Windows

We officially recommend using Rufus or balenaEtcher for Windows users.

• Using Rufus: Select your USB drive, select the downloaded ZelixOS ISO, and click Start. If Rufus prompts you about ISOHybrid images, always select "Write in DD Image mode". This is crucial for Arch-based ISOs to boot correctly.
• Using balenaEtcher: Select "Flash from file", pick the ZelixOS ISO, select your USB target, and click "Flash!".

GUI Installer (Zelix Inst)

ZelixOS 0.5 introduces Zelix Installer v1.03, a custom-built, Python/PyQt6 graphical wizard. It natively utilizes the official archinstall library backend to provide a flawless, animated GUI for configuring your Arch base.

The Installation Process

Once booted into the Live Environment, connect to the internet (via Ethernet or the Wi-Fi icon in the system tray) and double-click the Install ZelixOS icon on the desktop.

1. Welcome & System Scan

The installer greets you with a smooth Breeze-Dark animated UI and performs initial hardware scanning. It verifies your UEFI/BIOS mode and internet connection status.

2. Desktop & Greeter Selection

This is where you define your ZelixOS experience. You will be prompted to choose:

• Desktop Environment / WM: KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, Hyprland, Sway, i3, or bspwm.
• Display Manager (Greeter): LightDM, SDDM, GDM, or Ly (Console display manager).

3. Disk Selection and Formatting

Our multi-strategy probe detects all attached NVMe, SSD, and HDD drives. Select your target disk. The installer will securely handle partitioning, bootloader (systemd-boot or GRUB) setup, and formatting. By default, it will format the entire drive using the ext4 filesystem.

4. User Configuration

Set your computer's hostname (how your PC appears on a network), establish a strong root password, and create your everyday user account with sudo privileges.

5. Live Installation Log

Click "Install" and watch the live log stream. Our background worker process ensures the UI remains responsive while the installer formats the drive and downloads your system packages via pacman in real-time.

Post-Installation Setup

To get the absolute best performance out of your new ZelixOS installation, we strongly recommend performing a few basic post-installation steps. Most of these can be executed directly from the Zelix Hello app.

1. Update Mirrorlists

Arch Linux downloads packages from mirrors worldwide. If your downloads are slow, it means your mirrorlist needs optimizing. Rank your mirrors by running the following command (or clicking "Update Mirrors" in Zelix Hello):

sudo reflector --latest 20 --protocol https --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

2. Install Proprietary Drivers (NVIDIA)

If your system has an NVIDIA dedicated graphics card, installing the proprietary drivers is essential for gaming, 3D rendering, and proper Wayland support:

sudo pacman -S nvidia-dkms nvidia-utils

After installation, reboot your system to allow the kernel modules to load.

3. Enable Bluetooth Services

The necessary Bluetooth libraries are installed by default, but the service is intentionally left disabled for security and battery saving purposes. If you use Bluetooth devices, enable the service permanently:

sudo systemctl enable --now bluetooth

Zelix Hello Helper

Upon rebooting into your fresh installation and logging in, you will be greeted by Zelix Hello.

Taking inspiration from the best onboarding tools in the Linux world (like CachyOS Hello), we wrote this application from scratch specifically for the Zelix ecosystem to make your first 10 minutes as smooth as possible.

Features of Zelix Hello

• One-Click Updates: Trigger a full system update safely without needing to open the terminal.
• Mirror Management: Automatically rank and refresh your pacman mirrors for the fastest possible download speeds in your region.
• System Information: Quickly view your kernel version, active DE/WM, and hardware specs.
• Quick Links: Direct access to ZelixOS documentation, GitHub repository, and community support channels.

If you close Zelix Hello, you can always relaunch it later from your application menu.

Desktop Environments

Thanks to the dynamic nature of the Zelix Installer, you are not locked into one desktop. All options are configured cleanly out-of-the-box with sensible defaults.

Full Desktop Environments (DE)

These provide a complete, cohesive graphical experience perfect for both beginners and power users:

• KDE Plasma: The flagship Zelix experience. Highly customizable, modern, visually stunning, and surprisingly lightweight.
• GNOME: A clean, modern, workflow-focused desktop favored by many developers and laptop users.
• Xfce: A traditional, stable, and incredibly fast environment that breathes new life into older hardware.

