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od4knb Linux®

Translation

[Translate this site - Vertaal deze site - Traduire ce site - このサイトを翻訳する]

[!] When translating this site, please ignore the red ⚠ warning icon from consentmanager.net in the left below corner. Using Google Translate is not dangerous.

[Translate any PDF file]

PDF download

If you want to download this page in .PDF file format, click on the "2411D3...read-me-for-files-folder-*.pdf" link above. The PDF file contains a clear index for quick navigation, available in the left side pane of your viewer.

You can also use the Markdown (.md) to PDF conversion HowTo below, to convert your own MarkDown (.md) file to the PDF file format, or another format of your liking.

⬥ TLDR 🔗

⬥ Table of Contents 🔗

[Contact] [Notice] [License] [Donations] [Credits] [Special thanks] [MD to PDF] [MD to HTML] [Broken links checker]

⬥ Bug Reports and Reviews 🔗

To report a bug, mistake, silent radio station etc. send an e-mail to:

od4knb monkey tail gmail dot com

Post a review, on the Reviews tab. You need a free SourceForge account for that.

Don't hesitate to ask for help on the antiX Linux forum. You can find me on the antiX Linux forum, as member @odie

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Mailing Lists (Newsletters) 🔗

Mailing list "od4knb-linux-updates"

  • to receive an email about all od4knb Linux updates (new radio station lists etc.): click here
  • to unsubscribe: click here

Mailing List "Update Available"

  • to receive an email only when there's a new od4knb-antiXradio ISO file available: ~ go to the header of this site ~ click the "Summary" tab ~ go to the white bar "Get an email when there's a new version of od4knb Linux" ~ enter your email address ~ click the [Next] button
  • to unsubscribe: click the "Unsubscribe me from receiving notifications for this project" link in the e-mail you received, with subject "Update Available: od4knb Linux"

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Markdown (.md) to PDF conversion and debugging 🔗

Conversion

There are two great free online MarkDown (.md file) to PDF converters:

File-Converter.org:

  • reasonable looking default font (serif), I guess it's a New Times Roman font
  • reasonable layout
  • with index
  • with upload button
  • icons with a hyperlink (e.g. link symbol 🔗) are not OK in the .md output
  • icons with a hyperlink are OK in the .html output
  • text between accent grave (Hex60) code tags is always wrapped (overflow-wrap), and will never run off the page
  • the default page margins are a bit to large, and cannot be set using the padding: 20px; CSS property.
  • you can also convert the .md file into several other formats: .doc, .docx, .html, .odt, .rtf, .tex, .epub and .fb2.

ApiTemplate.io:

  • good looking default font (sans-serif), I guess it's an Arial font
  • great looking layout
  • without index
  • without upload button (copy/paste the .md code into the left pane)
  • icons with a hyperlink (e.g. link symbol 🔗) are not converted correctly.
  • text between accent grave (Hex60) code tags is always wrapped (overflow-wrap), and will never run off the page
  • the default page margins are OK, and can be adjusted using the padding: 20px; CSS property
  • you can only convert the .md file into a .pdf file

I prefer a clickable TOC (index) with sub sections in the side pane of my PDF viewer, as it navigates very quickly, so I use File-Converter.org to convert "2411D3...md" to "2411D3...pdf". If you don't use the index in the side pane, because you are satisfied with the [Go to the Table of Contents] links at the end of each section, you better use APITemplate.io to convert your MarkDown file into a PDF file, because the layout looks much better. Jacky Tan from APITemplate.io is very friendly and helpful BTW ;-)

CSS Stylesheet code

To get another font using an MD to PDF converter (e.g. a sans serif font like Tahoma or Arial), and to make shure that your code doesn't fall of the page, add the following CSS code at the beginning of your .md file:

<style type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">
code { 
  font-family: "Courier New", sans-serif;
  white-space: pre-wrap;
  word-wrap: normal;
  overflow-wrap: anywhere;
}
body {
  font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;
  padding: 20px;
}
</style>

  • the code {} section ("selector") is intended to prevent overflow (command strings running off page). It only works for code between accent grave (Hex60) code tags.

  • the padding: 20px property should set the left and right margin to 20 pixels, but on File-Converter.org it doesn't work.

You can use any font family in the body {} section, e.g.: font-family: 'Tahoma';

Debugging

To debug your MarkDown file, you best go to:

[!] First read the TLDR manual in the left pane: lots of good tips!

  • click in the left pane
  • press the [Ctrl]+[a] keys simultaneously, to select the full manual text
  • press the [Delete] key
  • paste your MarkDown code in the left pane
  • check the HTML result in the right pane

I couldn't find a "real" MarkDown debugger for Linux, or a free online debugger (only "viewers"), but debugging on this site works great: you can change something in the code in the left pane and immediately see the HTML result in the right pane. It's also nice to fuzzle around in your MD code.

Two little minussus:

  • the CSS "font-family" variable ("property") in the body section ("selector") doesn't work: when using the following CSS code:
<style type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">
body {
  font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;
  padding: 20px;
}
</style>

the font isn't changed to 'Arial'.

  • the CSS "overflow-wrap" variable in the "code" section doesn't work: when using the following CSS code: 
<style type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">
code { 
  font-family: "Courier New", sans-serif;
  white-space: pre-wrap;
  word-wrap: normal;
  overflow-wrap: anywhere;
}
</style>

and putting a large code string in a code block (between Hex60 accent grave tags), e.g.:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 --msg-level=all=v 'PasteUrlHere' > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-mpv-verbose.log" 2>&1

the code string is not wrapped, but a horizontal slider is available to make the code that runs off the page (overflow) visible.

[!] When converting an MD file to PDF, there is no slider in the PDF to reveal the overflowing code. Test the MD to PDF conversion with a large code string in a code block, and verify that the entire code string is retained.

[!] Do not put <font color="white"></font> around the <style></style> section, to hide this section in the HTML output, because then, MarkDown Live Preview will no longer parse the CSS code in the <style></style> section.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ antiX Linux® 🔗

I'm a big fan of antiX Linux®, it's the fastest lightweight Linux distro there is! It runs very smooth on old i386 (32 bit) hardware. I use antiX Linux SysVinit as the base for my 2411D4 od4knb antiXradio distribution (.iso file/"distro").

[website] [download] [forum] [wiki] [manual] [review]

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ The od4knb antiXradio project 🔗

The antiXradio app is the antiX Linux® Internet Radio Receiver GUI. It is a .sh Bash script that uses MPV Media Player as its engine.

The 2411D4-{Version}-od4knb-antiXradio.iso/img file contains a customized antiX Linux 23.2-sysvinit-32bit-full installation, that automatically starts the antiXradio app. It contains a lot of Dutch radio stations.

Superb performance

antiX Linux is the fastest lightweight Linux distro I've ever tested (and I've tested quite a few ...). RAM usage when antiXradio is running is 240 MB, but, when changing radio stations a lot, it can run up to 1 GB. When you restart the antiXradio app, it'll be 240 MB again.

Requirements

The ISO/IMG is optimized for old (2006) 32bit/i386 computers. The minimum requirements are:

  • 1-core 32 bit 1 GHz CPU
  • 256 MB RAM for using antiXradio
  • 1 GB RAM for using LibreOffice, Firefox etc.
  • HDD/SSD is not required, a 8 GB USB stick or DVD-player suffices

Wi-Fi

Because an .ISO file (contains an ISO9660 File System) is read only by design, you have to enter the Wi-Fi password every time you boot the ISO. Consider a wired connection using UTP (CAT5e/6/6a) cabling, or two PowerLine adapters to connect to your router, that'll work out-of-the-box. When you want to use Wi-Fi, please read the 2411DB Wi-Fi HowTo first.

SSD for better performance

When your HDD in your old laptop is too slow: you can buy a 2.5 inch 32 GB PATA/IDE SSD (44 pins). You can put a lot of Linux ISO's on a 32 GB SSD, when using a Ventoy bootloader. A 1.8 inch PATA/IDE HDD with ZIF connecter ("CE/LIF", 40 pins) can often be replaced by a 1.8 inch ZIF SSD, with a capacity of 128GB or 256GB.

Hi-Fi

To make an outstanding HiFi radio player out of your laptop with od4knb-antiXradio, you'll need the following:

[i] Look for the simplest Shure/Aiyima/Fosi/S.M.S.L./Nobsound/McGrey amp. You can add an input selector (a "pre-amplifier", just a switch without any electronical components) if you want to connect more audio devices to your amp. Ofcourse, you can also get a "big" amp from the thrift store.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥Create a bootable USB stick with a Linux OS using Balena Etcher 🔗

There are several apps available to flash (not copy) only one .iso file onto an USB stick (flash drive):

  • Linux/Windows/macOS: Balena Etcher
  • Linux Mint: USB Image Writer
  • Windows: Rufus (x86 = IA-32/i386, allows you to bypass the Win11 system requirements like UEFI with Secure Boot and a TPM 2.0 processor!)

This procedure describes how to flash one .iso file, containing the Linux OS of your choice, onto an USB stick using the Balena Etcher app.

[Warning!] When you "flash" an ISO file onto an USB stick (flash drive), all data on it is lost! Make a backup of your valuable data first!

[i] This method is only useful for a small USB stick (e.g. 4 or 8 GB), because it allows you to put only one ISO file on the USB stick, that covers the whole drive. It's not possible to create a data or swap partition alongside the ISO file. For USB devices with a capacity larger than 8 GB, use the method in section Booting several ISO files from an USB/HDD/SSD device using a Ventoy bootloader.

[i] A Debian .deb or Red Hat .rpm package is preferred over the generic "Etcher for Linux x64 (64-bit) (zip)" package. Go to the Download page, click "▶ Assets", click the .deb or .rpm package.

  • go to your Downloads folder: [C:\Documents and Settings\{YourUserName}\Downloads\] or [/home/{YourUserName}/Downloads/]
  • Windows: double click the "balenaEtcher-{version}.Setup.exe" file, and follow the on screen instructions
  • Linux: double-click the "balena-etcher_{version}_amd64.deb" or "balena-etcher-{version}.x86_64.rpm" file, click [Install Package], click [Continue], click the [X] button when finished
  • take a USB stick, with a capacity larger than the size of the .iso file.

[i] Only Ubuntu creates very large .iso files (approximately 6 GB), but most Linux ISOs will fit on a 4 GB USB stick.

  • label the USB stick "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}", e.g. "Ubuntu-24.04".
  • write down the brand name and capacity of this USB stick on a memo, for example "Kingston/8GB"
  • dismount and remove all removable media (USB-stick/HDD/SSD) from your computer
  • insert the USB stick labeled "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}"
  • go to [start menu\accessoires\balenaEtcher]
  • click the [Flash from file] button
  • check: a item selector is shown
  • browse to your Downloads folder
  • select "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}.iso"
  • click the [Open] button
  • click the [Select Target] button
  • click the checkbox in front of the USB stick labeled "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}"

[Warning!] The brand name and capacity (GB value) of the USB stick must match the brand/capacity you noted on a memo! Make sure, that you select the correct USB stick, because all data on it will be lost!

  • click the [Select 1] button
  • click the [Flash!] button
  • check: a hourglass with "Flashing...1%" is shown
  • wait until the message "Flash Completed!" is shown
  • click the [X] button to close the window
  • dismount (safely remove) the "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}" USB stick
  • power off the PC/laptop to boot with the "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}" USB stick
  • insert the "{LinuxOsOfYourChoice}" USB stick into the PC/laptop
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • repeatedly press the button to access the Boot menu (often the F12 button)
  • select your USB stick using the [arrow down] button
  • press [enter]
  • check: the welcome screen of {LinuxOsOfYourChoice} is shown
  • follow the on-screen instructions

[i] Sometimes (e.g. with Ubuntu), you're promped with an [Install] or [Try] choice. Click the [Try] button, to boot from the ISO file.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥Create a bootable CD/DVD with a Linux OS using XFburn 🔗

Older computers, manufactured before say 2001, might not have an option to boot from an USB stick (flash drive), but, when an internal CD/DVD-player is available, you can boot from a CD or DVD (CD-R, DVD+/-R or DVD+/-RW).

A bootable ISO file can also be "burned" to CD/DVD, instead of beeing "flashed" to an USB stick. To do so, you need a burning app that has a "Burn ISO" or "Burn Image" option. In this manual we use the lightweight Xfburn (for Linux), but you can use any CD/DVD burning app. K3b (for Linux) is also a nice app, but pretty heavy on your resources. On Windows, you can use CDBurnerXP for example.

Do the following:

  • Install xfburn using your GUI software manager, or type the appropriate installer command:
$ sudo apt-get install -y xfburn
$ sudo rpm -i xfburn
$ sudo dnf install -y xfburn
$ sudo yum install -y xfburn
$ sudo pacman -S xfburn

You can also download the xfburn package from the Ubuntu, Debian or Fedora repository.

  • Download the ISO file you want to burn onto CD/DVD
  • Insert a blank CD-R or DVD+/-R, or a non-blank CD-RW or DVD+/-RW, with a capacity larger than the size of the ISO file
  • Go to [application menu\Accessoiries\Xfburn]
  • Click the [Burn Image] button
  • Behind "Image to burn": click the folder icon
  • Browse to the folder containing the ISO file
  • Select the ISO file, click the [Open] button
  • Behind "Speed": select the lowest speed available, but not zero
  • Leave all other options default
  • Click the [Burn Image] button
  • Wait for the message "Done"
  • Click the [Close] button
  • Click the [X] button to close the app

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Booting several ISO files from an USB/HDD/SSD device using a Ventoy bootloader 🔗

TODO Windows sections: Replace images with Linux mount points (sdc) by Windows mount points (E:).

▹ TLDR 🔗

[Warning!] When you install the Ventoy bootloader onto a USB/HDD/SSD device, all data on it is lost! Make a backup of your valuable data first, with e.g. RescueZilla.

  • go to the Ventoy repository
  • click the folder with the highest version number (e.g. "v1.1.07")
  • download "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-windows.zip"
  • extract the .zip file
  • double-click "Ventoy2Disk.exe"
  • select the USB stick
  • click [Install], [OK], [OK]
  • copy the .iso files to the "Ventoy" partition
  • reboot your PC
  • select the USB stick in the BIOS boot menu

[i] When you only use this TLDR, there's no data or swap partition available. When you're OK with that, you're all set. If not, proceed to the section Change the partition schema using Gparted.

▹ This HowTo in PDF format 🔗

This HowTo is also available in .PDF file format, with the referenced images. Go to the general folder and click on the [2505MG-{version}-HowTo-Boot-several-ISOs-from-USB-HDD-SSD-using-Ventoy.pdf] file.

[i] The [[2509xx.png]] image refereces in this HowTo, and in the original "2411D3...md" file, are intended for easy insertion of the referenced images, after converting the .MD (MarkDown) file to the .ODT (Open Document Text) format at file-converter.org. I load the .ODT in LibreOffice Writer, edit it, insert the images, and use the [menu File\Export as\Export directly as PDF] function to create a PDF of this HowTo.

▹ Goal 🔗

This procedure describes how to copy (not flash) several .ISO files with Linux OS-es (or other bootable .ISO files from BSD, Kolibri, Microsoft etc.), to a USB/HDD/SSD device, and boot them using a Ventoy bootloader. A data partition to store personal files, and a swap partition to prevent performance issues or a system crash, are created on the USB/HDD/SSD device as well.

