To use the Raspberry Pi, you need an operating system. By default, when you insert the microSD card into the slot, the Raspberry Pi will automatically boot from the microSD card.
Depending on the model of the Raspberry Pi, you can also boot the operating system from other storage devices, including USB drives, storage devices connected via HAT, and network storage devices. The required devices to install the operating system on the Raspberry Pi are: – A computer that can be used to write the Raspberry Pi operating system – Insert the storage device into the USB port of that computer.
Most Raspberry Pi users choose the microSD card as the boot device. When writing the operating system, it is recommended to install the Raspberry Pi Imager.
The Raspberry Pi Imager is a tool for writing and initializing configuration that helps you download and write images on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Imager provides many popular operating system images for the Raspberry Pi. You can use Imager to pre-configure credentials and remote access settings for the Raspberry Pi.
Imager supports img and zip format files.
Installing Imager
You can install Imager in the following ways: – Download the latest version of Raspberry Pi Imager and run the installer – Also install it from the terminal using the command prompt, for example:
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After installing Imager, click the Raspberry Pi Imager icon or run rpi-imager.
Click “CHOOSE DEVICE” and select the Raspberry Pi model from the list.
Next, click “Select Operating System” and choose the operating system you want to install. Generally, Imager will look for the operating system that best fits your needs and display it at the top of the list, but you can also choose the operating system that suits you.
Insert the microSD card into the SD card reader, then connect the reader to the computer. Then, click “Select SD Card” and choose your storage device.
Note: If multiple storage devices are connected to the computer, make sure to select the correct device! You can usually identify the storage device by its size. If you are unsure, disconnect other devices until you identify the device to be imaged.
Click “Next”.
In the pop-up window, Imager will ask you to customize the operating system. It is recommended to configure the Raspberry Pi through the operating system customization settings. Click the “Edit Settings” button to open the operating system customization.
If you do not configure the Raspberry Pi through the operating system customization, the Raspberry Pi operating system will ask you for the same information configuration wizard on the first boot. You can click “No” to skip the operating system customization.
Customizing the Operating System
The operating system customization menu allows you to set up the Raspberry Pi before the first boot. You can pre-configure the following: – Username and password – WIFI credentials – Device hostname – Time zone – Your keyboard layout – Remote connection
When you first open the operating system customization menu, you may see a prompt asking to allow loading WiFi credentials from the host page. If you click “Yes”, Imager will pre-fill WiFi credentials from the network you are currently connected to. If you click “No”, you can manually enter WiFi credentials.
The “hostname” defines the hostname that the Raspberry Pi broadcasts to the network using the following commands. When you connect the Raspberry Pi to the network, other devices on the network can use `
The “username and password” define the username and password for the administrator user account on the Raspberry Pi.
The “WIFI” allows you to enter the SSID (name) and password of the wireless network. If your network does not publicly broadcast the SSID, you should enable the “Hidden SSID” setting. By default, Imager uses your current country as the “WIFI Country”. This setting controls the WiFi frequency that the Raspberry Pi uses. If you plan to use a headless Raspberry Pi, please enter the credentials for the wireless options.
The “locale” allows you to define the Pi’s time zone and default keyboard layout.
The “Services” tab can help you enable remote (SSH) connection configuration for the Raspberry Pi.
If you plan to use the Raspberry Pi remotely over the network, check the box next to enable SSH.
– “Password Authentication” uses your custom username and password to connect to the Raspberry Pi over the network via SSH.
– “Allow only public key login”, using the private key of the computer to pre-configure the Raspberry Pi for passwordless public key SSH authentication. If an RSA key already exists in the SSH configuration, Imager will use that public key. If not, you can click “RUN SSH-KEYGEN” to generate a public/private key pair. Imager will use the newly generated public key.
The operating system customization also includes an “Options” menu that allows you to configure the behavior of Imager during writing. These options allow you to play a sound prompt when Imager completes image verification, automatically eject the disk after verification, and disable telemetry.
Writing
After entering the operating system customization settings, click “Save” to save your customization.
Then, click **Yes** to apply the operating system customization settings when writing the image to the storage device.
Finally, the “Would you like to apply OS customization settings?” window pops up, click “Yes” to start writing data to the storage device.
If prompted by the administrator for read/write permissions for the storage medium, grant Imager the permission to continue.
The system is writing, which may take a few minutes.
It is recommended that you do not click “Cancel Verification” to skip the verification process.
When the “Burn Successful” pop-up window appears, your image has been completely written and verified. You can now boot the Raspberry Pi from the storage device!
Seeking Help
If you encounter problems during installation, you can post for help in the Raspberry Pi forum. https://talk.quwj.com/node/support
