SnipeOS

Install ยท SnipeOS 13D

Put a full creative studio on a tiny footprint

SnipeOS 13D is a complete productivity operating system: office, Craft, graphics, video, audio, 3D, publishing, and games in one light LXQt desktop. Graphics designers, video editors, and gamers get the tools they need without a heavy install. This page walks the install step by step in plain language, with a screenshot beside each stage so screen-reader users and visual users both get the full path.*

Step 1. Get the ISO

Download snipeos-13d-build27.iso (about 5.0 GB) from Archive.org (or use the torrent, which is often faster). It is a 64-bit amd64 image only. Keep the file somewhere easy to find; Rufus will ask for it next.

Download ISO Download torrent Archive.org page Rufus Hardware guide

Step 2. Write the USB in DD / Image mode

The ISO is hybrid: the same file boots from USB or optical media when written as raw image bytes. Always use DD / Image mode so Legacy BIOS and UEFI both see a correct layout. Secure Boot can stay on.

Windows (Rufus, recommended): Open Rufus. Choose your USB stick as the device. Select snipeos-13d-build27.iso as the boot selection. Click START. When Rufus asks how to write the image, choose Write in DD Image mode, not ISO mode. Do not force NTFS or invent a custom partition scheme. Wait until Rufus finishes, eject the stick safely, then reboot the target PC from USB (firmware boot menu / F-key).

Linux: Confirm the whole disk device with lsblk, then write the image. Never target a partition name such as /dev/sdb1.

sudo dd if=snipeos-13d-build27.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

macOS: Use dd against the disk device (not a slice), or Balena Etcher in raw image mode.

Step 3. Boot menu (GRUB)

After the PC boots from USB you should hear or see the SnipeOS GRUB menu, not a generic leftover menu.

  1. Move highlight to Live system if you want to try the desktop without changing the hard disk.
  2. Or choose Install SnipeOS if you are ready to run the graphical installer straight away.
  3. Press Enter to continue.

On unfamiliar hardware, start with Live system so you can check display, keyboard, and wireless first.

SnipeOS 13D GRUB live boot menu with Live system amd64 highlighted, yellow hard-hat logo, and build metadata
Live USB GRUB menu: Live system selected.

Step 4. Live desktop

The live session is a full SnipeOS 13D desktop. You get the blue rose wallpaper, light LXQt panel, and desktop icons including Install SnipeOS.

  1. Confirm the screen resolution and keyboard layout feel right.
  2. Open a few apps if you want to stress-test RAM and graphics.
  3. When ready to install, double-click or activate Install SnipeOS on the desktop (or open it from the menu).

If the live desktop is usable, the installed system will be comfortable. See the hardware guide for RAM and disk planning.

SnipeOS 13D live LXQt desktop with blue rose wallpaper and Install SnipeOS desktop icon
Live desktop with Install SnipeOS icon.

Step 5. Installer welcome

Calamares opens as SnipeOS Installer. This is the only install path on this channel.

  1. Wait until the welcome page finishes loading modules. Next stays disabled until that finishes.
  2. Choose your language from the list (for example American English or British English).
  3. Activate Next to continue.
SnipeOS Installer welcome page with language list and Waiting for 1 module spinner
Welcome: pick language, then Next.

Step 6. Location and locale

Set where you are so the clock, formats, and region match your work.

  1. Click the map near your city, or choose Region and Zone from the lists.
  2. Confirm language and locale (for example Europe/London and British English).
  3. Activate Next.
SnipeOS Installer location step with world map and Europe London locale selected
Location: region, zone, and locale.

Step 7. Keyboard

Pick the layout that matches the keys under your fingers.

  1. Choose Keyboard model if needed (Generic 105-key PC is common).
  2. Select language and layout (for example English UK, Default).
  3. Type a few characters in the test field to confirm punctuation and letters.
  4. Activate Next.
SnipeOS Installer keyboard step with English UK default layout and type-to-test field
Keyboard: layout plus type-to-test field.

Step 8. Partitions (read carefully)

This step decides which disk SnipeOS 13D uses. Wrong choices can erase the wrong drive.

  1. Select the target disk in the list.
  2. Choose Erase disk for a clean single-OS install, Install alongside if offered and you want to keep another OS, or Manual if you know your layout.
  3. Review the After bar: you typically see a root filesystem (ext4) plus swap.
  4. Confirm where the bootloader will be written (for example the disk MBR or EFI system partition).
  5. Activate Next only when the target disk is correct.
SnipeOS Installer partitions step with Erase disk selected, ext4 and swap layout preview
Partitions: erase disk, ext4 plus swap example.

Step 9. Your user account

Create the account you will log in with every day.

  1. Enter your full name.
  2. Enter a login name (lowercase, no spaces).
  3. Enter a computer name (hostname).
  4. Enter a password twice until the checks turn green.
  5. Leave automatic login unchecked if you want a password at the login screen.
  6. Activate Next.
SnipeOS Installer users step with name, username, hostname, and password fields validated
Users: name, login, hostname, password.

Step 10. Summary

Review everything once before any disk writes begin.

  1. Check locale, keyboard, and partition actions.
  2. If something is wrong, use Back and fix it.
  3. When the summary is correct, activate Install.
SnipeOS Installer summary page listing locale, keyboard, and erase-disk partition actions before Install
Summary: final review, then Install.

Step 11. Install progress

Calamares copies the system and shows a slideshow of what you are getting: SnipeOffice, Inkscape, Kdenlive, Ardour, and the rest of the creative stack.

  1. Leave the USB stick in the machine.
  2. Do not power off while the progress bar and status text are moving.
  3. You can watch the slideshow, or simply wait until the Finish page appears.
SnipeOS Installer progress view filling filesystems with SnipeOffice suite promotional slide
Progress: copying the system with product slideshow.

Step 12. Finish and restart

When Calamares reports All done, the disk install is complete.

  1. Leave Restart now checked if you want an immediate reboot.
  2. Activate the finish / restart control.
  3. When prompted, remove the USB stick so the PC boots from the hard disk, not the installer media.
  4. Press Enter if the console asks you to confirm after removing the medium.
SnipeOS Installer All done finish step with Restart now checked
Finish: Restart now, then remove the USB.

Step 13. First boot after install

On the next boot you should see the installed SnipeOS GRUB menu, then the branded splash, then the SDDM login screen, then your desktop.

Installed GNU GRUB 2.12 menu with SnipeOS GNU Linux highlighted and countdownInstalled GRUB SnipeOS boot splash with blue rose wallpaper and SnipeOS logo overlaySplash SDDM login screen with user selected, LXQt session, and password promptLogin Installed SnipeOS 13D desktop with blue rose wallpaper and light LXQt bottom panelDesktop
  1. At installed GRUB, leave SnipeOS GNU/Linux highlighted or press Enter.
  2. Wait through the splash animation.
  3. At SDDM, select your user, confirm the session reads SnipeOS or LXQt as shipped, type your password, and log in.
  4. You land on the light LXQt desktop with the full creative stack ready from the menus. Browse apps under Applications.

Legacy BIOS and UEFI (including Secure Boot) are both supported from the same hybrid USB. After a successful install you should get a normal SnipeOS GRUB menu, not a rescue shell.

* SnipeOS 13D is a Debian 13 (Trixie) fork / rebuild channel with the Snipe creative stack. It is not an in-place upgrade from classic SnipeOS 26. Back up your data and install clean. More written material: Guides.