[Warning!] When you install the Ventoy bootloader onto a USB/HDD/SSD device, all data on it is lost! Make a backup of your valuable data first, with e.g. RescueZilla.

This method is especially useful for USB sticks (flash drives) and SD cards with a capacity larger than 8 GB, Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD), as it allows you to copy multiple .ISO files to the USB/HDD/SSD device. For an USB stick with a high capacity (say 256 GB), it's a serious waste of space to flash only one .ISO file of say 3 GB onto a 256 GB device using the Balena Etcher method, as the ISO9660 file system in the .ISO file covers the entire USB stick (one read-only ISO9660 partition), with no possibility to resize the ISO9660 partition, or to create a Data- or Swap partition alongside it.

[i] Almost all Linux ISOs can be booted using a Ventoy bootloader. You can check the list of tested ISOs on the Ventoy site. Not only ISO files, but also WIM-, VHD(x)-, IMG- and EFI files can be booted using a Ventoy bootloader.

▹ Helpful websites 🔗

▹ Comparison Balena Etcher Method and Ventoy method 🔗

These are the differences between the two methods:

▹ Balena Etcher Method 🔗

  • only one .iso file can be flashed onto an USB stick, this means:
  • only one bootable Linux OS (or a Windows install DVD .iso file etc.) can be put on an USB stick
  • the .iso file cannot be flashed onto an internal or external HDD/SSD
  • the .iso file covers the whole USB stick
  • no data partition, alongside the the partition with the .iso file, to store your documents
  • no swap partition, alongside the the partition with the .iso file, to prevent system freeze or crash
  • on a 256 GB USB stick (about 232 GB free for files), you can put only one Linux Mint Cinnamon .iso file of 3 GB (e.g.), wasting about 229 GB.

[i] When you're OK with this, e.g. for a 4 GB USB stick, please use the Balena Etcher method.

▹ Ventoy method 🔗

  • several .iso files can be copied to an USB stick, this means:
  • several Linux OS-es (or Windows DVD/BSD/Kolibri .iso files etc.) can be put on an USB stick
  • the .iso files can also be copied to an internal or external HDD/SSD
  • the partition with the .iso files, does not cover the whole USB stick/HDD/SSD
  • a data partition, to store your documents alongside the partition with the .iso files, is possible
  • a swap partition, to prevent system freeze or crash, alongside the the partition with the .iso files, is possible
  • on a 256 GB USB stick, you can put about 100 .iso files, wasting about 0 GB.

[!] It's actually better to leave 10-20% of an exFAT partition unused, otherwise the drive's performance will suffer.

In this procedure we'll do the following:

  • install a Ventoy bootloader onto an USB stick (flash drive), SC card, internal (in your PC/laptop) or external (in an USB casing) hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD)
  • create a Ventoy boot partition (to store several .iso files)
  • create a data partition (to store your personal documents)
  • create a swap partition (to store the Linux swap/page file), to prevent system slowdown or a system crash
  • copy (not flash) serveral .iso files, containing Linux OS-es, onto the Ventoy boot partition, using your file manager
  • boot a Linux OS from an .iso file from the Ventoy boot partition

▹ Install the Ventoy2Disk installer GUI 🔗

To install the Ventoy bootloader onto an USB/HDD/SSD, we first need to get the Ventoy2Disk Installer GUI app on our screen.

There are four different situations, choose the one that suits you:

▹ 1. On a PC/laptop with Linux installed 🔗

  • insert the USB stick/SD-card or attach the external HDD/SSD, on which you want to install the Ventoy bootloader; OR:
  • if you want to install the Ventoy bootloader onto the internal HDD/SSD, do not insert anything ;-)
  • on a Cinnamon desktop: go to [Application menu\Accessoiries\Disks], OR:
  • on a GNOME desktop: click the [3 ball ring] or [9 dots] button, [System Utilities], [Disks]
  • in the left pane: click on the USB/HDD/SSD on which you want to install the Ventoy bootloader

[!] Make shure that you click the right device, and write down the correct device mount point on a Post-it memo. Look at the size in GB/TB! Ignore the "Block Device" and "Loop Device" entries. A "Thumb Drive" is an USB stick (flash drive).

  • under "Volumes", go to the "Device" variable
  • check: you'll see a value like "/dev/sda1", "/dev/sdb1" or "/dev/sdc1"

[i] "/dev/sda1", "/dev/sdb1" and "/dev/sdc1" (e.g) are the mount points of the first partition on the selected USB/HDD/SSD [[2509P3.png]].

[i] To get the device mount point (the mount point of the whole USB-stick/HDD/SSD), you have to remove the digit from the partition mount point. E.g.: partition mount point is "/dev/sda1", than the device mount point is "/dev/sda". When the USB/HDD/SSD is empty, you'll see the device mount point behind "Device" , e.g. "/dev/sdc" [[2509P2.png]]

  • write down the device mount point on a Post-it memo ("/dev/sda" or "/dev/sdb" or "/dev/sdc", etc.)
  • go to the Ventoy repository on Sourceforge
  • click the folder with the highest version number (e.g. "v1.1.07")
  • click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" link (e.g. "ventoy-1.1.07-linux.tar.gz")
  • check: the file is downloaded to your [/home/$USER/Downloads] folder

[i] "$USER" is your user name. It's shown before the "@" sign in the [Application menu\Terminal] app.

  • click the [Files] icon in the task bar (file manager)
  • go to [/home/$USER/Downloads/]
  • right-click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" file
  • click [Extract here]
  • check: the contents of the tar.gz container are extracted to the [/home/$USER/Downloads/ventoy-{HighestVersion}] folder
  • delete the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" file
  • create a folder [/home/$USER/Apps/]
  • move the [/home/\$USER/Downloads/ventoy-{HighestVersion}] folder to [/home/\$USER/Apps/]
  • open the [/home/$USER/Apps/ventoy-{HighestVersion}/] folder
  • press the [Ctrl]+[c] keys on your keyboard simultaneously, to copy the path to this executable to your clipboard
  • go to [Application menu\Terminal]
  • type "sudo" and press the [Space] key (the cursor blinks after "sudo{space}")
  • right-click in the Terminal window
  • click [Paste]
  • check: the path to the executable "VentoyGUI.{CpuArchitecture}" is pasted:
  • check: you'll see something like this:
$ sudo /home/$USER/Apps/ventoy-{HighestVersion}/VentoyGUI.{CpuArchitecture}

for example on Linux Mint, on an x86-64/amd64 CPU:

$ sudo /home/mint/Apps/ventoy-1.1.07/VentoyGUI.x86_64

[i] This command only works, when there are no spaces in the file path. When you do not use the folder name "Apps", but another one with spaces in it, use dubbelquotes around the file path, e.g.:

$ sudo "/home/mint/Folder Name With Spaces/ventoy-1.1.07/VentoyGUI.x86_64"
  • press [Enter]
  • the Ventoy2Disk GUI is presented [[2509P4.png]]
  • leave the Ventoy2Disk GUI (window) opened

▹ 2. On a PC/laptop with Windows installed 🔗

  • go to the Ventoy repository on Sourceforge
  • click the folder with the highest version number (e.g. "v1.1.07")
  • click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-windows.zip" link
  • check: the file is downloaded to your [Downloads] folder
  • go to [menu start\Windows Explorer]
  • go to your [Downloads] folder
  • right-click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-windows.zip" file
  • click [Extract here]
  • check: the folder [ventoy-{HighestVersion}] is created in your [Downloads] folder
  • delete the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-windows.zip" file
  • open the [ventoy-{HighestVersion}] folder (e.g. "\Downloads\ventoy-1.1.07")
  • open the [altex] folder (e.g. "\Downloads\ventoy-1.1.07\altex")
  • move all .exe files in the [altex] folder to the [\Downloads\ventoy-{HighestVersion}] folder (one level up)
  • delete the empty [altex] folder

Double-click the "Ventoy2Disk" .exe file, that matches your CPU architecture:

  • IA-32/i386: [Ventoy2Disk.exe] (Intel 32 bit, old computers)
  • x86-64/AMD64: [Ventoy2Disk_X64.exe] (Intel 64 bit, most common)
  • AArch32/ARM32: [Ventoy2Disk_ARM.exe] (ARM 32 bit)
  • AArch64/ARM64: [Ventoy2Disk_ARM64.exe] (ARM 64 bit)

[i] If you're not sure what your CPU architecture is: try all four of them, until you find the one that doesn't give an error message (boom means halt ;-).

[i] VentoyPlugson_X64.exe (Plugin Configurator), and VentoyVlnk.exe (Create a VLNK link to a non-Ventoy partition) can be ignored. Those are for IT nerds only.

  • the Ventoy2Disk GUI is presented [[2509P4.png]]
  • leave the Ventoy2Disk GUI (window) opened

[i] On a Windows system, you'll not see a Linux device mount point like "sda" or "sdc", but a Windows partition/device mount point like "E:" or "F:". Use Disk Management ([Windows key]+[r], diskmgmt.msc, the equivalent of gnome-disk-utility) to find the mount point of the device you want to place a Ventoy bootloader on.

▹ 3. On a 32 bit PC/laptop without an OS installed (IA-32/i386 bare-metal) 🔗

  • go to the antiX Linux repository on SourceForge on a PC/laptop with Linux, macOS or Windows installed
  • click the Final folder
  • click the [antiX-{HighestVersion}] folder (e.g. "antiX-23.2")
  • click the [antiX-{HighestVersion}_386-full.iso] (e.g. "antiX-23.2_386-full.iso", "386" = IA-32/i386)
  • flash (not copy) the [antiX-{HighestVersion}_386-full.iso] onto a small USB stick (#1) using the Balena Etcher method. The .iso file is about 1.8 GB in size.
  • label USB stick #1 "antiX 23.2 i386"
  • grab another USB stick (#2), that's already formatted with FAT32 or exFAT (a file system without permissions)

[i] When you do not have a FAT32/exFAT USB stick laying around, use a Partition Manager app to format the USB stick to FAT32 or exFAT. Be aware that all data on it will be lost!. Make a backup of your valuable data first!

  • go to the Ventoy repository on Sourceforge
  • click the folder with the highest version number (e.g. "v1.1.07")
  • click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" link (e.g. "ventoy-1.1.07-linux.tar.gz")
  • check: the file is downloaded to your [Downloads] folder
  • click the [Files] icon in the task bar, or open another file manager (Windows Explorer etc.)
  • go to your [Downloads] folder
  • move the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" file to USB stick #2
  • right-click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" file on USB stick #2
  • click [Extract here]
  • check: the contents of the tar.gz container are extracted to USB stick #2
  • check: the folder [ventoy-{HighestVersion}] is created on USB stick #2 (e.g. "ventoy-1.1.07")
  • delete the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-linux.tar.gz" file
  • safely remove USB stick #1 and #2 from the PC/laptop
  • insert USB stick #1 in the 32 bit PC/laptop, on which you want the Ventoy bootloader installed
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • Repeatedly press the appropriate key to enter the BIOS boot menu
  • Select the USB stick, by pressing the [arrow-down] key
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the antiX Linux boot menu is presented
  • press [Enter] (the default option is OK)
  • check: the antiX desktop is shown
  • insert USB stick #2
  • go to [4-leave-clover button\File Manager]
  • click on the name of USB stick #2 in the left above corner
  • copy the folder [ventoy-{HighestVersion}] (e.g. "ventoy-1.1.07") on USB stick #2 to [/home/$USER/]
  • open the folder [/home/$USER/ventoy-{HighestVersion}] (e.g. "/home/$USER/ventoy-1.1.07")
  • right-click the "VentoyGUI.i386" file
  • go to [Properties\Permissions]
  • put a check marker in all "Execute" boxes
  • click [OK]
  • left-click the "VentoyGUI.i386" file
  • press the [Ctrl]+[c] keys on your keyboard simultaneuosly, to copy the path to this executable to your clipboard
  • go to [Application menu\Terminal]
  • type "sudo" and press the [Space] key (the cursor blinks after "sudo {space sign})
  • right-click in the Terminal window
  • click [Paste]
  • check: the path to the executable "VentoyGUI.*" is pasted:
  • check: you'll see something like this:
$ sudo /home/demo/ventoy-1.1.07/VentoyGUI.386
  • press [Enter]
  • the Ventoy2Disk GUI is presented [[2509P4.png]]
  • go to the opened File Manager
  • right-click on USB-stick #2 in the left above corner
  • click [- Unmount]
  • remove USB stick #2
  • leave USB stick #1 in the PC/laptop
  • leave the Ventoy2Disk GUI (window) opened

▹ 4. On a 64 bit PC/laptop without an OS installed (x86-64/amd64 bare-metal) 🔗

  • go to the Ventoy repository on Sourceforge on a PC/laptop with Linux, macOS or Windows installed
  • click the folder with the highest version number (e.g. "v1.1.07")
  • click the "ventoy-{HighestVersion}-livecd.iso" link (e.g. "ventoy-1.1.07-livecd.iso", this .iso is only for amd64)
  • check: the file is downloaded to your [/home/$USER/Downloads] or [Downloads] folder
  • flash (not copy) the .iso file onto a small USB stick using the Balena Etcher method
  • insert the USB stick, on which you flashed "ventoy-1.1.07-livecd.iso", into the 64 bit PC/laptop on which you want the Ventoy bootloader installed
  • power on the 64 bit PC/laptop
  • Repeatedly press the appropriate key to enter the BIOS boot menu
  • Select the USB stick, by pressing the [arrow-down] key
  • press [Enter]
  • the Ventoy2Disk GUI is presented [[2509P4.png]]
  • leave the Ventoy2Disk GUI (window) opened

▹ Install the Ventoy bootloader on USB/HDD/SSD using Ventoy2Disk 🔗

  • check: the Ventoy2Disk GUI app (window) is shown on your screen. If not: check the appropriate procedure above to open the Ventoy2Disk GUI app.

▹ 1. When you want to put the ventoy bootloader on an USB stick (flash drive): 🔗

  • go to the "device" section
  • click the [▼] button to open the pull down menu
  • select the device mount point that you wrote on a Post-it memo (in this example it is "/dev/sdc", "sdc" for short, your device mount point can be different!) [[2509NY.png]]
  • click the [Install] button
  • proceed to the Install the Ventoy bootloader section below

▹ 2. When you want to put the Ventoy bootloader on an internal HDD/SSD: 🔗

[i] "Internal HDD/SSD" means "a HDD/SSD inside the PC/laptop casing, attached to an internal SATA connector or inserted into a PCIe slot"

  • go to menu [Option]
  • click "Show all devices" [[2509QN.png]]
  • go to the "device" section
  • click the [▼] button to open the pull down menu
  • select "/dev/sda", "sda" for short [[2509QM.png]]
  • click the [Install] button

[!] When you have two or more internal HDD/SSD devices (only IT nerds :-), it is possible, that you want the Ventoy bootloader installed on another HDD/SSD than "/dev/sda1". Please consult [Application menu\accessoiries\Disks] or [3 ball ring button]/[9 dots button], [System Utilities], [Disks], to find the device mount point of this HDD/SSD.

