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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux Post-Installation Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to essential steps after installing Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including system configuration, drivers, software installation, and optimization.

Table of Contents

  1. Initial System Setup
  2. Network Configuration
  3. Graphics Drivers
  4. Audio Configuration
  5. Essential Software
  6. Desktop Environment
  7. System Services
  8. User Configuration
  9. System Maintenance
  10. CachyOS-Specific Optimizations

Initial System Setup

First Boot

After installation:

  1. Login as root or your user account
  2. Check system status
  3. Verify network connection
  4. Update system

System Update

Update immediately:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -Syu

# If errors occur, refresh keys
sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Fedora:

sudo dnf update

Explanation:

  • Updates all packages to latest versions
  • Refreshes package database
  • Installs security updates

Network Configuration

Enable NetworkManager

Arch/CachyOS:

# Enable NetworkManager
sudo systemctl enable --now NetworkManager

# Check status
systemctl status NetworkManager

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager
sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

Fedora:

sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager

Connect to Network

Using NetworkManager:

# Text-based interface
nmtui

# Or use nmcli
nmcli device wifi list
nmcli device wifi connect "NetworkName" password "password"

GUI option:

# Install network manager applet
sudo pacman -S network-manager-applet

See Networking for detailed network configuration.

Graphics Drivers

Detect Graphics Card

Identify your GPU:

# List graphics hardware
lspci | grep VGA

# Or more detailed
lspci -k | grep -A 2 VGA

NVIDIA Drivers

Arch/CachyOS:

# For modern NVIDIA GPUs
sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils nvidia-settings

# For 32-bit support (Steam, etc.)
sudo pacman -S lib32-nvidia-utils

CachyOS (using chwd - recommended):

# Automatically detect and install correct drivers
sudo chwd -h -a nvidia

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver

Fedora:

sudo dnf install akmod-nvidia

Verify installation:

# Check NVIDIA driver
nvidia-smi

# Or
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

AMD Drivers

Arch/CachyOS:

# Open-source drivers (recommended)
sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-radeon lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-radeon

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install mesa-vulkan-drivers

Fedora:

sudo dnf install mesa-vulkan-drivers

Intel Graphics

Arch/CachyOS:

# Intel graphics drivers
sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-intel lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-intel

Usually works out of the box on modern systems.

See Graphics Drivers for detailed driver setup.

Audio Configuration

PulseAudio

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install PulseAudio
sudo pacman -S pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa pavucontrol

# Enable service
systemctl --user enable --now pulseaudio

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install pulseaudio pavucontrol

Fedora:

sudo dnf install pulseaudio pavucontrol

PipeWire (Alternative)

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install PipeWire
sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse pipewire-alsa pipewire-jack

# Enable services
systemctl --user enable --now pipewire pipewire-pulse

PipeWire is modern alternative to PulseAudio.

See Audio Configuration for detailed audio setup.

Essential Software

Text Editors

Install text editors:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S vim nano

# VS Code (optional)
yay -S visual-studio-code-bin

Web Browser

Install browsers:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S firefox chromium

# Google Chrome (AUR)
yay -S google-chrome

Media Players

Install media software:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S vlc mpv

# Codecs
sudo pacman -S gstreamer gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly

Office Software

Install office suite:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S libreoffice-fresh

# PDF viewer
sudo pacman -S evince

Development Tools

Install development tools:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S git base-devel python python-pip nodejs npm

See Development Environment for detailed setup.

Desktop Environment

Install Desktop Environment

Popular options:

GNOME:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S gnome gnome-extra
sudo systemctl enable --now gdm

KDE Plasma:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S plasma kde-applications
sudo systemctl enable --now sddm

XFCE:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies
sudo pacman -S lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
sudo systemctl enable --now lightdm

See Desktop Environments for detailed DE setup.

System Services

Essential Services

Enable common services:

# NetworkManager
sudo systemctl enable --now NetworkManager

# Bluetooth
sudo systemctl enable --now bluetooth

# CUPS (printing)
sudo systemctl enable --now cups

# SSH (if needed)
sudo systemctl enable --now sshd

See System Configuration for service management.

User Configuration

Sudo Configuration

Configure sudo:

# Edit sudoers
sudo visudo

Ensure wheel group has sudo:

%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

User Groups

Add user to groups:

# Audio group
sudo usermod -aG audio username

# Video group
sudo usermod -aG video username

# Wheel group (sudo)
sudo usermod -aG wheel username

Log out and back in for groups to take effect.

See User and Groups for detailed user management.

System Maintenance

Regular Updates

Update system regularly:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -Syu

# Check for updates
pacman -Qu

Clean Package Cache

Clean old packages:

# Arch/CachyOS
# Remove old packages
sudo pacman -Sc

# Remove all cached packages
sudo pacman -Scc

Remove Orphans

Remove unused packages:

# Arch/CachyOS
# List orphans
pacman -Qdt

# Remove orphans
sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq)

See Package Cleaning for detailed maintenance.

CachyOS-Specific Optimizations

Using CachyOS Tools

CachyOS Hello (package installer):

# Launch CachyOS Hello
cachyos-hello

chwd (hardware detection):

# Detect and install graphics drivers
sudo chwd -h -a nvidia

See CachyOS Tools Guide for CachyOS-specific tools.

Performance Optimizations

CachyOS includes performance optimizations:

  • Custom-compiled packages with CPU-specific optimizations
  • BORE scheduler in kernel
  • Performance-tuned defaults

See CachyOS Performance Guide for optimization details.

Summary

This guide covered:

  1. Initial setup - First boot and updates
  2. Network - NetworkManager configuration
  3. Graphics - GPU drivers
  4. Audio - PulseAudio/PipeWire
  5. Software - Essential applications
  6. Desktop - Desktop environments
  7. Services - System services
  8. Users - User configuration
  9. Maintenance - System upkeep
  10. CachyOS optimizations - CachyOS-specific features

Key Takeaways:

  • Update system first
  • Install graphics drivers
  • Configure network
  • Install desktop environment
  • Set up essential software
  • Enable needed services

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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