Window Managers (WM)

Keyboard-centric, ultra-minimalist interfaces designed for maximum screen real estate and efficiency:

• Hyprland: A dynamic Wayland compositor with sleek, fluid animations, rounded corners, and blur effects. It's the modern choice for tiling enthusiasts.
• Sway: The robust, stable Wayland drop-in replacement for the classic i3 window manager.
• i3-WM & bspwm: Classic, battle-tested X11 tiling window managers that use almost zero system resources.

Performance & Gaming

With its Arch Linux base, ZelixOS is an absolute powerhouse for gaming, providing the absolute latest kernel and Mesa graphics drivers directly from the upstream the moment they are released.

Enabling Multilib (32-bit support)

Applications like Steam and older games require 32-bit libraries to run correctly on a 64-bit system. To enable this, open /etc/pacman.conf as root (using nano or vim) and uncomment the following two lines:

[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Save the file, then sync your repositories and install Steam alongside essential gaming performance tools like Gamemode and Lutris:

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S steam lutris gamemode

Proton and Windows Games

Thanks to Valve's Proton compatibility layer, you can play thousands of Windows-exclusive games natively on ZelixOS. Once Steam is installed:

1. Open Steam and navigate to Steam > Settings > Compatibility.
2. Check the box for "Enable Steam Play for all other titles".
3. Restart Steam. You can now download and play Windows games just as you would on a Windows machine.

Package Management

Under the hood, ZelixOS relies on the legendary Arch package management ecosystem. The primary tool you will use is pacman.

Official Repositories (pacman)

Here are the most essential commands you need to master:

# Update your entire system (Run this frequently!)
sudo pacman -Syu

# Search for a package in the repositories
pacman -Ss <search_term>

# Install a new application
sudo pacman -S <package_name>

# Remove an application and its unused dependencies
sudo pacman -Rs <package_name>

# Clean the local package cache to free up disk space
sudo pacman -Sc

Arch User Repository (AUR)

To keep the base system as clean, minimal, and official as possible, ZelixOS does not ship with an AUR helper like yay or paru pre-installed. You can easily compile yay yourself if you need specific community packages (like Spotify or Google Chrome):

# Compiling and installing yay
sudo pacman -S base-devel git
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

Once installed, you can use yay exactly like pacman (without sudo) to install AUR packages: yay -S google-chrome

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Installer throws a "missing attribute" or "archinstall API unavailable" error

If Zelix Installer encounters an error and falls back during disk selection, it is usually because the archinstall library dependencies on the live ISO are outdated or cannot be fetched. Solution: Ensure your computer is actively connected to the internet before launching the installer, so the script can download the necessary Python dependencies.

System won't boot after a major update

While rare, kernel updates can occasionally cause issues on specific hardware combinations. Solution: Boot from your ZelixOS live USB, connect to the internet, and use arch-chroot to enter your broken system. From there, you can downgrade the problematic package via the terminal or install the fallback linux-lts (Long Term Support) kernel.

No Audio or Microphone

ZelixOS uses modern PipeWire by default instead of PulseAudio. If you experience sound issues after a fresh boot, ensure the user-level audio services are running properly by executing:

systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

Community & Links

ZelixOS is an independent, community-driven project built and maintained by Muhammed Yasir Peker. Whether you found a bug, have a brilliant idea for the next version, or just want to chat with other Linux enthusiasts, we'd love to hear from you.

Official Links

• Website: zelixos.com
• Source Code & Bug Tracker: GitHub Repository

GUI Installer Changelogs

This section outlines the latest updates, fixes, and improvements made directly to the Zelix Inst (Graphical Installer) application.

v1.03

• Added fallback to parted if archinstall API is unavailable due to connectivity issues.
• Improved animations in the Desktop Environment selection screen.

CLI Installer Changelogs

While the graphical installer is recommended for most users, advanced users can use our fallback CLI installation method.

Currently, the CLI installer simply wraps the native archinstall profile with Zelix configurations.

Desktop Edition Guide

Welcome to the Desktop Edition setup guide. Here you will find optimal configurations for a standard PC or Laptop running ZelixOS, including power management for laptops (via TLP or power-profiles-daemon).

Handheld Edition Guide

Using ZelixOS on a device like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally? This guide will eventually cover custom kernel parameters and gamepad-ui setups.

Managing Hardware with zhwd

zhwd (Zelix Hardware Detection) is our planned tool for automatically configuring complex hardware setups post-installation. Documentation will be added here once the tool reaches stable release.

Switching Between GPUs

If you have a hybrid graphics setup (e.g., Intel Integrated + NVIDIA Dedicated), you can use utilities like optimus-manager or envycontrol to switch profiles. Detailed steps will be documented here.