[i] When the HDD/SSD is larger than 2 TB, or when you want to create more than four partitions on the disk: go to menu [Option], click [Partition style], click [GPT], otherwise leave the "Partition style" default (Master Boot Record). [[2509P6.png]]

▹ 3. When you want to put the Ventoy bootloader on an external HDD/SSD: 🔗

[i] "External HDD/SSD" means "a HDD/SSD in an external casing, attached to the USB port of your PC/laptop"

  • go to menu [Option]
  • click "Show all devices" [[2509QN.png]]
  • go to the "device" section
  • click the [▼] button to open the pull down menu
  • select the device mount point of the external HDD/SSD, that you wrote on a Post-it memo (e.g. in this example it is "/dev/sdc", "sdc" for short) [[2509NY.png]]
  • click the [Install] button

[i] When the HDD/SSD is larger than 2 TB, or when you want to create more than four partitions on the disk: go to menu [Option], click [Partition style], click [GPT], otherwise leave the "Partition style" default (Master Boot Record). [[2509P6.png]]

▹ Install the Ventoy bootloader 🔗

[Warning!] When you install the Ventoy bootloader onto a USB/HDD/SSD device, all data on it is lost! Make a backup of your valuable data first, e.g. with RescueZilla.

  • check: the message "The device will be formatted and all data will be lost. Continue?" is shown
  • click [OK]
  • check: the message "The device will be formatted and all data will be lost. Continue? (Double Check)" shown
  • click [OK]
  • check: the message "Congratulations! Ventoy has been succesfully installed to the device" is shown [[2509P7.png]]
  • click [OK]
  • check: in the right pane "Ventoy in Device" the version number of the Ventoy bootloader is shown [[2509P8.png]]
  • click the [X] button in the right above corner to close the Ventoy2Disk app
  • check: in the [Application menu\accessories\Disks] app, the USB stick looks like this: [[2509P9.png]]

When you are satisfied with only the "Ventoy" exFat boot partition to store the .iso files, and you have no interest in a data partition (to store your personal documents) or swap partition (to prevent a system crash), proceed to the Copy several .iso files to the boot partition section. If not, proceed to the Change the partition schema using Gparted section below.

▹ Change the partition schema using Gparted 🔗

On a Linux system GParted is the default partition manager, on Windows you can use Disk Management ([Windows key]+[r], diskmgmt.msc, the equivalent of gnome-disk-utility) and on macOS Disk Utility. There are also several freeware partition managers for Windows on Download.com (scroll down to the panes with '★★★').

[Warning!] Be very careful using a partition manager, as you can wipe a complete USB/HDD/SSD with it! Make a backup of your valuable data first.

▹ Create a partition schema 🔗

First plan your partition schema. This is my partition schema for this 256 GB (238 GiB) USB stick, that has 236,447 MiB (231 GiB) free space:

Partition # Partition mount point Size MiB Size GiB Label File system Flag
#1 /dev/sd*1 222208 217 2509PF_Boot exFAT boot
#2 /dev/sd*2 32 - VTOYEFI FAT16 esp
#3 /dev/sd*3 10240 10 2509PF_Data exFAT none
#4 /dev/sd*4 4096 4 2509PF_Swap linux-swap swap
Partition # Comment
#1 Boot partition, to store the .iso files
#2 EFI System Partition, with the Ventoy bootloader
#3 For storing personal documents or transport files
#4 Temporary space for the Linux swap file ("page file")

[i] "size=217 GiB" (for partition #1) is calculated as follows: 231 GiB (the available free space) minus 10 GiB for the Data partition, minus 4 GiB for the Swap partition (approx. RAM size). A Linux "swap file" is the equivalent of a Windows "page file", intended to prevent a system freeze or crash.

[i] MiBs and GiBs are a factor of 1024 KiB, e.g.: 1 MiB = 1024 KiB, 1 GiB = 1024 MiB. MBs and GBs are a factor of 1000 KB: 1 MB = 1000 KB, 1 GB = 1000 MB. The size of your RAM (the memory modules in the slots of your motherboard) is always specified in GB. To keep it simple: with 8 GB RAM (8000 MB) on your motherboard, type "8000 MiB" in the "New size (MiB)" field, when creating a swap partition.

▹ Conversion calculators 🔗

▹ Creating the partitions 🔗

We're going to create the new partitions, according to the partition schema plan above.

▹ 1. Delete the default "Ventoy" exFAT partition 🔗

The "Ventoy" exFAT partition, intended to store your .iso files, now covers the entire USB/HDD/SSD. Well, except for the 32 MiB "VTOYEFI" EFI system partition (ESP). To create the above partition schema, we first have to delete the "Ventoy" exFAT partition.

  • go to [Application menu\Administration\Gparted] (or start your favorite Windows/macOS partition manager)
  • wait until the message "Searching /dev/*** partitions ..." has disappeared
  • click the [▼] button in the right above corner [[2509PA.png]]
  • select the device mount point that you wrote on a Post-it memo (in this example it is "/dev/sdc") [[2509PB.png]]
  • check: the first partition named "Ventoy" is mounted (key symbol) by the file manager, it must be unmounted first
  • right-click the first partition named "Ventoy"
  • click [Unmount] [[2509PC.png]]
  • right-click the first partition named "Ventoy"
  • click [Delete] [[2509PD.png]]
  • go to [menu Edit]
  • click [Apply all operations] [[2509PG.png]]
  • check: the message "Are you sure you want to apply the pending operations?" is shown
  • click [Apply]
  • check: the message "All operations successfully completed" is shown
  • click [Close]

[i] You cannot resize an exFAT partition. You have to delete it, and create a new exFAT partition with the desired size. exFAT is preferred over FAT32 because it can host files that are larger that 4 GB. exFAT is preferred over EXT3 or NTFS because it doesn't carry file permissions, which is desired for transport media like USB flash drives and SD cards, but also for a partition on a internal HDD/SSD that holds the .iso files, and needs to be accessed by the Ventoy bootloader. You must also be able to access it, booted from any Linux OS on an USB stick, to copy .iso files onto it, and this can only be achieved when the partition holds no file permissions.

▹ 2. Create the new partitions 🔗

We're going to build the partition schema, I planned in the Make a plan for a partition schema section above.

  • go to [Application menu\Administration\Gparted]
  • click the [▼] button in the right above corner [[2509PA.png]]
  • select the device mount point that you wrote on a Post-it memo (in this example it is "/dev/sdc") [[2509PB.png]]
  • right-click the first line marked "Unallocated"
  • click [New] [[2509PE.png]]
  • check: the "Create a new partition" pane is opened
  • add the following values:
  • Free space preceding (MiB): 1
  • New size (MiB)= 222208 (217 GiB)
  • File system: exfat
  • Label: 2509PF_Boot
  • leave every other value default
  • click [Add] [[2509PL.png]]

[i] Of course, instead of "Label: 2509PF_Boot" you can choose your own label, e.g. "AMD64_ISOs". Ik like the "YYMM##" codes, because you can always refer to it, without any ambiguity. "##" is A1, A1, A3 enz.; AA, AB, AC enz. "Boot" in the Label, refers to the "boot" flag (boot partition), that we put on it later on. When using "YYMM##" codes in a partition label, you'll never dismount the wrong USB stick again.

  • right-click the third partition marked "VTOYEFI"
  • click [Resize/Move] [[2509PM.png]]
  • check: the "Resize/Move /dev/sd*2" pane is opened (in this example: /dev/sdc2)
  • point the cursor to the green rectangle in the right above corner
  • check: a [cross anchor] cursur is shown
  • click and hold your left mouse button
  • slide the green rectangle to the far left [[2509PN.png]]
  • click the [Resize/Move] button [[2509PP.png]]
  • check: a pane is show with the message "Moving a partition might cause your operating system to fail to boot"

[i] Moving this ESP partition is completely save. This partition can be located anywhere, but it cannot be the first partition. The first partition must be the partition that has the "boot flag", in this case the "2509PF_Boot".

  • click [OK]
  • right-click the third line marked "unallocated"
  • click [New] [[2509PQ.png]]
  • check: the "Create a new partition" pane is opened [[2509PT.png]]
  • add the following values:
  • Free space preceding (MiB): 0 (default)
  • New size (MiB)= 10240 (10 GiB)
  • File system: exfat
  • Label: 2509PF_Data
  • leave every other value default
  • click [Add] [[2509PT.png]]
  • right-click the fourth line marked "unallocated"
  • click [New] [[2509PV.png]]
  • Free space preceding (MiB): 0 (default)
  • New size (MiB)= 3999 (about 4 GiB, the rest)
  • File system: linux-swap
  • Label: 2509PF_Swap
  • leave every other value default
  • click [Add] [[2509PW.png]]
  • go to [menu Edit\Apply all operations] [[2509PX.png]]
  • check: the pane "Are you sure you want to apply the pending operations?"
  • click [Apply]
  • check: the pane "Applying pending operations" is shown
  • check: the message "All operations successfully completed" is shown
  • click the [Close] button
  • check: the "esp" and "swap" flags are set correctly, but the "boot" flag on the first partition "2509PF_Boot" is missing
  • right-click the first partition "2509PF_Boot"
  • click [Manage Flags] [[2509PY.png]]
  • click the checkbox in front of "boot" [[2509PZ.png]]
  • click the [Close] button
  • check: the "boot" flag is set, the partition schema is complete [[2509Q2.png]]
  • click the [X] button to close Gparted

▹ 3. Check the active label 🔗

[i] The active label on the USB/HDD/SSD, must be on the partition that holds the "boot" flag (the boot partition). Gparted doesn't show the "active label". An active label is a label on a partition, that the bootloader (e.g. Ventoy or BootMgr) seeks, to boot an installed OS or .iso file. You can check it with:

sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdc

[i] Replace "/dev/sdc" with the actual device mount point (the mount point without a digit). Use [application menu\accessoiries\Disks] to retrieve the device mount point.

The output looks like this:

mint@mint:~$ sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdc
Disk /dev/sdc: 230.94 GiB, 247967252480 bytes, 484311040 sectors
Disk model: DataTraveler 3.0
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x6269a1a0

Device     Boot     Start       End   Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/sdc1  *         2048 455084031 455081984  217G  7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdc2       455084032 455149567     65536   32M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdc3       455149568 476121087  20971520   10G  7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdc4       476121088 484311039   8189952  3.9G 82 Linux swap / Solaris
  • check: the asterisk (*) must be on the first partition

In the example above, the information for USB stick 2509PF (/dev/sdc) is shown. Use [application menu\accessories\Disks] to find the "/dev/sd*" device mount point (without a digit) of your USB/HDD/SSD. The asterisk sign (*) in the "Boot" column, marks the active label on the active partition, in this case "/dev/sdc1", the first partition on the USB stick.

The partition, to which you are going to copy the .iso files later on (the large exFAT partition), must always be the first partition on the USB/HDD/SSD, otherwise the Ventoy bootloader cannot find it. This partition must be at the beginning of the "unallocated space" when you create it, with only 1 MB "Free space preceding" before it.

▹ Checking your CPU%, RAM% and Swap 🔗

[i] A mounted swap partition prevents RAM overflow. Most Linux live systems ("live-CD's") automatically mount the swap partition by default, but not all of them do. Linux Mint e.g. does, but Debian doesn't. This means that Linux Mint will not freeze when RAM is almost full, but Debian will. Booting from "debian-live-13.1.0-amd64-cinnamon.iso", the swap partition was not mounted automaticcally. My strong advice:

[!] When booted from an .iso file: allways check if the swap partition is mounted

There are four different methods to check the swap partition (and also check the CPU% and RAM%):

▹ Command method 🔗

To check and mount the swap partition:

  • go to [application menu\Terminal
  • type the following command:
swapon

The output shoud read something like this:

mint@mint:~$ swapon
NAME      TYPE      SIZE  USED PRIO
/dev/sda4 partition 6.7G 60.7M   -2

In this case the "/dev/sda4" swap partition is mounted correctly.

[i] "Mounted" means, in the case of a swap partition: "connected/linked to the OS" In other words: "active", "in use" or "enabled".

There can also be more than one mounted swap partition:

mint@mint:~$ swapon
NAME      TYPE      SIZE  USED PRIO
/dev/sda4 partition 6.7G 84.2M   -2
/dev/sdc4 partition   7G    0B   -3

When the output is empty (when there's no information returned):

mint@mint:~$ swapon
mint@mint:~$

there's no swap partition mounted. You're risking a system freeze or system crash! Do the following:

  • booted from the internal HDD/SSD, type:
sudo swapon /dev/sda4
  • booted from an USB stick or external HDD/SSD, type:
sudo swapon /dev/sd*4

[i] to retrieve the partition mount point of the swap partition ("/dev/sd*4"), use [Application menu\accessoiries\Disks]. "/dev/sd*4" can be "/dev/sdb4", "/dev/sdc4", or something else.

▹ Disks GUI app method (gnome-disk-utility) 🔗

To check and mount the Swap partition, you can also use the "Disks" GUI app.

[i] When the Disks app is not installed, you can install it on most systems by typing sudo apt install gnome-disk-utility in your Terminal app.

  • go to [application menu\accessoiries\Disks] or [3 ball ring]/[9 dots] button, [System Utilities], [Disks]
  • click on the USB/HDD/SSD in the left sidebar
  • go to "Volumes"
  • click the rectangle field with the name "swap" (e.g. swap - Partition 4 - 4 GB Swap)
  • when there's a [▶] button shown, and "Not Active" is shown behind "Contents": the swap partition is not mounted (disabled), klick the [▶] button to mount (enable) it
  • when there's a [■] button shown, and "Active" is shown behind "Contents": the swap partition is mounted (enabled)

▹ System Monitor GUI app method 🔗

[i] You can only check the Swap state using the System Monitor GUI app, not mount a Swap partition.

To check if a swap partition is mounted, you can also consult [application menu\administration\System monitor\tab Resources\Memory and Swap]. When you read "Swap - not available" on the right side, the swap partition is not mounted, and overflow might occur. Allways try to prevent 100% CPU or 100% RAM usage: check the graphs in this pane when your system freezes or slows down.

▹ System Monitor Graph desklet method 🔗

[i] You can only check the Swap state using the System Monitor Graph desklet, not mount a Swap partition.

To keep an eye on the CPU%, RAM%, Swap% usage and Swap state on a Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop (Ubuntu and Debian edition), you can use the "System monitor graph" desklet. It has almost the same functionality as the Conky desklet, but it is much nicer to look at, and easier to manage. Do the following:

  • go to [LM menu\preferences\System Settings\Preferences\Desklets\tab Download]
  • type "monitor" in the search field with the looking glass
  • click "System monitor graph" by rcassani
  • click the [arrow-down] button (install)
  • check: a check mark is placed in front of "System monitor graph" (installed)
  • click the tab [Manage]
  • click "System monitor graph" by rcassani
  • click the [+] button 3 times
  • press [Ctrl]+[d] to show the desktop
  • check: there's one [CPU %] desklet shown, but there are also two desklets underneath it
  • drag the three desklets to the desired location on your desktop
  • right-click the second desklet
  • click [Configure...]
  • System variable for graph = RAM
  • optional: Scale factor for desklet = 0.7 (to make it a bit smaller)
  • click the [X] close button
  • right-click the third desklet
  • click [Configure...]
  • System variable for graph = Swap
  • click the [X] close button
  • check: there are now three different desklets on your desktop: CPU%, RAM% and Swap% [[2509QL.png]]

[!] When the Swap desklet shows "Swap NaN%", the swap partition is not mounted (not enabled). Mount the swap partition, using one of the other methods above.

▹ Copy several .iso files to the boot partition 🔗

You can now download all .iso files of your favorite Linux OS-es to the "2509PF_Boot" or "Ventoy" partition.

