When it has finished booted up, you will be presented with the AIMS Desktop Live environment. The
live environment can do a lot more than just install AIMS Desktop, you can also use it to test
whether hardware supports the system, try out the software on AIMS Desktop, or show it to a friend.
*AIMS Live Desktop*
The installer icon is the first one after the main menu button on the top left side, as highlighed below. Click on this button if you'd like to proceed installing AIMS Desktop.
In the next step, we'll configure your first user for this system. This user will also be an
administrator user.
***Full name:** You can enter your full name or part of your name in this field.
***User name:** The user name must not start with a capital letter, can not container numbers, spaces or other special characters. Examples of user names are `mohammed`, `yasmine`, `sarah`, `mehdi`.
***Computer name:** This is a name that you can use to identify the computer. It must also be lowercase alphabetical characters, but you can also use a dash, eg: `mohammed-pc`, `sarah-laptop`, `yasmine-macbook`, `mehdi-x280`.
***Password:** Your password protects access to the computer. Use a password that won't be easy to guess. A password such as `password` or `latitude` or anything you would find in a dictionary would be too weak. Instead, you might want to consider using a phrase for a password, ideally something that is easy to remember but wouldn't exist in normal conversation, eg: `Bunnies drink water in October`.
<p>When it has finished booted up, you will be presented with the AIMS Desktop Live environment. The
live environment can do a lot more than just install AIMS Desktop, you can also use it to test
whether hardware supports the system, try out the software on AIMS Desktop, or show it to a friend.</p>
<p><imgsrc="https://desktop.aims.ac.za/images/getting-started/aims-live-desktop.jpg"alt="AIMS Live Desktop"/>
<em>AIMS Live Desktop</em></p>
<p>The installer icon is the first one after the main menu button on the top left side, as highlighed below. Click on this button if you’d like to proceed installing AIMS Desktop.</p>
<p>In the next step, we’ll configure your first user for this system. This user will also be an
administrator user.</p>
<ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Full name:</strong> You can enter your full name or part of your name in this field.</li>
<li><strong>User name:</strong> The user name must not start with a capital letter, can not container numbers, spaces or other special characters. Examples of user names are <code>mohammed</code>, <code>yasmine</code>, <code>sarah</code>, <code>mehdi</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Computer name:</strong> This is a name that you can use to identify the computer. It must also be lowercase alphabetical characters, but you can also use a dash, eg: <code>mohammed-pc</code>, <code>sarah-laptop</code>, <code>yasmine-macbook</code>, <code>mehdi-x280</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Password:</strong> Your password protects access to the computer. Use a password that won’t be easy to guess. A password such as <code>password</code> or <code>latitude</code> or anything you would find in a dictionary would be too weak. Instead, you might want to consider using a phrase for a password, ideally something that is easy to remember but wouldn’t exist in normal conversation, eg: <code>Bunnies drink water in October</code>.</li>
<p>AIMS Desktop can be downloaded from <a href="https://desktop.aims.ac.za/download">https://desktop.aims.ac.za/download</a>.</p>
<p>AIMS Desktop is a large download (over 3GB), if you&rsquo;re reading this from a mobile connection,
you might want to download it on a broadband connection instead.</p>
<p>AIMS Desktop installs a new operating system to your computer. It can be installed alongside
an existing system such as Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, BSD or another GNU/Linux system.</p>
<p>Installation Media:</p>
<p>You will need a USB disk that is at least 4GB large. Preparing it as an installation
disk for AIMS desktop will overwrite all the data that&rsquo;s on there, so if you have important files
on that USB disk, you should move it to a safer location before writing the installer to disk.</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re familiar with the dd command, you can use that from your Linux or macOS system to write
the command directly to a raw USB device.</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re using Windows and don&rsquo;t have access to a Linux device, you can download the Rufus USB
tool at <a href="https://rufus.akeo.ie/">https://rufus.akeo.ie/</a> which makes writing USB disks from Windows really easy and that
tool has been confirmed to work with AIMS Desktop media.</p>
<p>Prepare your system:</p>
<p>The AIMS installer will do most of the work, however, here are some tips:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Back up your system.</strong> Even though there is a very small risk of data loss, it&rsquo;s recommended
that you make a full backup of your system before installing. The installer in AIMS Desktop is
widely used and tested, but making a backup will also protect you against human error.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Disable secure boot.</strong> AIMS Desktop doesn&rsquo;t yet support secure boot. If your laptop has this
enabled, you should disable it in the firmware before commencing installation. You will have
to consult the manual for your laptop or do an internet search for how to do this on your
machine.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Ensure you have enough power.</strong> AIMS Desktop will take some time to install. If you&rsquo;re using
a laptop computer, ensure that you are connected to a power source.</p></li>
<p>For the most part, the installation of AIMS Desktop is very simple. It uses a graphical installation
tool called Calamares (<a href="https://calamares.io">https://calamares.io</a>) which guides you through the entire installation process.</p>
<p>One aspect to be mindful though, especially if you&rsquo;re dual-booting, is to be aware of the boot method
that your computer uses. Newer computers use UEFI, while older computers use BIOS/Legacy boot mode.</p>
<p>We&rsquo;ve made it really easy to identify which method your computer uses to boot up. When you start the
AIMS Desktop live USB disk, it will show you the boot method in brackets.</p>
<em>Booting in Legacy/BIOS mode to the left, booting UEFI mode to the right. The red underline has been added to these images for emphasis.</em></p>
<p>When you press enter on either boot mode, it will start loading the live environment, and you should
see a loading screen similar to the one below. Startup will take a few seconds to a few minuted depending
<p>When it has finished booted up, you will be presented with the AIMS Desktop Live environment. The
live environment can do a lot more than just install AIMS Desktop, you can also use it to test
whether hardware supports the system, try out the software on AIMS Desktop, or show it to a friend.</p>
<p><img src="https://desktop.aims.ac.za/images/getting-started/aims-live-desktop.jpg" alt="AIMS Live Desktop" />
<em>AIMS Live Desktop</em></p>
<p>The installer icon is the first one after the main menu button on the top left side, as highlighed below. Click on this button if you&rsquo;d like to proceed installing AIMS Desktop.</p>
<p>In the next step, we&rsquo;ll configure your first user for this system. This user will also be an
administrator user.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Full name:</strong> You can enter your full name or part of your name in this field.</li>
<li><strong>User name:</strong> The user name must not start with a capital letter, can not container numbers, spaces or other special characters. Examples of user names are <code>mohammed</code>, <code>yasmine</code>, <code>sarah</code>, <code>mehdi</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Computer name:</strong> This is a name that you can use to identify the computer. It must also be lowercase alphabetical characters, but you can also use a dash, eg: <code>mohammed-pc</code>, <code>sarah-laptop</code>, <code>yasmine-macbook</code>, <code>mehdi-x280</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Password:</strong> Your password protects access to the computer. Use a password that won&rsquo;t be easy to guess. A password such as <code>password</code> or <code>latitude</code> or anything you would find in a dictionary would be too weak. Instead, you might want to consider using a phrase for a password, ideally something that is easy to remember but wouldn&rsquo;t exist in normal conversation, eg: <code>Bunnies drink water in October</code>.</li>
