# Arch Arc : A Real-Time Tale from the Terminal #### Caution I’m writing this blog in **real-time**, which means I’m doing stuff and writing about it *simultaneously*. Expect chaos, typos, and maybe enlightenment. --- ## Phase 1: The Realization I was lying on my bed after 5 back-to-back boring college lectures when a thought hit me: **"Why the hell am I still using Windows when I hate it so much?"** A second later, the answer came to me: **ASP**. Yes, **ASP**, as in *Active Server Pages*. Who the hell is using ASP in 2025??? And not just ASP, my college wants us to use **Visual Studio 2010**. (Yeah, not VS Code. I’m talking about the OG Visual Studio. The parent, not the cool child.) Why **specifically 2010**? No clue. The college just *said so*. So, I can't ditch Windows completely. But the irony? One of those 5 lectures is about **Linux OS** (on Fedora). So we installed Linux on a VM just to learn a few basic commands. Cool, right? Now I’m thinking: why not install a better Linux distro? * Fedora? Ah, Hell no. (I want to insert that meme here) * Kali? Nah, overrated. * Ubuntu? Feels like Windows with extra steps. So what’s the final call? > **ARCH. Yes, you read that right. ARCH Linux.** > In a VM, of course. I’m not that brave (yet). --- ## Phase 2: Setup Vibes Before diving in, I need music. Currently vibing to: 🎧 [Japanese Lofi: Midnight in Tokyo](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/70gBfwSabcKCRmpHYMO4iy?si=f7eed5d291cd4317) I already have the VM ready. Just need the Arch ISO. Let's download it. --- > Abort mission? > Turns out most cool Arch setups need **Hyprland**, and that doesn’t work well in a VM. > (At least, that’s what they say.) [![Screenshot-2025-08-05-155640.png](https://i.postimg.cc/d0T4KHBt/Screenshot-2025-08-05-155640.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/mcBQYSJ0) Nope. I won’t give up that easily. Let’s go for **pure Arch** (no plugins, no fluff). Free disk space: 20–25 GB available. We’re good. [![Screenshot-2025-08-05-155918.png](https://i.postimg.cc/901BBvW1/Screenshot-2025-08-05-155918.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/FkdcrCkJ) Also... changing the music. That lofi got annoying. Now listening to my **personal playlist** (no, I won’t share. Yes, I’m gatekeeping like a true Gen Z). > It’s happening! Download in progress... [![Screenshot-2025-08-05-160219.png](https://i.postimg.cc/xjPgYbKH/Screenshot-2025-08-05-160219.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/t7YFNJvC) And now… booting Arch into the VM. Stuck at 35%... Then BOOM! It started. It’s 4 PM. I want chai. But I’m way too hyped to leave. [![Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-11-06.png](https://i.postimg.cc/SKWCrwd8/Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-11-06.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/bGwZYVKN) I’m acting like a child on Christmas morning. What’s happening to me? --- ## Installing Arch (for real) Reading the official Arch guide. ### Set up keyboard layout: `localectl list-keymaps` `loadkeys` `setfont` ### Check network: `ip link` Weird output, but I’m pretending it's 2013, **no AI, no help**. Just me and the internet. WiFi setup: `iwctl` Interface seems blocked, so: `rfkill unblock wlan` Eh, leaving the network setup for now. (BTW, listening to underrated Indian rapper [GhAatak](https://open.spotify.com/artist/27OuoF6QLsNbENNBDLyvQt?si=p6kTjDMjRUOA9QchO9Lc1w), banger.) Wait... am I already connected to the internet?? [![Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-22-57.png](https://i.postimg.cc/pTC8NzgL/Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-22-57.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/627Tn2Wk) --- ### Set timezone: `timedatectl` It picked UTC+0000 Hello?? I’m from India, not the UK. --- ### Partitioning time: `lsblk` `cfdisk /dev/sda` MAYBE?????? What do you mean??? [![Screenshot-2025-08-05-175552.png](https://i.postimg.cc/9fVrWzPR/Screenshot-2025-08-05-175552.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/fV2wCzrD) I did the partition anyway. ### Formatting: `mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1` `mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2` ### Mounting: `mount /dev/sda2 /mnt` `mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi` `mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi` Whew. Now for the big one: `pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware vim nano networkmanager` > Hacker mode: **ON** [![Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-41-42.png](https://i.postimg.cc/cJmMWp3W/Virtual-Box-Arch-05-08-2025-16-41-42.png align="left")](https://postimg.cc/7C5TMQXt) 4:43 PM. I **need chai**. Let’s make it while the system installs. **Done!** --- ## Phase 3: Final Setup ### Generate fstab: `genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab` `cat /mnt/etc/fstab` ### Chroot into the system: `arch-chroot /mnt` ### Fix timezone: `ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/Kolkata /etc/localtime` `hwclock --systohc` ### Locale setup: `nano /etc/locale.gen` `locale-gen` `echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf` ### Hostname & password: `echo my-arch-vm > /etc/hostname` `nano /etc/hosts` Add this: `127.0.0.1` [`localhost`](http://localhost) `::1` [`localhost`](http://localhost) `127.0.1.1 my-arch-vm.localdomain my-arch-vm` Set root password: `passwd` ### Install GRUB bootloader: `pacman -S grub efibootmgr dosfstools os-prober mtools` `grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB --removable` `grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg` Enable network manager: `systemctl enable NetworkManager` `exit` `umount -R /mnt` `reboot` --- ## Boom. We’re Done! I know, I know… there’s still GUI, Hyprland, theming, all that fancy stuff left. But you know what? > **I installed Arch in one go.** Mic drop.