  • set the "2509PF_Boot" or "Ventoy" partition as your temporary "Downloads" folder:

In Firefox:

  • click the [+] button in the second bar from the top (opens a new tab)
  • click the [hamburger] button in the right above corner [[2509Q6.png]]
  • click [Settings]
  • click [General] in the side menu on the left (gear icon)
  • scroll down to the [Files and Applications] section
  • behind "Save files to", click the [Browse ...] button
  • click the [2509PF_Boot] or [Ventoy] label in the left side bar [[2509Q5.png]]
  • click the [Open] button
  • close the [Settings] tab

In Chrome:

  • click the [+] button in the second bar from the top (opens a new tab)
  • click the [3 dot] button in the right above corner [[2509Q7.png]]
  • click [Settings]
  • scroll down in the left side pane menu
  • click [Downloads]
  • click the [Change] button
  • click the [2509PF_Boot] or [Ventoy] label in the left side bar [[2509Q9.png]]
  • click the [Select] button
  • close the [Settings] tab
  • download all the .iso files you want. I suggest you try:

[i] A lot of .iso files can be booted using a Ventoy bootloader. You can check the list of tested .iso files on the Ventoy site. Not only .ISO files, but also .WIM-, .VHD(x)-, .IMG- and .EFI files can be booted using a Ventoy bootloader.

  • when ready downloading: set the download location of your browser to your [Downloads] folder again

[tip] Add "0_" at the beginning of the .iso filename of your most favorite Linux OS, to make it always appear on top in the Ventoy boot menu, e.g. "0_linuxmint-22.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso"

▹ Booting Ventoy from an internal HDD/SSD 🔗

  • restart your computer
  • check: the Ventoy boot menu is shown [[2509QA.png]]
  • press the [arrow down] or [page down] key to select the Linux OS to boot
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the "Boot in normal mode" option is selected
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the boot menu of the Linux OS is shown
  • press [Enter] (the default option on top is OK, most of the time)
  • check: the Linux OS is starting up
  • check: the desktop is shown

▹ Retrieving the BIOS boot menu key for your PC/laptop 🔗

Find the [key] or [key]+[key] sequence, to enter the BIOS boot menu on your computer, in this table:

Brand BIOS boot menu key
Acer [F9], [F12], [Esc]
ASRock [F11]
ASUS [F8], [Esc], [Tab]>[F8]
Compaq [F9], [Esc]
Dell [F12]
EMachines [F12]
EVGA [F7]
Fujitsu [F12]
Gateway [F10], [F11], [Esc]
Gigabyte [F12]
HP [F9], [Esc]
Huawei [F2]
iBall [F9] > [boot option] > [choose media]
Intel [F10]
Lenovo [F8], [F10], [F12], [Fn]+[F11]
Nec [F5]
MSI [F11]
Packard Bell [F8]
Panasonic [F2] > [exit] > [boot order]
Samsung [F12], [Esc]
Sharp [F9]
Sony [F10], [F11], [Assist]
Toshiba [F12]
Xiaomi [Fn]+[F2] > [choose boot]

(source: TechoFide.com)

  • "[key1], [key2], [key3]+[key4]+[key5]" means: try all of these keys or key sequences, until you find the one that works
  • "[key1]+[key2]" or "[key1]+[key2]+[key3]" means: key sequence, press these keys simultaneously
  • "[key] > [option1] > [option2]" means: press [key], after that: select [option1], and after that: select [option2]
  • "[key1]>[key2]" means: first press [key1], and after that press [key2]

▹ Booting Ventoy from an external USB/HDD/SSD 🔗

  • insert the USB stick, or attach the external HDD/SDD, with the [2509PF_Boot] or [Ventoy] partition, into/to the USB port of your computer
  • power on your computer
  • enter the [BIOS boot menu], by repeatedly pressing the key or key sequence you found in the Retrieving the BIOS boot menu key for your PC/laptop section above [[2509QC.png]]
  • check: the BIOS boot menu is shown [[2509QD.png]]
  • select the USB stick or external HDD/SSD using the [arrow-down] key
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the Ventoy boot menu is shown [[2509QA.png]]
  • press the [arrow down] or [page down] key to select the Linux OS to boot
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the "Boot in normal mode" option is selected [[2509QE.png]]
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the boot menu of the Linux OS is shown
  • press [Enter] (the default option on top is OK, most of the time)
  • check: the Linux OS is starting up
  • check: the desktop is shown

▹ Retrieving the BIOS Setup key for your PC/laptop 🔗

Find the [key] or [key]+[key] sequence, to open the (UEFI) BIOS Setup (configuration) app on your computer, in this table:

Brand BIOS Setup key
Acer [F1], [F2], [F12], [Delete], [Esc], [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Esc]
ARI/ALR/AST [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Esc], [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Delete]
ASRock [F2], [Delete]
ASUS [F2], [Delete]
Compaq [F1], [F2], [F10], [Delete]
Cybermax [Esc]
Dell [F2], [Fn]+[Esc], [Fn]+[F1]
ECS [Delete]
EMachines [F2], [Tab], [Delete]
Fujitsu [F2]
Gateway [F1], [F2]
Gigabyte [F2], [Delete]
HP [F1], [F10], [F11], [F12] or [Esc]
IBM [F1], [F2]
Lenovo [F1], [F2], [Fn]+[F1], [Fn]+[F2], [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[F3], [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Insert]
Medion [Delete]
Micron MCP [F1], [F2], [Delete]
Microsoft Press and hold the [volume-up] button (Surface)
MSI [Delete]
NEC [F2]
Origin [F2]
Packard Bell [F1], [F2], [Delete]
Samsung [F2]
Shuttle [F2], [Delete]
Sony [F1], [F2], [F3]
Tandon [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Esc]
Toshiba [F1], [F2], [F12], [Esc]
Zotac [Delete]

(sources: TomsHardware.com and Scribd.com)

  • "[key1], [key2], [key3]+[key4]+[key5]" means: try all of these keys or key sequences, until you find the one that works
  • "[key1]+[key2]" or "[key1]+[key2]+[key3]" means: key sequence, press these keys simultaneously

▹ Disable UEFI Secure boot to access the BIOS boot menu 🔗

[!] When your computer has a modern UEFI BIOS, the "Secure Boot" option might be enabled, that prevents you from booting an USB stick or external HDD/SSD. You might get a "Secure boot violation" message. [[2509QH.png]]. To disable the "Secure boot" option, do the following:

  • power on your computer
  • enter the [BIOS Setup app], by repeatedly pressing the key or key sequence you found in the Retrieving the BIOS Setup key for your PC/laptop section above
  • check: the Setup app is opened
  • press the [arrow-down] or [arrow-right] key to select the [Startup] or [Boot] option or tab [[2509QG.png]]
  • press the [arrow-down] key to select "Secure boot"
  • press the [arrow-left]/[arrow-right] or [F5]/[F6] key to select the "Disabled" value
  • press the [Enter] key
  • press the [F10] key to save this setting
  • on the prompt "Are you sure?": select the [OK] button using the [arrow-left] or [arrow-right] key
  • press [Enter]

You can now access the BIOS boot menu (I hope ...)

[i] When a password is set on the BIOS Setup app, you need to retrieve this password, or reset it to [empty], to open the app. You can usually reset the password by removing the battery on your motherboard, wait 10 minutes, and put it back. Often there's also a jumper (wire bridge) that can be removed to reset the password. Please Google for a detailed HowTo. On a laptop this can be difficult.

▹ Questions, welcome panes and passwords 🔗

You may encounter a few questions or "Welcome" panes, when booting a live-system .iso file ("live-cd" or "live-dvd"):

  • install or try?: click the [Try] button. This is the live-system mode
  • update your system?: Click the [Skip], [Close] or [X] button
  • select your keyboard layout: select "US (English)" or "US 105 key" (qwerty, OK most of the time)
  • "Welcome" or "Welcome Center" pane: click the [Close] or [X] button

[i] When you are promted to enter a password (e.g. when installing software), the password can be found Googling "live user password site:{URL of Linux OS home}", e.g. "live user password Debian site:debian.org". These are the default passwords for a few Linux distros:

Linux OS Passwords
antiX Linux demo or root
Bodhi Linux [empty]
Damn Small Linux DSL [empty]
Debian live or [empty]
Exton Linux live or root
Linux Mint [empty]
MX Linux demo or root
Porteus toor
Refracta OS user or toor
Ubuntu [empty]
Ubuntu Studio [empty]
Ufficio Zero Linux (UZL) ufficiozero

Have fun trying out all these Linux distros! I'm stuck on Linux Mint Ubuntu Edition with a Cinnamon desktop on my bulky AMD64 PC with 4 GB RAM (braggart! ;-) for a lot of years, and on antiX Linux and Linux Mint Debian Edition on my IA-32 (32 bit, i686) laptops, that I use to create the 32 bit .iso files on this site. Hopefully, you'll find your favorite Linux OS as well.

[tip] You can attach an USB stick (or a HDD/SSD in USB casing) onto your motherboard (internally) using an USB 2.0 pin header 9 pin to USB-A adapter, or USB 3.0 pin header 19 pin to USB-A adapter. Buy a fast USB stick, and check the manual of your motherboard, to see which pin header is available. An USB stick is much cheaper than an SSD. USB 3.0 is much faster than USB 2.0. An SSD on a SATA or PCIe controller, is usually faster than a device on a USB 3.0 controller.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Make or restore a full disk backup with RescueZilla 🔗

If you have Linux, Windows, macOS or another operating system installed on your internal hard drive/SSD, it makes sense to make a full disk backup ("disk image"):

  • of the pristine installation (as provided by the OEM)
  • right after removing unnecessary junk, installing additional software and configuration (clean, without having used the internet browser)

If your (Windows!) system is wrecked, you can restore the HDD/SSD to its original state by restoring the full disk backup, which also contains the boot track. Rescuezilla refers to the boot track (MBR) as the "partition table", but the entire MBR, including the partition table, is copied to the disk image.

I think it is best to use RescueZilla for this task, as it uses the CloneZilla format, a robust standard for Linux professionals. I don't need to write a HowTo, because I found these (almost) perfect HowTos for you:

[!] Make sure to backup your valuable data before restoring a full disk backup, as it will overwrite (destroy) all data on the HDD/SSD!

[i] A RescueZilla .IMG disk image is not a file, but a folder with files whose name ends with ".IMG". You can also create/restore an .IMG disk image with CloneZilla, but that app is pretty user-unfriendly (it doesn't have a GUI), it's only suitable for IT professionals. RescueZilla on the other hand, has a very user-friendly/simple GUI, which makes it perfect for regular people.

[!] RescueZilla works great, but has two drawbacks:

  • You can only restore a disk image of (for example) a 512 GB HDD/SSD to a HDD/SSD that's 512 GB or larger. RescueZilla cannot resize partitions.
  • It is not suitable for data backup (your documents) of data stored on a designated data partition, because RescueZilla Image Explorer (to restore one or more files from an .img image) does not work well. Place your valuable data in a Veracrypt container, and make regular copies of it, to an external HDD/SSD.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Determine your CPU architecture (32/64 bits) 🔗

When you want to install a Linux OS on your PC/laptop, you'll notice that there are several different .ISO files (images to "flash" onto USB stick or "burn" onto DVD), for different CPU instruction set architectures available. The most common PC/laptop (baseline) CPU instruction set architectures are:

  • IA-32 Intel CPU 32 bit, most commonly named i386, also referred to as x86, i486, i586 or i686 [overview]
  • x86-64 Intel or AMD CPU 64 bit, most commonly named amd64, also referred to as x64, x86_64, em64t or Intel64 [overview]
  • aarch64 64 bit, most commonly named arm64, also referred to as "a64"

An aarch64/arm64 CPU is often used in:

[i] You can run an IA-32/i386 Linux OS, such as LMDE-32bit, on a PC with an IA-32/i386 or x86-64/amd64 CPU, but you cannot run a x86-64/amd64 Linux OS on an IA-32/i386 CPU. To get the best performance and results: run an IA-32/i386 Linux OS on an IA-32/i386 CPU, and run a x86-64/amd64 Linux OS on a x86-64/amd64 CPU.

For servers you'll find ISOs for: riscv64, ppc64le, s390x, mips64el, and several other architectures. Debian and Fedora support quite a few of them, but Gentoo supports them all!

You can also Google for "{CpuModel} {ManufacturerArchitecture}" (e.g. "Intel Pentium M Dothan"), but most of the time, you won't even find the CPU instruction set architecture that way.

To choose the right .iso file, or the right .deb/.rpm (etc.) installer package, you have to determine the bit width (32 or 64 bit), baseline architecture (IA-32, x86-64 or aarch64), and microarchitecture/feature level (sub-architecture) of the CPU in your PC/laptop. Do the following:

▹ 1. Determine the CPU bit width 🔗

[!] This is the 32 bits IA-32 .iso file, containing a Sysvinit init system, intended for an IA-32/i386 computer, but it'll also run on a x86-64/amd64 system. You cannot use a 64 bits x86-64/amd64 .iso file for this procedure, because it will not boot on a 32 bits IA-32/i386 computer.

  • check: "antiX-{HighestVersion}_386-full.iso" (approximately 1.8 GB) is downloaded to your Downloads folder
  • follow the instructions in the Create a bootable USB stick with a Linux OS using Balena Etcher section, to "flash" the "antiX-{HighestVersion}_386-full.iso" file onto an USB stick
  • power off the PC/laptop
  • insert the "antiX-32bit" USB stick into the PC/laptop
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • repeatedly press the button to access the boot menu of your PC

[!] When the Safe Boot option is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI, you probably cannot access the boot menu. Disable the Safe Boot option first.

  • select your USB stick (to be recognized by the brand name) using the [arrow down] button
  • press [enter]
  • check: after a while the desktop is shown

[!] When this .iso file doesn't boot at all, the CPU in your computer is neither IA-32 nor x86-64. It's probably an aarch64/arm64 CPU. You can use any aarch64/arm64 .iso file, and any aarch64/arm64 installer package, of any Linux OS, such as Ubuntu or Debian on your computer.

  • click the 4-leave clover application menu button in the left below corner
  • click [Terminal]
  • type:
inxi -v8
  • search in the output for the "CPU" section, for example:
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Pentium M bits: 32 arch: M Dothan built: 2003-05
    process: Intel 90nm family: 6 model-id: 0xD (13) stepping: 8 microcode: 0x20
  Topology: cpus: 1x dies: 1 cores: 1 smt: {unsupported} cache: 2 MiB
    note: check
  Speed (MHz): 800 min/max: 800/1867 scaling: driver: acpi-cpufreq
    governor: schedutil core: 1: 800 bogomips: 3724
  • look behind [CPU\Info\bits]
  • when the value of [CPU\Info\bits] is "32": the bit width of your CPU is 32 (a "32 bit CPU")
  • when the value of [CPU\Info\bits] is "64": the bit width of your CPU is 64 (a "64 bit CPU")

[i] Do not look at the CPU architecture mentioned behind [CPU\Info\arch]. That's the CPU architecture designation of the manufacturer (e.g. "M Dothan"), not the CPU instruction set architecture (e.g. IA-32, x86-64 or arm64).

[!] Do not look at the values behind [System\Host\arch] and [System\Host\bits]. That's the achitecture and bit width of the loaded Linux kernel, not the CPU.

