Live Installers
Void provides live installer images containing a base set of utilities, an installer program, and package files to install a new Void system. These live images are also useful for repairing a system that is not able to boot or function properly.
There are x86_64 images for both glibc and musl based systems. There are
also images for i686, but only glibc is supported for this architecture.
Live installers are not provided for other architectures. Users of other
architectures will need to use rootfs tarballs, or perform an installation
manually.
Installer images
Void releases two types of images: base images and xfce images. Linux beginners are encouraged to try one of the more full-featured xfce images, but more advanced users may often prefer to start from a base image to install only the packages they need.
Base images
The base images provide only a minimal set of packages to install a usable Void system. These base packages are only those needed to configure a new machine, update the system, and install additional packages from repositories.
Xfce image
The xfce image includes a full desktop environment, web browser, and basic applications configured for that environment. The only difference from the base images is the additional packages and services installed.
The following software is included:
- Window manager: xfwm4
- File manager: Thunar
- Web Browser: Firefox
- Terminal: xfce4-terminal
- Plain text editor: Mousepad
- Image viewer: Ristretto
- Other: Bulk rename, Orage Globaltime, Orage Calendar, Task Manager, Parole Media Player, Audio Mixer, MIME type editor, Application finder
The install process for the xfce image is the same as the base images, except
that you must select the Local source when installing. If you select
Network instead, the installer will download and install the latest version of
the base system, without any additional packages included on the live image.
Accessibility support
All Void installer images support the console screenreader
espeakup and the console braille display
driver brltty. These services can be
enabled at boot by pressing s in the bootloader menu to enable accessibility
support. On UEFI-based systems, GRUB is the bootloader, and it will play a
two-tone chime when the menu is available. On BIOS-based systems and UEFI
systems in legacy/compatibility mode, SYSLINUX is the bootloader, and no chime
is played. SYSLINUX also requires pressing the enter key after pressing s. The
hotkey r will also boot with accessibility support, but will load the live ISO
into RAM.
After booting into the installer image with accessibility support enabled, if there are multiple soundcards detected, a short audio menu allows for the selection of the soundcard for the screenreader. Press enter when the beep for the desired soundcard is heard to select it.
If the Local installation source is selected in the installer, espeakup and
brltty will also be installed and enabled on the installed system if enabled
in the live environment.
The xfce image also supports the graphical screenreader
orca. This can be enabled by pressing Win + R and entering orca -r. Orca will also be available on the installed system
if the Local installation source is selected.
Kernel Command-line Parameters
Void installer images support several kernel command-line arguments that can change the behavior of the live system. See the void-mklive README for a full list.