Build an ISO and create a USB boot stick

Current availability

There is no supported public ISO download linked by the project. The workstation changes in PR #7 have not been built into an ISO in this workspace. An earlier netinstall build reported about 1.47 GB; that is historical evidence, not an artifact for the current revision. PR CI runs software and VM checks; opening a PR does not build or publish an ISO.

The source repository is private. Collaborators can build the image below or ask another authorized collaborator to build and transfer the ISO, its SHA-256 and source revision through their existing private channel. Do not substitute an old image for this PR’s installer or assume a filename proves its provenance.

Build the x86_64 netinstall image

Use a Linux x86_64 builder with Nix and the nix-command and flakes features. It can be an existing machine or temporary build VM; this does not prescribe an intermediate operating system for the workstation. Native macOS and Windows do not build this Linux output without a Linux builder. Allow substantial free space for the store and Rust compilation, beyond the final compressed ISO size.

In a fresh checkout, choose one source:

git clone https://github.com/TacidOS/TacidOS.git
cd TacidOS
git fetch origin main
git checkout --detach origin/main

To build the workstation PR source instead of main, replace the last two commands with:

git fetch origin pull/7/head
git checkout --detach FETCH_HEAD

Record the actual commit, build using the committed flake.lock, and copy the result into a transferable directory:

git rev-parse HEAD
nix build --out-link result-iso \
  '.#nixosConfigurations.netinstall-x86_64.config.system.build.isoImage'
mkdir -p iso-export
cp result-iso/iso/*.iso iso-export/
git rev-parse HEAD > iso-export/SOURCE-REVISION.txt
(cd iso-export && sha256sum *.iso > SHA256SUMS)
ls -lh iso-export/

Only a successfully completed build produces the ISO under result-iso/iso/. Keep all three exported files together. A builder-generated checksum detects transfer corruption; obtain the files from a trusted collaborator. It is not a release signature or proof of hardware compatibility. Verify a transferred ISO before writing it, using the checksum from the builder:

The netinstall contains the kernel, broad hardware firmware, terminal installer, networking and storage/repair tools, and pinned source inputs. It does not carry the Hyprland desktop, NVIDIA/CUDA compute stack, Windows media or model weights. The installed workstation build downloads required packages or builds them from the pinned sources; reliable internet is needed for uncached dependencies. The larger offline image is a separate output and has not been built for this PR.

Before writing a USB stick

Use an empty USB stick, preferably 8 GB or larger. Writing an image erases the selected device. Back it up first; disconnect unrelated external drives. Check its model, capacity and identity in the writer’s target list. Do not select either internal 4 TB NVMe SSD. No USB-writing command is run by these instructions or by the repository’s tests.

Copy the exported files to your current computer. Write the ISO as a boot image, not as a file copied onto a formatted stick. A successful USB write is separate from installation: booting the stick does not authorize modifying an SSD.

Windows

1. Download Rufus from its official site and insert the USB stick.
2. Under Device, select that stick and verify its capacity. Under Boot selection, choose the built TacidOS ISO. Review the target again, then start.
3. If Rufus offers ISO versus DD mode, choose DD Image mode, preserving the image’s existing boot structure. Confirm only after checking the USB identity.
4. Wait for completion. Decline any subsequent Windows prompt to format partitions it cannot recognize, and safely eject the stick.

balenaEtcher is an alternative: select the ISO, explicitly select the USB target, review it, then flash and validate.

macOS

1. Download balenaEtcher for your Mac architecture. An Apple Silicon Mac can write an x86_64 ISO for this workstation; it cannot natively boot that image.
2. Insert the stick. If macOS says the disk is unreadable, choose Ignore, rather than initializing it.
3. In Etcher, choose Flash from file, select the ISO, then Select target. Verify the USB model and capacity before Flash and the administrator prompt.
4. Let validation finish. Decline initialization prompts and eject the stick.

Linux

1. Download balenaEtcher for your distribution and architecture, following its official installation instructions.
2. Identify the removable stick with lsblk -d -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,TRAN. If its identity is unclear, stop.
3. In Etcher select the ISO and that exact USB target. Review the target before flashing; authorize the write only after confirming its identity.
4. Wait for the write and validation to finish, then eject the stick.

These GUI procedures avoid guessing /dev/sdX or a macOS disk number. Do not use a writer that cannot distinguish the intended USB stick from other disks.

Boot and inspect before installing

Use the workstation’s UEFI boot menu to select the USB’s UEFI entry. Connect the monitor to the motherboard Radeon output and select that monitor input. This development ISO is not a claim of Microsoft-signed Secure Boot compatibility; review the project’s storage and boot decision before changing firmware settings or enrolling keys.

Follow the workstation installation guide: identify one entire NVMe SSD by model, serial and stable ID, review the graphics roles and full plan, and leave the second SSD untouched. tacid install --device ... without --yes is a preview. Installation additionally requires the existing keeper confirmation at the console. Boot, LUKS display, CUDA and passthrough remain hardware acceptance checks, not consequences of a successful ISO build or USB validation.