▹ 2. Determine the CPU architecture baseline 🔗

▹ On a 32 bit computer 🔗

  • When the [CPU\Info\bits] value, in the output of [$ inxi -v8] reads "32":

There's only one baseline for a common 32 bit computer: Intel IA-32 (x86/i386). AFAINK that's the only 32 bits CPU architecture in computers available from the thrift store. Go to the [Determine the CPU microarchitecture/sub-architecture/feature level] section.

▹ On a 64 bit x86-64 computer 🔗

  • When the [CPU\Info\bits] value, in the output of [$ inxi -v8] reads "64":

An IA-32/i386 .iso file, such as "antiX-{HighestVersion}-386-full.iso", can only boot on a computer containing a IA-32/i386 or x86-64/amd64 CPU, not on a computer with an aarch64/arm64 CPU. So, when you successfully booted the "antiX-{HighestVersion}_386-full.iso" on your PC, and [CPU\Info\bits] in the [$ inxi -v8] output reads "64", your computer has an x86-64/amd64 CPU aboard. Go to the [Determine the CPU microarchitecture/sub-architecture/feature level] section, or perform the following pointless actions ;-):

[!] You cannot use a 32 bit .iso file for this procedure, because then [$ uname -m] and [$ arch] will then return an incorrect "i686" on a x86-64 CPU.

  • check: "linuxmint-{version}-cinnamon-64bit.iso" (approximately 2.8 GB) is downloaded to your Downloads folder
  • follow the instructions in the Create a bootable USB stick with a Linux OS using Balena Etcher section, to "flash" the "linuxmint-{version}-cinnamon-64bit.iso" file onto an USB stick
  • power off the PC/laptop
  • insert the "Linux Mint Cinnamon" USB stick into the PC/laptop
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • repeatedly press the button to access the boot menu of your PC
  • select your USB stick (to be recognized by the brand name) using the [arrow down] button
  • press [enter]
  • check: after a while the desktop is shown
  • click the [LM button] to access the application menu
  • click [Terminal]
  • type:
$ uname -m

or:

$ arch

In case of an x86-64/amd64 CPU the output looks like this:

x86_64

Oh! We already knew that ;-)

▹ 3. Determine the CPU microarchitecture/sub-architecture/feature level 🔗

▹ On a IA-32\/i386 computer 🔗

  • power off the PC/laptop
  • insert the "antiX-32bit" USB stick into the PC/laptop
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • repeatedly press the button to access the boot menu of your PC
  • select your USB stick (to be recognized by the brand name) using the [arrow down] button
  • press [enter]
  • check: after a while the desktop is shown
  • click the 4-leave clover application menu button in the left below corner
  • click [Terminal]
  • type:
$ uname -m

or:

$ arch

the output probably looks like this:

i686

The i386 (Intel 80386), i486 (Intel 80486), i586 (Intel Pentium 5, P5) and i686 (Intel Pentium Pro, P6) CPU architectures are sub-architectures of the 32 bit Intel IA-32 family.

An "i486" .iso file, intended for an Intel 80486 CPU and newer, won't run on a "real" i386 (Intel 80386) CPU, but an "i386" .iso file can run on any Intel 32 bit CPU, including an i486, i586 and i686. It's a bit confusing: the common name of an IA-32 Intel 32 bit CPU (which includes the i386, i486, i586 and i686 sub-architectures) is "i386".

[!] Bad news for IA-32/i386 PC owners: Fedora is thinking of dropping 32-bit support, and Debian has dropped 32 bit support as of version 13.0.0.

[!] As of Linux Kernel 6.15, i386, i486, and several i586 CPU's are no longer supported, but i686 CPU's (IA-32 6th Gen. introduced in 1995) are still supported.

▹ On a x86-64\/amd64 computer 🔗

TODO Investigate tool x86-64-level to determine the x86-64 microarchitecture level (no .deb available, only source code, package not in mint/debian/ubuntu repo).

The x86-64/amd64 CPU architecture baseline is devided into four microarchitecture levels (feature levels or sub-architectures): x86-64-v1, x86-64-v2, x86-64-v3 and x86-64-v4. Each feature level has its own set of features ("commands" you could say) that a Linux OS or app can use, to make it work more efficiently. An app or Linux OS (kernel) that's compiled (build) for an x86-64-v3 CPU, can run on a CPU that supports x86-64-v3 and/or x86-64-v4, but not on a CPU that only supports x86-64-v1 and/or x86-64-v2.

[i] The highest x86-64 microarchitecture level "x86-64-v4" is also known as AVX-512 (Intel Advanced Vector eXtensions 512 Bit), as these processors support (part of the) AVX-512 instruction set. Be aware that not all recent amd64 CPUs support x86-64-v4/AVX-512. In the list of CPUs that support AVX-512, you'll see that Intel Rocket Lake, Ice Lake, and Tiger Lake support AVX-512, but not all subsets are supported (Intel: why should we make it simple? ¯_(ツ)_/¯).

Most Linux OS-es support all four x86-64 microarchitecture levels in their x86-64/amd64 .iso file. For those OS-es it's enough to know your CPU architecture baseline.

▹ Distributions that dropped x86-64-v1 and x86-64-v2 suppport 🔗

Linux distros, that don't suppport the x86-64-v1 and x86-64-v2 microarchitecture levels any more, and will only run on a CPU that supports at least x86-64-v3:

A Linux distro, that doesn't suppport the x86-64-v1 microarchitecture level any more, and will only run on a CPU that supports at least x86-64-v2:

A Linux distro that's considering dropping suppport for x86-64-v1:

Not a good move by these distros. Performance is only marginally better, and this results in more e-waste :-(

▹ Determine the microarchitecture (feature) level of your x86-64 CPU 🔗

To determine the microarchitecture (feature) level of your CPU, do the following:

  • grab an USB stick, with a capacity of 4 GB or larger
  • label the USB stick "Linux Mint Cinnamon"
  • Download Linux Mint Cinnamon 64 bit

[!] You cannot use a 32 bit .iso file for this procedure, because a 32 bit .iso doesn't contain the required 64 bit "ld-linux-x86-64.so.2" app.

  • check: "linuxmint-{version}-cinnamon-64bit.iso" (approximately 2.8 GB) is downloaded to your Downloads folder
  • follow the instructions in the Create a bootable USB stick with a Linux OS using Balena Etcher section, to "flash" the "linuxmint-{version}-cinnamon-64bit.iso" file onto an USB stick
  • power off the PC/laptop to boot with the "Linux Mint Cinnamon" USB stick
  • insert the "Linux Mint Cinnamon" USB stick into the PC/laptop
  • power on the PC/laptop
  • repeatedly press the button to access the boot menu of your PC
  • select your USB stick (to be recognized by the brand name) using the [arrow down] button
  • press [enter]
  • check: after a while the desktop is shown
  • click the [LM button] to access the application menu
  • click [Terminal]
  • type:
$ /usr/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help
  • check: the "ld-linux-x86-64.so.2" app is started, with the "--help" parameter
  • in the output, go to the section "Subdirectories of glibc-hwcaps ..." at the end
  • when it reads:
Subdirectories of glibc-hwcaps directories, in priority order:
  x86-64-v4
  x86-64-v3
  x86-64-v2

your CPU does support x86-64-v1 but not x86-64-v2, x86-64-v3 and x86-64-v4. CentOS Stream 10, RHEL 10 and Rocky Linux 10 cannot run on this CPU. x86-64-v1 is the lowest level, not shown in this list, but always supported on a x86-64 CPU.

  • when it reads:
Subdirectories of glibc-hwcaps directories, in priority order:
  x86-64-v4
  x86-64-v3 (supported, searched)
  x86-64-v2 (supported, searched)

your CPU does support x86-64-v1, x86-64-v2, and x86-64-v3, but not x86-64-v4. CentOS Stream 10, RHEL 10 and Rocky Linux 10 can run on this CPU.

  • when it reads:
bash: /usr/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2: No such file or directory

you booted from a 32 bit Linux .iso file (or 32 bit installed Linux OS), which never contains the 64 bit "ld-linux-x86-64.so.2" app.

▹ Sidenotes 🔗

[i] The inxi "-v8" switch implies "show all information", but even then, some info is still unavailable. To show all info, do the following:

  • [$ sudo apt-get install -y smartmontools] (to show the HDD/SSD temperatures)
  • [$ sudo inxi -v8] (to show all \<superuser required> and \<root privileges required> information)

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Determine the base of your Linux distro 🔗

When you want to install an app, using your GUI software manager, or by typing [$ sudo apt install {AppName}] (e.g.), the package might not be available in the software repository (repo) of your Linux OS. You'll get an error message: "E: Unable to locate package {AppName}".

When the desired package is not in the repo of your Linux OS (distro), you can still download a package that's designed for the Linux OS "base" (the OS that's "under the hood") of your Linux distro, from the creator's website, or from another repo elsewhere (e.g. Github.com or SourceForge.net). For that, you need to know:

[Warning!] Be very careful, when downloading a package from another source than the designated repositories of Linux OS, as it may contain malware. The safest way to go, is using your package installer app center or installer command (APT/RPM/DNF etc.).

To determine the OS base:

  • Open your Terminal app
  • type:
$ inxi -v8
  • Go to the "System" section
System:
  Host: od4knb Kernel: 5.10.224-antix.1-486-smp arch: i686 bits: 32
    compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0 clocksource: hpet avail: acpi_pm
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.224-antix.1-486-smp
  Desktop: IceWM v: 3.6.0 tools: avail: slock,xlock dm: slimski v: 1.5.0
    Distro: antiX-23.2_386-full Arditi del Popolo 6 October 2024 base: Debian
    GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
  • Look after [System:\Desktop:\base:]

In this case the base OS is "Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)"

When inxi is not installed, issue the appropiate command to install it:

$ sudo apt-get install -y inxi
$ sudo rpm -i inxi
$ sudo dnf install -y inxi
$ sudo yum install -y inxi
$ sudo pacman -Syu inxi

On Kali Linux, installing inxi might be a bit difficult ;-)

[i] You can install an installer package (containing an app), when your Linux operating system is booted from an .iso file (flashed to an USB stick or copied to a Ventoy boot partition). The package will be temporarily installed into the RamDisk (RamDrive), which is part of your computer's volatile memory (RAM). However, after a reboot the app will be removed. Nonetheless, this can be very usefull when you quickly need a small app like a screendump utility, or a encryption app, e.g. (my favorites):

$ sudo apt-get install -y flameshot && sudo apt-get install -y zulucrypt-gui

[i] Note, that when you install apps on your RamDisk, the amount of memory (RAM) available for the running apps will be lower. Do not install large apps like LibreOffice or K3b on your RamDisk. This will take a long time to install, and will fill your memory (RAM), which can crash your PC.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ antiXradio .deb package for installation on Debian based Linux distros 🔗

If you do not want to use the 2411D4-{version}-od4knb-antiXradio.iso/img, but you do want to install the antiXradio GUI on your own Linux installation, you can download the "antixradio_{version}_all.deb" package from the MX repository.

[i] MX Linux is the middleweight "nephew" of lightweight antiX Linux. The MX Repository is safe to use.

[!] The path to the folder containing the antiXradio packages (la.mxrepo.com/antix/bookworm/pool/main/a/antixradio/), changes when antiX Linux stops using Debian 12 (codename "Bookworm") as a base, and instead uses its successor. You should then replace the string bookworm in the path with the codename of the successor (you'll then find a folder with that name). And of course, you can always use Google Search.

A .deb package can be installed on all Debian based and Ubuntu based distributions, such as antiX Linux, Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

[i] Ubuntu is based on Debian, but distributions based on Ubuntu (e.g. Zorin OS/Pop! OS) are not called "Debian based", but "Ubuntu based" (or Ubuntu derivates), even though they do have Debian components under the hood. To keep it simple: there are only two "level 1" Linux OS bases: Debian and Fedora, the other distributions are derivatives of those. When I say "Debian based" here, I mean all Linux OSes that contain Debian components, including e.g. "level 3" OS Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu). antiX Linux is "level 2" (based on Debian), od4knb Linux is "level 3" (based on antiX Linux).

The easiest way to install the .deb package is by using the GDebi or Captain Package Installer GUI: right-click the .deb file; click "Open with Package Installer" (or GDebi). When GDebi is not installed on your system, you can install it using:

$ sudo apt install gdebi

When GDebi is not available in your repository, you can try installing Captain:

$ sudo apt install captain

If you do not want to use GDebi or Captain, issue the following command in Terminal:

$ sudo apt install "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.deb"

or, when you hate the [Y/n] prompt ;-):

$ sudo apt-get install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.deb"

[!] Replace {version} with the actual version number.

Notes:

  • antiXradio can only run on Linux systems, as it depends on the Bash Command Line Interpreter (Terminal/CLI), which is only available on Linux systems.
  • Because antiXradio also depends on MPV Media Player (it uses the MPV engine), MPV will be installed, when it is not already installed.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Download and install a MPV Media Player Debian .deb package 🔗

When the installation of MPV Media Player, using the "antixradio_{version}all.deb" package failed, you can download the MPV Media Player package from the Debian repository, or Ubuntu repository. Download "mpv{HighestVersion}amd64.deb" for an Intel/AMD 64 bit computer (x86_64), or "mpv{HighestVersion}_i386.deb" for an older Intel 32 bit computer. You'll also find packages for computers with an ARM CPU (processor).

[!] Allways install a "mpv_{HighestVersion}_{amd64/i386}.deb" package. Never install a "{fileName}.ddeb" package, or packages that have "devel", "dbg" or "dbgsym" in the file name, those are "development" or "debug" packages.

  • Use GDebi or Captain Package Installer GUI to install the .deb package, or
  • Use the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/mpv_{HighestVersion}_{amd64/i386}.deb"

[i] $USER" is your user name. In the Terminal app (look for a black "$_" icon), your user name is shown before the "@" sign. Replace {HighestVersion} with the actual version number. Replace "{amd64/i386}" with the actual CPU architecture.

[i] If your Linux OS needs a .rpm or .pkg package: read the Download and install a MPV Media Player Fedora .rpm package or Convert a .deb package to .rpm or .pkg for use on non-Debian based Linux distros section.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Download and install a MPV Media Player Fedora .rpm package 🔗

When your Linux OS cannot install a Debian based .deb package, there are ready-to-install mpv packages availabe in the .rpm (Red Hat Package Manager) package format. RPM packages are available for all RPM based distributions.

[!] This HowTo is about Fedora .rpm packages, which can be installed on all Fedora based distros. There's no guarantee that .rpm Fedora package will install on a RPM based distribution that doesn't have Fedora "under the hood", such as OpenSUSE or Mandriva.

[i] Only download "fc" (Fedora Core) packages. "fc42" (e.g.) is intended for a Fedora 42 GNOME, KDE Plasma or CoreOS consumer distro. Do not use the "el/ep" (for Fedora Enterprise Linux EPEL), or "eln" (Enterprise Linux Next development environment) packages, unless you are a Linux-pro.

  • scroll down to the "RPMs" section
  • go to the CPU architecture that's in your computer (most likely x86_64)
  • click the "download" link behind "mpv-{version}.x86_64.rpm" (link on top)

[!] Do not use a devel, libs, debuginfo, debugsource or libs-debuginfo package

[i] There's also an aarch64 (ARM64) package available, but no i386 (Intel 32 bit CPU) package.

