Asking forgiveness of noobiness in advance. This is my first EndeavorOS install.
[Edited for clarity]
UPDATE: So embarrassing. Total pebcak. All I needed to do was close the Welcome app after connecting to wi-fi, and re-open it. Update mirrors buttons: there! Easy to run the updates. Started install again, and partition options were there, too. Chose Erase disk, reviewed the partitions the install was going to create, and ran the install.
Calamares was super-fast, and flawless. I’ve been having fun setting up KDE and installing my apps, and now I’ll copy over my data.
Thank you, Endeavour! So far, so beautiful.
I’ll try to be less dumbbbbb the next time I have a question!
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My hardware (taken from in the LiveISO): https://0x0.st/HofL.txt
I created my USB install media using GNOME Disk Utility on my old Solus laptop (yes, sad Solus: which is why I’m here). I downloaded the Cassini Nova ISO from Github, checked the sha512sum and verified the gpg key. I’m leaving the old Solus laptop alone for now: I created the USB install media to use on my new Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro that shipped with Win 11. I want to get rid of Windows; I do not want dual-boot.
After disabling secure boot and fast boot in BIOS, I boot just fine into the LiveISO. I log in manually to my fast, stable home wi-fi. Everything is beautiful and speedy, including coming here to the Endeavour forums on Firefox (I’m in the LiveISO as I type this), and all my hardware works.
Problem #1: Update mirrors buttons not present on Welcome app
The Welcome app shows as v3.52-1. The install tab, however, does not match the screencap on the Latest release page for Cassini Nova, which shows v3.44-1. Specifically: there are no buttons to Update mirrors.
Is there a reason why there is no option to update mirrors from the Welcome app? Is that standard for this version of the app?
Or is it because there was no wi-fi at boot until I connected to it? If so, do I need to force the app to refresh? Or should I update mirrors from Terminal?
Or is it a non-issue, and I don’t need to update mirrors in this build of the ISO?
Back to the install story.
I read that updating the mirrors is automated when you choose Online installation and have a solid connection, so I started phase 1 of the Online install, choosing KDE Plasma. When I got to the Partitions screen, though, I hit a wall.
Problem #2: Manual partitioning is the only option
The only choice shown on the Partitions screen is Manual partitioning. And I can’t advance to the next screen of the install process without making partition changes.
I am not adept with partitioning. My intention was to choose Replace a partition to install Endeavour into the current Windows partition, or just get rid of all the Windows nonsense and Erase disk. But the options aren’t there.
Do I need to resize or delete partitions before starting installation (per the notes on the Discovery page for Installation, “Live ISO tricks & tips”)? One person has already answered that I don’t need to do that. Should I just go ahead and delete partitions on the Partitions screen in Calamares?
With other distros I have just chosen “Erase disk”, since I’ve never wanted dual-boot, so I don’t know why I’m so afraid of deleting the existing partitions myself, but the question remains:
What would cause Calamares not to offer “Replace a partition” or “Erase disk”? Did something go wrong with creating the install media? Did I miss something in the BIOS, or is it down to how Win11 was installed? There’s no Bitlocker, no passwords in BIOS.
Existing partitions:
1TB NVMe.
Part. 1: 260MB EFI FAT32 partition (system volume), which I understand systemd will find too small. I also read that the size shouldn’t matter, since the installation process will create a new EFI for Endeavour when it installs where I tell it to install. Only I don’t have that option.
Part. 2: 16MB partition in an unknown file format, named “Microsoft reserved partition”. In Win11’s Disks & Volumes, this partition was not shown, but gparted sees it.
Part. 3: 921.65GB NTFS basic data partition (boot volume): Windows
Part. 4: 1.95GB NTFS basic data recovery partition: Windows recovery (WINRE)