In previous posts, we have seen what Raspberry Pi is and the different models available. In this post, it’s time to start using our brand new Raspberry Pi.
Update: Noobs is now obsolete. The recommended way to install an operating system on Raspberry Pi is with Imager
The first thing we need to do is install an operating system, among the several available, on the SD or micro SD card (depending on the model) that we use as memory.
Fortunately, the installation process has been greatly simplified since the launch of the original Raspberry Pi thanks to the appearance of Noobs. Nowadays, it is a simple and fast process, suitable for everyone.
What is Noobs?
Noobs (New Out Of Box Software) is an application available for Raspberry Pi that we are going to install on the memory card, instead of installing an operating system directly.
When booting the Raspberry, a window will appear with various operating systems, and installing them will be as simple as selecting one, clicking, and waiting for it to be downloaded from the internet and installed on the Raspberry Pi.
Download Noobs
First, we must download Noobs from this website. https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/noobs/
There are two versions of Noobs. The “normal” one comes preloaded with the Raspbian operating system, so if you choose to install this system, Noobs does not need to download it from the internet when starting the Raspberry Pi for the first time. If you choose another system, it will be downloaded before installation.
Raspbian is a variant of the Linux distribution Debian, adapted for Raspberry Pi. It is the most common operating system for Raspberry Pi.
The Lite version contains only the necessary files to run Noobs, without Raspbian preloaded, so the image has a smaller size. On the other hand, any operating system we choose (including Raspbian) when starting the Raspberry Pi for the first time will need to be downloaded at startup.
In general, if you plan to install Raspbian (which is normal) choose the full version, and the Lite version if you are sure you want to install another operating system.
Install Noobs
To install Noobs, first, we will need a computer with an SD/micro SD card reader, to be able to prepare the card before using it in our Raspberry Pi. Some computers (especially laptops) have a built-in reader. If you don’t have one, you will need to use a USB card reader.
To install Noobs, all we have to do is format the SD/micro SD card, and unzip the contents of the Zip file we downloaded onto the card.
The only “complication” is that, given the differences in file formats, we format the SD/micro SD card appropriately.
Formatting in Windows / Mac
On Windows and Mac, it is convenient to use a specific program to format, using a specific application to format SD/micro SD cards.
While not strictly a necessary step, if we don’t use it we can have strange errors in the future, so it is highly advisable.
There are several specific tools for formatting SD/micro SD cards. A good option is to use SD Card Formatter from the SD Association (SDA) itself, which is available at this link https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
We download the application, choose the drive corresponding to the SD/micro SD card, and format it.
After that, we simply unzip the Noobs files onto the card.
Formatting in Linux
In most Linux distributions, we won’t have the previous problems. However, it is always interesting to use a program like Gparted.
Similarly, once formatted, we just have to unzip the file onto the card.
Installing an OS with Noobs
Once Noobs is installed, installing an operating system is very easy. We insert the memory card into our Raspberry Pi and (finally!) plug it into the power.
Upon startup, a menu appears with the different available operating systems. We choose the system we want and press the ‘I’ key to install it.
We wait patiently while Noobs installs the selected operating system on the memory card.
Once the process is finished, we click the button to restart the Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi restarts and will run the installed operating system and now we can start playing with our Raspberry Pi!
If at any time we want to access Noobs again, to install another operating system, we simply have to press the Shift key during the Raspberry Pi boot and repeat the process.
In the next post, we will see how to install an operating system directly without the need for Noobs, which is useful and faster if we know which operating system we want to install, or if we don’t have internet connectivity on the Raspberry we want to install.