  • Install the "mpv-{HighestMpvVersion}.fc{FedoraVersion}.x86_64.rpm" package using your GUI package installer, or one of the following commands:
$ sudo rpm -i "/home/$USER/Downloads/mpv-{HighestMpvVersion}.fc{FedoraVersion}.x86_64.rpm"
$ sudo dnf install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/mpv-{HighestMpvVersion}.fc{FedoraVersion}.x86_64.rpm"
$ sudo yum install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/mpv-{HighestMpvVersion}.fc{FedoraVersion}.x86_64.rpm"

[i] MPV Media Player is also available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android and BSD. You can download the installers/packages from the MPV website. The antiXradio GUI (a Bash .sh script, that uses MPV "under the hood"), can only run on a Linux OS.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Convert a .deb package to .rpm or .pkg for use on non-Debian based Linux distros 🔗

When your Linux OS cannot install a Debian based .deb package, and you couldn't find a ready-to-use .rpm package, you can also convert the "antixradio_{version}_all.deb" package, to a package format that your OS can install.

You can convert a .deb package using Alien Package Converter. Alien can convert the .deb package into the following formats:

  • Red Hat Package Manager (.rpm, for all RPM based distros)
  • Oracle Solaris (.pkg, BSD based)
  • Linux Standard Base (.lsb)
  • Slackware (.tgz, .txz, .tbz, .tlz)
  • Stampede (.slp)

[i] Alien cannot convert from/to a Pacman .pkg.tar.zst or .pkg.tar.xz package used by Arch Linux bases OS-es

Install Alien:

$ sudo apt-get -y install alien

$ sudo dnf install -y alien

$ sudo dnf install -y epel-release && \
sudo dnf install -y alien

[i] Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is the commercial variant of Fedora Linux

  • APK: Android, Alpine Linux:
$ sudo apk add alien

Convert the .deb package:

$ sudo alien --to-rpm "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.deb"

[i] Replace {version} with the actual version number

  • to antixradio_{version}_all.pkg (Solaris): 
$ sudo alien --to-pkg "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.deb"

Install the converted package:

  • antixradio_{version}_all.rpm (all RPM based distros), use one of the following commands:
$ sudo rpm -i "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.rpm"
$ sudo dnf install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.rpm"
$ sudo yum install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.rpm"

[i] Replace {version} with the actual version number

  • antixradio_{version}_all.pkg (Solaris package): 
$ sudo pkg install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/antixradio_{version}_all.pkg"

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ antiXradio semi portable .tar.xz package for use on Debian based Linux distros 🔗

When you did not succeed in installing the .deb package, you can also "install" (just copy, no install) the portable "antixradio_{version}.tar.xz" package on your Debian based Linux system.

[i] A portable package is not installed in the application folders (/bin, /usr/bin, /etc, /lib etc.), but simply copied to your /home/$USER folder. A "fully portable" package contains all the required packages (binaries etc.) that the application needs to run. The antiXradio .tar.xz package is "semi portable", as it lacks the required packages mentioned below.

Perform the following actions:

[i] APT Package Installer (the apt/apt-get command) is available on all Debian based Linux distributions, such as antiX Linux, Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

  • Install the packages that are required by antiXradio, by issueing this command string in your Terminal (Command Line Interpreter):
$ sudo apt-get -y install mpv && \
sudo apt-get -y install socat && \
sudo apt-get -y install yad && \
sudo apt-get -y install xdotool && \
sudo apt-get -y install wmctrl && \
sudo apt-get -y install netcat-traditional && \
sudo apt-get -y install netcat-bsd && \
sudo apt-get -y install sed && \
sudo apt-get -y install xdg-utils

[!] The package netcat-traditional or netcat-bsd is required. A Failed installation of one of them is OK. "nc" is netcat for short.

  • go to the MX repository
  • download the "antixradio_{version}.tar.xz" file to [/home/$USER/]

[i] "$USER" is your user name. In the Terminal app (look for a black "$_" icon), your user name is shown before the "@" sign.

  • extract the file using your Archive Manager into [/home/$USER/]
  • make [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio] (the "app", a .sh Bash script) executable (usually using Right-click\Permissions\on=allow executing file as a program)
  • create a shortcut (Symlink) to [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio] on your desktop
  • go to [application-menu-button\File Manager]
  • go to [Menu View]
  • click the "Show hidden files" check box
  • open the [/home/$USER/.config] folder
  • create a folder named "antiXradio" (case sensitive!), in the [/home/$USER/.config] folder

[i] A {dot}{folderName} folder (e.g. ".config") has a "hidden" label.

  • go to folder [/home/$USER/antixradio/]
  • copy the "stations" folder, with all of its contents, into folder [/home/$USER/.config/antiXradio/]
  • right-click the antiXradio shortcut on your desktop

[i] You can also right-click [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio]

  • click [Open\Execute], and/or:
  • click the [Run in Terminal] button
  • the antiXradio GUI is started
  • click the [Load another list] button
  • select a radios*.txt file
  • click the [OK] button
  • select a radio station
  • click the [Play] button

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ antiXradio semi portable .tar.xz package for use on non-Debian based Linux distros 🔗

When APT Package Installer (the apt/apt-get command) is not available on your system, use your GUI software manager, or use one of the following commands:

$ sudo rpm -i {PackageName}
$ sudo dnf install -y  {PackageName}
$ sudo yum install -y {PackageName}
$ sudo pkg install -y {PackageName}
$ sudo pacman -Syu {PackageName}

to install the following required packages:

  • mpv (MPV Media Player)
  • socat (SOcket CAT byte streams data transfer)
  • yad (Yet Another Dialog, GUI for Bash scripts)
  • xdotool (X11 Input Simulator)
  • wmctrl (Window Manager Control for EWMH/NetWM WMs)
  • netcat-traditional or netcat-bsd (TCP/UDP reader/writer)
  • sed (SED Stream Editor)
  • xdg-utils (XDG Desktop Integration Tools)

and perform the following actions:

  • go to the MX repository
  • download the "antixradio_{version}.tar.xz" file to [/home/$USER/]

[i] "$USER" is your user name. In the Terminal app (look for a black "$_" icon), your user name is shown before the "@" sign.

  • extract the file using your Archive Manager into [/home/$USER/]
  • make [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio] (the "app", a .sh Bash script) executable (usually using Right-click\Permissions\on=allow executing file as a program)
  • create a shortcut (Symlink) to [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio] on your desktop
  • go to [application-menu-button\File Manager]
  • go to [Menu View]
  • click the "Show hidden files" check box
  • open the [/home/$USER/.config] folder
  • create a folder named "antiXradio" (case sensitive!), in the [/home/$USER/.config] folder

[i] A {dot}{folderName} folder (e.g. ".config") has a "hidden" label.

  • go to folder [/home/$USER/antixradio/]
  • copy the "stations" folder, with all of its contents, into folder [/home/$USER/.config/antiXradio/]
  • right-click the antiXradio shortcut on your desktop

[i] You can also right-click [/home/$USER/antixradio/bin/antiXradio]

  • click [Open\Execute], and/or:
  • click the [Run in Terminal] button
  • the antiXradio GUI is started
  • click the [Load another list] button
  • select a radios*.txt file
  • click the [OK] button
  • select a radio station
  • click the [Play] button

Notes:

  • The package netcat-traditional or netcat-bsd is required. A Failed installation of one of them is OK. "nc" is netcat for short.
  • Not all Linux distros use the X11 Window manager, so xdotool may not be available for your Linux OS (that's a bummer ;-(

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Error: "su: Authentication failure" Root password is not set (blank) 🔗

On Linux Mint (e.g.) the root password is not set (blank) by default. When you issue the command:

$ su - root

to use the root account's privileges in the Terminal app, and you press [Enter] on the "Password:" prompt, you'll get an error message:

su: Authentication failure

For certain applications, such as [$ visudo] (to change the /etc/sudoers file), the sudo command (elevatad privileges for a normal user) doesn't suffice. When you issue:

$ sudo visudo

you'll notice the message in the /etc/sudoers file:

# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.

To use the visudo command (e.g.) you have to set the root password first. Do the following:

  • type command:
$ sudo passwd root
  • press [enter]
  • prompt: "[sudo] password for $USER:"

[i] When this message is not presented, you can proceed to [ref2].

[i] "$USER" is your user name (account name). This name is shown before the "@" sign in the Terminal app.

  • enter the password of $USER
  • press [enter]

[i] The password of $USER can be blank. In that case, just press [enter] at the prompt.

  • [ref2] prompt: "New password:"
  • type the new password for the "root" (administrator) account

[!] The root password must be strong, otherwise you might get an error message "You must choose a longer password".

  • press [enter]
  • prompt: "Retype new password:"
  • type the new password for the "root" account again
  • press [enter]
  • message: "passwd: password updated succesfully"
  • register the root password in your password database

You can now issue commands as root in the Terminal app, for example:

$ su - root
$ visudo

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Error: "$USER is not in the sudoers file" 🔗

In order to install application packages, you must have the appropriate rights to execute the "sudo" (SuperUserDO) command. Therefore, your user name must be registered in the [/etc/sudoers] file. On a default Debian installation, a normal user is not registered in the [/etc/sudoers] file. The sudo command temporarily gives elevated (but not root) privileges to a normal user.

When you issue a sudo command, e.g. [$ sudo apt install {PackageName}], and you receive the error message:

$USER is not in the sudoers file

[i] "$USER" is your user name. Your user name is shown before the "@" sign in the Terminal app.

you have to perform the following actions:

  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • issue command:
$ su - root
  • the prompt "Password:" is shown
  • type the password of the root account

[i] When the root password is not set (blank), you can't just press [enter] here. Go to [ref1] beneath for instructions.

  • press [enter]
  • check: the Terminal prompt is now "root@{ComputerName}:~#"
  • issue command:
$ visudo
  • press the [arrow-down] button on your keyboard repeatedly
  • go to section "# User privilege specification"
  • add a line beneath "root...ALL":
$USER ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

[i] Replace "$USER" with your user name, e.g.:

obi7kenobi ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
  • press [Ctrl]+[o] (write out)
  • message: "file name to write: /etc/sudoers.tmp"
  • press [enter]

[i] This file name is OK. The actual file is [/etc/sudoers]

  • press [Ctrl]+[x] to exit the editing mode
  • You can now issue the "sudo" command

[i] [ref1] When the root password is not set, you can't issue the [$ su - root] command. You have to set the root password first. Follow the instructions in the Error: "su: Authentication failure" Root password is not set (blank) section.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Error "Invalid audio PTS" when playing FLAC audio stream in conjuction with "--length=" #16416 🔗

WAITING Waiting for a solution from the MPV team

Problem

When playing a FLAC encoded audio stream URL, using MPV Media Player 0.37.0, I get an error message "Invalid audio PTS". There's only a split second of sound.

Steps to reproduce this problem

I issue command:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo' > ~/mpv.log 2>&1

The logfile contains:

 (+) Audio --aid=1 (flac 2ch 44100Hz)
AO: [pipewire] 44100Hz stereo 2ch s16
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
Invalid audio PTS: 0.371519 -> 1033210.612971
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:0 kbps
Exiting... (End of file)
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:0 kbps

Notes: * Error message: "Invalid audio PTS: 0.371519 -> 1033210.612971" * "audio-bitrate:0 kbps" means: no sound

[i] An Audio Presentation Timestamp (Audio PTS) indicates the precise time a specific audio or video unit should be presented to the player

The above URL is taken from the Radio Mast reference audio streams page, which has the following properties:

Encoding: Ogg FLAC (Lossless) - URL: HTTPS - Bitrate: Variable (VBR) - Samplerate: 44100 Hz - ChannelMode: Stereo - Notes: Sample format is 16-bit. Nominal bitrate is between 300 and 1500 kbit/s

[i] This reference audio stream is supposed to always produce sound.

Investigation

The URL of the failing audio stream, plays fine in the Firefox native audio player.

MPV Media Player discards all audio (and video) streams, that do not match the MPV requirements, regarding the audio PTS interval between two two consecutive audio frames. MPV doesn't allow more that X milliseconds (I can't find the exact value) between the audio PTS of two consecutive audio frames.

The MPV switches [--no-correct-pts], [--correct-pts=no] or [--initial-audio-sync=no] don't correct this problem. ref

Google Search:

Disable PTS Correction:

  • Open MPV's configuration file [/etc/mpv/mpv.conf]
  • Add or modify the line no-correct-pts=yes. This tells MPV to skip correcting timestamps, potentially resolving the error.

The [/home/$USER/.config/mpv/] folder is empty. I added a line "no-correct-pts=yes" to [/etc/mpv/mpv.conf], and issued:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo' > ~/mpv.log 2>&1

result:

Error parsing option correct-pts (option doesn't take a parameter)
/etc/mpv/mpv.conf:2: setting option no-correct-pts='yes' failed.

I added a line containing "no-correct-pts" (withoud a parameter) to the [/etc/mpv/mpv.conf] file, and issued:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo' > ~/mpv.log 2>&1

result:

 (+) Audio --aid=1 (flac 2ch 44100Hz)
AO: [pipewire] 44100Hz stereo 2ch s16
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
Invalid audio PTS: 0.371519 -> 7616754.044807
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:0 kbps
Exiting... (End of file)
https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo
audio-bitrate:0 kbps

When I change "--length=15" to "--length=60", it still plays only for a split second.

[SUCCESS] When I leave out the "--length=15" switch, and issue: 

mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' 'https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo' > ~/mpv-term-status-msg-2.log 2>&1

the stream plays OK

[SUCCESS] When I issue command:

mpv --gpu-debug --log-file=mpv-term-status-msg.log 'https://streams.radiomast.io/ref-lossless-ogg-flac-stereo'

the stream plays OK as well.

I tried installing the newest MPV package mpv_0.40.0-dmo1, but failed, due to uncorrectable package dependencies.

Cause

The "--length=" switch does not work correctly, when playing a FLAC audio stream.

Solution

Unknown

Workaround

Use another audio player to play FLAC audio streams. Unfortunately, antiXradio needs MPV as engine.

Suggestion

Perhaps the switch "--skip-correct-audio-pts", proposed by @digitalone1 in post Avoid stream jumping due to incorrect audio PTS #15425 can be implemented?

This issue is posted on Github, log in to view it.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Custom antiXradio radio station lists 🔗

The 2411D4-{version}-od4knb-antiXradio.iso contains the 2411D6-{version}-od4knb-antiXradio-radio-stations-list-netherlands.txt file, with a lot of dutch radio stations. If you have installed antiX onto HDD/SSD, you can download this file separately from the antiXradio folder, and install it into your antiX installation, or load it into antiXradio from your USB stick. Of course, you can add your own radio stations if you like. Installation/edit instructions can be found in the file.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Retrieve encoding, bitrate and mono/stereo info of an audio stream 🔗

To get the encoding (AAC/MP3 etc.), bitrate (Kbit/s) and mono/stereo (channels: 1ch/2ch) info of the audio stream, you can use the following command:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'PasteUrlHere' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.log 2>&1

e.g.:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://eilo.org/getm3u.php?m3u=drum' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1

The log file looks like this:

 (+) Audio --aid=1 (mp3 2ch 44100Hz)
AO: [pipewire] 44100Hz stereo 2ch floatp
http://eilo.org:8000/drum
audio-bitrate:128 kbps
File tags:
 icy-title: Stoyan - Live at Drum & Jazz 23.11

This example reads:

  • mp3 = encoding
  • 2ch = audio channels (2ch = stereo)
  • 44100Hz = sample rate (44.1 kHz)
  • 128 kbps = bitrate (Kbit/s)
  • icy-title = performer - song title

[i] In the case of FLAC encoding (and sometimes with AAC) you will see the bitrates go up and down, because it uses VBR (Variable BitRate). When you execute multiple commands in succession, all output is collected in the same log file (due to ">>"). MPV automatically disconnects from the streaming server after 15 seconds (--length=15).

