Install

Installing erases the disk you choose. Back up anything on it first.

1. Download and verify

Get the ISO from the download page, and check its checksum.

2. Write it to a USB stick

Use a USB stick larger than the ISO. Writing replaces everything on it. Fedora Media Writer and balenaEtcher both work on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Pick the ISO, pick the stick, and write.

3. Start the PC from the stick

Plug the stick in, turn the PC on, and open its boot menu. The key differs by maker. F12, F11, F10, and Esc are common. Choose the USB stick.

4. Run the installer

The installer is Fedora's, and its screens still show Fedora's name. That changes in a later ISO. It asks for:

• the disk to install to
• your network
• your time zone
• your user account and password

When it finishes, restart and remove the USB stick.

5. First start

Elavo shows its boot animation, then the sign-in screen. After you sign in, the desktop has a menu bar across the top and a dock at the bottom. Press Super + Space to search.

The first time the PC is online, Elavo installs Firefox from Flathub in the background. It appears a few minutes later.

Updates

Elavo updates the whole system as one signed image. An update applies the next time you restart, and the previous build stays on the disk to fall back to.

To see which build is running and whether one is waiting:

sudo bootc status

To fetch an update now:

sudo bootc upgrade

A machine installed from today's ISO follows the latest build. A stable channel arrives with the first public release.

Secure Boot

Not tested yet. The laptop we installed on has no Secure Boot setting. Elavo uses Fedora's signed kernel, so we expect it to start with Secure Boot on. This section will say what we observed once a machine that has the setting has been tested.