To automate the stream information retrieval, you can put multiple commands in a .sh script:

#!/bin/bash
mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://eilo.org/getm3u.php?m3u=drum' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1
mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'http://ic2255.c471.fast-serv.com/listen' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1
mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://dubtec-radio.radiocult.fm/stream' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1

or copy/paste a chain with several commands into your Terminal window:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://eilo.org/getm3u.php?m3u=drum' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1 && \
mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'http://ic2255.c471.fast-serv.com/listen' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1 && \
mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 'https://dubtec-radio.radiocult.fm/stream' >> /home/$USER/mpv-encoding-channels-bitrate.txt 2>&1

When not installed, you can install MPV Media Player (mpv command) by issueing command:

$ sudo apt-get install -y mpv

You can also download the MPV Media Player package from the MPV website.

To automate the testing of a lot of URLs: go to the Create a .sh Bash script with multiple mpv commands using LibreOffice Calc section.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Testing antiXradio using Radio Mast reference audio streams 🔗

When antiXradio cannot play certain radio stations, the first step is to load the 2501KV-{version}-antiXradio-reference-audio-streams.txt file in the antiXradio GUI, using the file selector that pops up, when you click the [Load another list] button in the antiXradio GUI. You can load the file from HDD/SSD/USB device.

These reference audio streams are from the Radio Mast website. The streams are not Geo-Blocked, and are intended to always produce sound.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Using antiXradio debug mode 🔗

To run antiXradio in debugmode, do the following:

  • Issue command:
$ sudo geany /usr/local/bin/antiXradio

(replace "geany" with your text editor)

  • Change 
flag_debugmode=0

into 

flag_debugmode=1
  • Issue command:
$ antiXradio > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-antiXradio-debug.log" 2>&1
  • check: the antiXradio GUI is opened
  • Select the failing radio station
  • Press the [Play] button
  • Examine the log file in [/home/$USER/]

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Testing URLs of radio stations using MPV Media Player 🔗

antiXradio has MPV Media Player "under the hood". If a streaming URL does not produce sound or something else is wrong, there are 3 mpv commands you can use:

  • Verbose mode (enough for normal testing):
$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 --msg-level=all=v 'PasteUrlHere' > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-mpv-verbose.log" 2>&1

e.g.:

$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 --msg-level=all=v 'https://stream.aiir.com/umh0gvsar97tv' > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-mpv-verbose.log" 2>&1
  • Debug messages (extensive debugging):
$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 --msg-level=all=debug 'PasteUrlHere' > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-mpv-debug.log" 2>&1
  • Trace messages (extensive debugging):
$ mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 --msg-level=all=trace 'PasteUrlHere' > /home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-mpv-trace.log" 2>&1

Examine the log files in [/home/$USER/]

To automate the testing of a lot of URLs: go to the Create a .sh Bash script with multiple mpv commands using LibreOffice Calc section

When not installed, you can install MPV Media Player (mpv command) by issueing command:

$ sudo apt-get install -y mpv

You can also download the MPV Media Player package from the MPV website

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Create a .sh Bash script with multiple mpv commands using LibreOffice Calc 🔗

When you need to test hundreds of stream URLs, it is useful to automate this task. For this procedure you don't need any scripting experience.

[!] Requirement: MPV Media Player must be installed. When not installed, issue command:

$ sudo apt-get install -y mpv

or use the appropriate (rpm/dnf/yum/pacman) command for your Linux distro.

[!] The Geany text editor is highly recommended because it can display [LF] control characters and has a reload option, which other text editors lack. Install Geany with:

$ sudo apt-get install -y geany

or use the appropriate (rpm/dnf/yum/pacman) command for your Linux distro.

Perform the following actions:

  • start [Application menu\File Manager]
  • go to [menu View] or [menu View\Panel 1 View]
  • on = Show hidden files
  • go to [/home/$USER/.config/antiXradio/stations/]
  • copy the "radios*.txt" to be tested to [/home/$USER/Documents/] (e.g. radios_en_GB.txt)
  • rename the file "radios.txt" to "radios-copy.txt" (e.g. radios_en_GB-copy.txt)

[i] The folder [/home/$USER/Documents/] is often shown in the File Manager GUI as "Documents" or "Home\Documents". "$USER" is your user name. In the Terminal app (look for a black "$_" icon), your user name is shown before the "@" sign.

  • start [application menu\applications\programming\Geany] or your preferred text editor
  • go to [menu File\Open]
  • go to [/home/$USER/Documents/radios*-copy.txt]
  • remove all lines that start with a "#" character
  • remove all lines with a fake "https://void.void.void/void" URL
  • remove all blank lines
  • go to [menu Search\Replace]
  • Search for (or "Find what"): ' (single-quote-apostrophe, UTF-8-Dec39)
  • Replace with: ′ (prime-quote, UTF-8-Dec8242)
  • click the [> Replace All] button; click the [In Document] button, or:
  • click the "Replace all at once" checkbox, click the [Find and Replace] button

[i] A single-quote-apostrophe UTF-8-Dec39 (straight up) in the radio station name (e.g. "Rock 'n Roll Radio"), will be interpreted by Bash, so it must be replaced by a prime-quote UTF-8-Dec8242 (accent aigu), which Bash won't interpret.

  • make shure that the last line with an URL ends with a [LF] (line feed) control code. Just press [enter] after the last URL.

[i] To show the [LF] control codes in geany: go to [menu View], on=Show Line Endings

  • go to [File\Save as...]
  • save this file as [/home/$USER/Documents/radios*-only-url-records.txt] (e.g. radios_en_GB-only-url-records.txt)
  • start [Application menu\Applications\Office\LibreOffice Calc] (or another spreadsheet app)
  • go to [menu Tools]
  • off = Automatic spell checking
  • off = AutoInput
  • go to [menu Tools\AutoCorrect Options...]
  • go to tab [Options]
  • empty all checkboxes
  • go to tab [Localized Options]
  • empty all checkboxes
  • click the [OK] button

[i] This is the procedure for turning off all AutoCorrect and AutoComplete options in LibreOffice Calc. Use Google to find the procedure for another spreadsheet app.

  • go to [menu File\Open]
  • the "Open" file selector pane is shown
  • go to [/home/$USER/Documents/]
  • select the "radios*-only-url-records.txt" file
  • click the [Open] button
  • the "Text Import" pane is shown
  • go to the "Separator options" section:
  • off=Tab, off=Semicolon

[i] In the line [Tab-Comma-Semicolon-Space-Other], only the "Comma" box must be checked, as this is the radios*.txt separator charachter

  • leave everything else default
  • click the [OK] button
  • check: column A = radio station number/name/comments, column B = URLs

[i] As we are creating a script, we need a mono spaced font, to show every character clearly

  • left-click cell A1 (column A, line 1) to select it
  • press [Ctrl]+[a] simultaneously
  • check: all cells in the sheet are selected now (all blue)
  • go to [menu Format\Cells...\tab Font]
  • go the "Family:" section
  • "select "DejaVu Sans Mono" in the menu
  • check: "DejaVu Sans Mono" is now shown behind "Family:"
  • leave everything else default
  • go to [tab Numbers]
  • in the "Category" menu, select "Text"
  • leave everything else default
  • click the [OK] button

[i] The column width must be decreased to work comfortably

  • check: all cells in the sheet are selected now (all blue)
  • right-click the header of colum B
  • click "Column width"
  • width = 4" (10 cm.)
  • click the [OK] button

[i] Some values overlap values in other columns. Word Wrap must be enabled.

  • check: all cells in the sheet are selected now (all blue)
  • go to [menu Format\Text]
  • on = Wrap Text
  • left-click the header of colum B to select it
  • check: all cells in column B are selected now (column B is blue)
  • right-click the header of colum B
  • click "Insert Columns Before"
  • check: column B = empty, column C = URLs
  • left-click the header of colum A to select it
  • check: all cells in column A are selected now (column A is blue)
  • right-click the header of colum A
  • click "Insert Columns Before"
  • check: column A = empty, column B = radio station number/name/comments, column C = empty, column D = URLs
  • left-click the empty cell A1 (column A, line 1)
  • copy/paste the following into cell A1:
echo '----------------

[!] If the lowercase "e" is now replaced with an uppercase "E", the AutoCorrect options have not been turned off correctly. This will result in a script error.

[!] Only use single quotes (') in a command, as Libre OfficeCalc will put al lot of redundant double quotes in the output, when using double quotes

  • left-click cell A1 (column A, line 1) to select it
  • [Ctrl]+[left-click] in the right lower corner of A1
  • don't release the [Ctrl] key
  • check: a "+" sign is shown
  • pull the "+" sign downwards, to the last record containing an URL, while holding the [Ctrl] key
  • release the mouse button
  • release the [Ctrl] key
  • check: all cells in column A must contain the same command
  • left-click empty cell C1 (column C, line 1) to select it
  • copy/paste the following into cell C1:
' >> /home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log 2>&1 && mpv --term-status-msg='${path}\naudio-bitrate:${audio-bitrate}' --length=15 '

[!] Pay attention to the single quote (') at the beginning and at the end. \n = line feed control character [LF].

[i] When "--length=15" is set, mpv will disconnect from the streaming server after 15 seconds. In most cases this is time enough to test the stream URL. Note, that testing 250 URLs, takes about one hour to finish (((15*250)/60)/60).

[!] If "[hyphen][hyphen]length=" (2 x UTF-8-Dec45/Dec8208 has been changed to "[en-dash]length=" UTF-8-Dec8211, the AutoCorrect options have not been turned off correctly. This will result in a script error. Check the UTF-8 Decimal code of any character here (ignore the incorrect ASCII reference, you'll get an UTF-8 decimal code in the right pane).

  • left-click cell C1 (column C, line 1) to select it
  • [Ctrl]+[left-click] in the right lower corner of C1
  • don't release the [Ctrl] key
  • a "+" sign is shown
  • pull the "+" sign downwards, to the last record containing an URL, while holding the [Ctrl] key
  • release the mouse button
  • release the [Ctrl] key
  • check: all cells in column C must contain the same command
  • left-click empty cell E1 (column E, line 1)
  • copy/paste the following into cell E1:
' >> /home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log 2>&1

[!] Pay attention to the single quote (') at the beginning

  • select cell E1 (column E, line 1)
  • [Ctrl]+[left-click] in the right lower corner of E1
  • don't release the [Ctrl] key
  • a "+" sign is shown
  • pull the "+" sign downwards, to the last record containing an URL, while holding the [Ctrl] key
  • release the mouse button
  • release the [Ctrl] key
  • check: all cells in column E must contain the same command
  • go to [menu File\Save as...]
  • click the Documents folder [/home/$USER/Documents/]
  • check: the item selector "Save" is shown
  • type, in the field after "Name:": radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate-draft (e.g. "radios_en_GB-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate-draft")
  • go to the pull down menu, in right below corner
  • select "Text CSV (.csv)" (comma separated file)
  • click the [Save] button
  • check: the dialog pane "Confirm File Format" is shown
  • click the [Use Text CSV Format] button
  • check: the dialog pane "Export Text File" is shown
  • check: Character set: Unicode (UTF-8)
  • Field delimiter: {empty}
  • String delimiter: {empty}
  • leave everything else default
  • Click the [OK] button
  • go to [menu File]
  • click "Exit LibreOffice"
  • start [application menu\applications\programming\Geany] or your preferred text editor
  • go to [menu File\Open]
  • go to [/home/$USER/Documents/radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate-draft.csv]
  • click the [Open] button
  • go to [menu Search\Replace]
  • Search for (or "Find what"): , (comma)
  • Replace with: {nothing} (leave this field empty)
  • click the [> Replace All] button; click the [In Document] button, or:
  • click the "Replace all at once" checkbox, click the [Find and Replace] button

[i] This action is for safety: in case the "Export Text File" dialog box was not shown when saving the *draft.csv.

  • go to [menu Search\Replace]
  • Search for (or "Find what"): ( (left parenthesis/round bracket open UTF-8-Dec40)
  • Replace with: - (hypen/minus UTF-8-Dec45/Dec8208)
  • click the [> Replace All] button; click the [In Document] button, or:
  • click the "Replace all at once" checkbox, click the [Find and Replace] button

[i] Bash stumbles over brackets in an echo command, e.g. when a radio station comment is enclosed by brackets. Hyphens (minus "-", Dec45/Dec8208) are never interpreted, so they are safe to use. Round brackets are never used in an URL.

  • go to [menu Search\Replace]
  • Search for (or "Find what"): ) (right parenthesis/round bracket close UTF-8-Dec41)
  • Replace with: - (hypen/minus UTF-8-Dec45/Dec8208)
  • click the [> Replace All] button; click the [In Document] button, or:
  • click the "Replace all at once" checkbox, click the [Find and Replace] button
  • add five blank lines at the beginning of the file
  • copy/paste the following into these new lines:
#!/bin/bash
LOG_DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S)
sudo apt-get install -y mpv >> /home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log 2>&1
echo 'script [radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh] is running - please wait...'
echo 'logfile: [/home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log]'

[i] The apt-get install command must be redundant, it's been added for safety

  • press the [Ctrl]+[End] keys simultaneously, to go to the end of the file
  • add a blank line
  • copy/paste the following into the blank line:
echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------"
echo "Excecution of $SCRIPT has finished."
echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------"
echo "Investigate the logfile:"
echo "/home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log"
read -p "Press [enter] to close this Terminal window" CONT

if [ "$CONT" = "" ]; then
    exit
fi
  • go to [menu File\Save as...]
  • click the Documents folder [/home/$USER/Documents/]
  • the item selector "Save" is shown
  • type, in the field after "Name:": radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh (e.g. "radios_en_GB-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh")
  • click the [Save] button
  • go to [File\Quit]
  • start [Application menu\File Manager]
  • go to [/home/$USER/Documents/]
  • right-click the file "radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh" (e.g. "radios_en_GB-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh")
  • click the "properties" option
  • go to the "permissions" tab
  • click the checkbox before "allow executing file as a program" (or click all "execute" boxes)
  • click the [Close] or [OK] button
  • right-click the .sh file
  • click [Open\Execute], or:
  • click the [Open] option, and click the [Run in Terminal] button
  • the Terminal window is shown, with the following message:
script [radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh] is running - please wait...
logfile: [/home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log]

[i] When your Linux OS doesn't execute the script using the procedure above, do the following:

  • left-click the file "radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh" to select it
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously
  • the full path to this file is now on your clipboard
  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • right-click in the Terminal Window, right after "~$"
  • click [Paste]
  • press the [Enter] key
  • the script should now be executed

[i] When testing 250 URLs, and "--length=15" is set (disconnect after 15 seconds), the script takes about one hour to finish. Calculation: (((250*15)/60)/60). To check if the script is still running, and to awake your GPU/monitor, press the [ALT] key, so the run will not be disturbed.

  • open [/home/$USER/Documents/{DateTime}-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log] in your text editor, to investigate the results

[i] In Geany you can press [Ctrl]+[r] to reload the log file, while the script is running. In Text Editors, that don't have a "reload" menu option, you probably have to: ~ press [F5] ~ click [Cancel] ~ click [Reload].

When the run of the script has ended, the following message is shown:

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Excecution of radios*-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.sh has finished.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Investigate the logfile:
/home/$USER/Documents/$LOG_DATE-mpv-channels-encoding-bitrate.log
Press [enter] to close this Terminal window"
  • The log of an audio stream that gives sound, looks like this:
---------------- Funky Corner Radio UK
 (+) Audio --aid=1 (mp3 2ch 44100Hz)
File tags:
 icy-title: Maggie Rogers - Shatter
AO: [pipewire] 44100Hz stereo 2ch floatp
https://ais-sa2.cdnstream1.com/2447_192.mp3
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
https://ais-sa2.cdnstream1.com/2447_192.mp3
audio-bitrate:192 kbps
https://ais-sa2.cdnstream1.com/2447_192.mp3
audio-bitrate:191 kbps
https://ais-sa2.cdnstream1.com/2447_192.mp3
audio-bitrate:192 kbps

This example reads:

  • mp3 = encoding (can also be "aac", "flac", or "ogg")
  • 2ch = channel count (1ch=mono, 2ch=stereo)
  • 44100Hz = sample rate (44.1 kHz)
  • 192 kbps = bitrate (Kbit/s)
  • icy-title = performer - song title
  • ignore the "(unavailable)" message

[i] In the case of FLAC encoding (and sometimes with AAC) you will see the bitrates go up and down, because it uses VBR (Variable BitRate).

  • A failing audio stream URL (silent) gives "audio-bitrate:0 kbps", e.g.:
---------------- Insanity Radio
 (+) Audio --aid=1 (flac 2ch 44100Hz)
AO: [pipewire] 44100Hz stereo 2ch s16
https://stream.cor.insanityradio.com/insanity.flac
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
Invalid audio PTS: 0.522449 -> 589440.731429
https://stream.cor.insanityradio.com/insanity.flac
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
https://stream.cor.insanityradio.com/insanity.flac
audio-bitrate:0 kbps
https://stream.cor.insanityradio.com/insanity.flac
audio-bitrate:0 kbps
  • The log of a video stream URL, the sound of which is also played in MPV Media Player and antiXradio, looks like this:
---------------- Now 70s 
     Video --vid=1 (h264 640x360 25.000fps) (1021 kbps)
     Video --vid=2 (h264 848x480 25.000fps) (1250 kbps)
 (+) Video --vid=3 (h264 1280x720 25.000fps) (3802 kbps)
     Audio --aid=1 (aac 2ch 48000Hz) (1021 kbps)
     Audio --aid=2 (aac 2ch 48000Hz) (1250 kbps)
 (+) Audio --aid=3 (aac 2ch 48000Hz) (3802 kbps)
libEGL warning: failed to get driver name for fd -1
libEGL warning: MESA-LOADER: failed to retrieve device information
libEGL warning: failed to get driver name for fd -1
[vo/gpu] High bit depth FBOs unsupported. Enabling dumb mode.
[vo/gpu] Most extended features will be disabled.
AO: [pipewire] 48000Hz stereo 2ch floatp
VO: [gpu] 1280x720 yuv420p
https://lightning-now70s-samsungnz.amagi.tv/playlist.m3u8
audio-bitrate:(unavailable)
https://lightning-now70s-samsungnz.amagi.tv/playlist.m3u8
audio-bitrate:129 kbps
https://lightning-now70s-samsungnz.amagi.tv/playlist.m3u8
audio-bitrate:126 kbps

This example reads:

  • h264 = video codec
  • aac = audio codec
  • ignore the "libEGL warning" and [vo/gpu] messages, they refer to the video stream
  • ignore the "(unavailable)" message
  • put a "#" character before all failing (silent) URLs, in the [/home/$USER/.config/antiXradio/stations/radios*.txt] file, that has been tested in this case (e.g. radios_en_GB.txt), to hide (disable) them for the antiXradio GUI
  • send a file with all failing (silent) URLs, to the audio stream collectors websites (e.g. od4knb Linux, the antiXradio project, garfnet.org.uk, or radio-browser.info etc.), where you got the URLs from, so they can update their station list as well. A "merge request" (request for change/addition) can be send in clicking the [Email a new merge request to this project] link at the bottom of the project page.

[tip] You can also use this procedure for other tasks/commands, such as distributing an .ISO file to the Ventoy partition of multiple computers, by placing the first IP address in the first cell of a column, and then pull the "+" down without holding the [Ctrl] key.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Install a GUI for MPV Media Player 🔗

The MPV Media Player app in the "mpv" package has no GUI, it's a commandline (Terminal/CLI) app. When you want to play a video stream, you need a GUI application for MPV. The MPV Team does not provide a GUI app on the MPV website, but there are several third party developers who have created a GUI app for MPV:

  • [recommended] SMPlayer (32 and 64 bit. Available for Windows, macOS, and all Linux distros. For Arch, Debian, openSUSE and Ubuntu: click Packages for other Linux distros, click the [Arch], [Debian], [openSUSE] or [Ubuntu] button, click [Grab binary packages directly], click the desired package. i386=32bit, amd64=64bit)

  • Celluloid (only 64 bit. Click "Last Modified" twice, click the newest "celluloid_{NewestVersion}~ppa1_amd64.deb")

  • Haruna (Only 64 bit, click Linux, Flathub or Snap Store)
  • IMplay (Only 64 bit. Do NOT choose the [Continuous build]. Go to [Lastest], click [Assets], click the desired package.

Before downloading a package manually, use your package installer first, e.g. apt:

$ sudo apt-get install -y smplayer
$ sudo apt-get install -y celluloid
$ sudo apt-get install -y haruna
$ sudo apt-get install -y implay

Other installers (rpm/dnf/yum):

$ sudo rpm -i smplayer/celluloid/haruna/implay
$ sudo dnf -y install smplayer/celluloid/haruna/implay
$ sudo yum -y install smplayer/celluloid/haruna/implay
$ sudo pacman -Syu smplayer/celluloid/haruna/implay

I recommend SMPlayer, as it's reviewed as the best GUI for MPV. The GUI looks good, it's easy to use, and it's the only GUI for MPV that's also available for 32 bit (i386) CPUs.

To test, if a video stream (URL) can be played, issue the following command (BBC World News TV, not Geo-blocked):

$ mpv 'http://ott-cdn.ucom.am/s24/04.m3u8'

or do the following:

  • go to [application menu\Sound and Video/Multimedia\SMPlayer]
  • go to [menu Open\URL]
  • the "SMPlayer - Enter URL" pane is shown
  • paste "http://ott-cdn.ucom.am/s24/04.m3u8" in the "URL:" field (or another video URL)
  • click the [OK] button
  • the BBC World News TV channel is played

[tip] You can also use SMPlayer to test an audio stream URL this way, if you don't like to use the mpv command in the Terminal window. Note, that SMPlayer not always presents a clear error message, in case of faillure, as the mpv command does. When a station is silent, it only shows the "Off Air" message in the title bar, or you'll get an "Oops, something went wrong" message pane. In the case of "Oops...": click the [Show log] button to retrieve the HTTP error code. You can easily get the channels/codec/bitrate information of a playing station though: [menu View\Information and properties].

[!] SMPlayer cannot play an antiXradio stations list (radios*.txt), but the URLs in such a list can be pasted at [menu Open\URL].

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Install the Proton VPN Client for Linux 🔗

TODO This section is in DEV state

TODO This section will be available in the PDF file format soon

▹ Script method (TLDR) 🔗

[!] Do not close the Terminal window

▹ Option [Allow executing file as a program] in several Desktop Environments 🔗

To run a .sh script, intended to be executed in your command interpreter app ("Terminal"), you usually need to manually enable the "Allow executing file as program" option.

This option can be found on different locations, depending on your Desktop Environment (DE). Here are the methods for the most common desktop environments:

▹ Cinnamon 🔗

  • go to [application menu\accessories\Files]
  • right-click the file to excecute (e.g. an .sh script for the Bash interpreter)
  • click [Properties]
  • click the [Permissions] tab
  • click the checkbox in front of "Allow executing file as a program"
  • click [Close]
  • double-click the .sh file
  • click [Run in Terminal]

▹ GNOME 🔗

  • click the [red-grey folder] icon ("Files") in the left taskbar (Ubuntu), OR:\
  • click the [blue filing cabinet] icon ("Files") in the lower taskbar (Debian)\
  • browse to the folder with the .sh file\
  • right-click the .sh file\
  • click [Properties]\
  • click [Executable as program]\
  • click the [X] button in the right above corner\
  • right-click the .sh file\
  • click [Run as a Program]\

▹ KDE Plasma 🔗

  • click the [blue folder] icon in the taskbar ("Dolphin")
  • browse to the folder with the .sh file
  • right-click the .sh file
  • click [Properties]
  • click the [Permissions] tab
  • click the checkbox in front of "Allow executing file as a program"
  • click [OK]
  • double-click the .sh file
  • click [Execute]

▹ XFCE 🔗

TODO

▹ IceWM 🔗

TODO This is the DE antiX uses

▹ MATE 🔗

TODO

▹ Manual installation 🔗

When you don't mind typing commands, you can install the Proton VPN Client for Linux using one of the manuals on the Proton VPN website:

▹ Officially supported: 🔗

▹ Not officially supported: 🔗

When you use the manuals above, you may stumble into difficulties or errors. For instance: the wget command isn't available in the default Debian installation, and on Linux Mint you'll get cdrom errors.

Using script 2509NW, the installation is fully automated, and the difficulties and errors are solved on the tested distros mentioned below.

▹ Disclamer 🔗

▹ Officially supported Linux distributions and desktop environments 🔗

The Proton VPN Client (app) for Linux, is officially only supported for:

but it also works perfectly on several other Linux distributions, and not only on the GNOME desktop environment, but also on several other desktop environments.

▹ Supported CPU architectures 🔗

The .deb and .rpm packages provided by Proton VPN, all have a control file that contains the string "Architecture: all", which implicates "CPU architecture-independent package". I guess that means that they can certainly be installed on x86-64-v1 and aarch64, but they perhaps can also be installed on armhf, ppc64el, riscv64, s390x etc. [Debian CPU list] [Fedora CPU list]

▹ Proton AG approval 🔗

Script 2509NW and the Command string method are not officially supported by Proton AG, but Proton VPN customer support has given their approval to develop and publish script 2509NW [ref. 3964875].

▹ Linux distros on which script 2509NW tested OK 🔗

I tested script 2509NW on a computer with an x86-64-v1 CPU (amd64 1st Gen.), so it most likely will also work on a x86-64-v2, x86-64-v3 and x86-64-v4 CPU.

Script 2509NW has been tested on the Linux distributions below, booted from the official .iso file from the distributions' website/repository, using a Ventoy bootloader, not from an installed OS.

[!] Distributions that dropped x86-64-v1 and x86-64-v2 suppport, will not be tested.

[!] Distributions that do not have a live-system edition (live-CD, live-DVD) .iso file available, only an .iso file containing an installer app, will not be tested.

Tested OK (with system tray icon) 🔗

▹ Tested OK (without system tray icon) 🔗

[i] The Proton VPN system tray icon (in the notification area, in the bar with DateTime), is not an essential feature. Without the system tray icon, the Proton VPN Client (user app) is fully functional. Launching the Proton VPN Client from the system tray, is only slightly faster than launching it from [Application Menu\Internet\Proton VPN].

▹ Errors on Linux Mint 🔗

When you try to install the Proton VPN Client (user app) for Debian/Ubuntu on Linux Mint 22.2 (Ubuntu based), using the instructions in the How to install Proton VPN on Ubuntu manual on the Proton website, you will encounter two errors:

Ign:1 cdrom://Linux Mint 22.1 _Xia_ - Release amd64 20250110 noble InRelease
Err:2 cdrom://Linux Mint 22.1 _Xia_ - Release amd64 20250110 noble Release
Please use apt-cdrom to make this CD-ROM recognized by APT. apt-get update cannot be used to add new CD-ROMs

and:

E: The repository 'cdrom://Linux Mint 22.1 _Xia_ - Release amd64 20250110 noble Release' does not have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.

[i] "Err:" and "E:" = error, "N:" = notification

You can use script 2509NW, or the Command string method for Linux Mint, to avoid the above errors.

▹ Command string method for Linux Mint 🔗

[!] This method prevents the [Ign:1 cdrom ...] and [E: The repository cdrom:// ...] errors mentioned above

wget https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-stable-release_{CopyThisVersionNumberToYourClipboard}_all.deb
  • copy the version number between "release_" and "_all" to your clipboard
  • paste the version number on your clipboard, in place of the string "PasteTheVersionNumberOnYourClipBoardHere" in the command string below, for example:
VERSION="1.0.8"
  • copy the following command string (with the actual version number) to your clipboard:
VERSION="PasteTheVersionNumberOnYourClipBoardHere" && \
sudo sed -e '/cdrom/s/^/#/' -i /etc/apt/sources.list && \
wget "https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
sudo apt-get install -y "/home/$USER/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
sudo apt update && \
sudo apt-get install -y proton-vpn-gnome-desktop && \
rm -f "/home/$USER/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
protonvpn-app

for example:

VERSION="1.0.8" && \
sudo sed -e '/cdrom/s/^/#/' -i /etc/apt/sources.list && \
wget "https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
sudo apt-get install -y "/home/$USER/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
sudo apt update && \
sudo apt-get install -y proton-vpn-gnome-desktop && \
rm -f "/home/$USER/protonvpn-stable-release_"$VERSION"_all.deb" && \
protonvpn-app

[i] The [sudo sed ...] command solves the [Ign:1 cdrom ...] and [E: The repository cdrom:// ...] errors mentioned above

  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • right-click in the Terminal window
  • click "Paste"
  • press [Enter]
  • check: the command string is issued
  • check: the [Choose a new password for new keyring] pane appears
  • enter a strong password for a new keyring twice
  • click [Continue]
  • check: the "Proton VPN" window is shown, with the "Username" and "Password" fields
  • check: in the system tray, a Protonvpn-app icon (triangle) appears with the options "Hide" and "Quit"

[i] You don't have to register the keyring password in your password database.

[!] When you booted from an .ISO file (Live System, Live-DVD), the keyring password is stored in a RamDisk (in volatile RAM), and will be lost after a reboot. Losing the keyring password isn't a problem at all, you only have to type a new keyring password the next time you issue script 2509NW or the command string above.

[!] Do not close the Terminal window, because if you do, the Proton VPN window will be closed, and the system tray icon will disappear.

When the The Proton VPN app is installed using script 2509NW or the command string above, it can always be started later, using the Proton VPN shortcut:

  • Linux Mint Cinnamon: [LM] button, [Internet], [Proton VPN]
  • Debian Cinnamon: [App Menu] button, [Internet], [Proton VPN]
  • Ubuntu GNOME: [3 ball ring] button, [>], [Proton VPN]
  • Debian GNOME: [9 dot] button, [>], [Proton VPN]

▹ Log in to the Proton VPN server 🔗

When the "Proton VPN" window with the "Username" and "Password" field is shown:

  • in the "Username" field, type your Proton e-mail address
  • in the "Password" field, type your Proton password
  • click the [Sign in] button
  • check: the "Enter your 2FA code here" pane is shown

[i] This prompt is only shown, when you enabled 2FA in your Proton account. Read the instructions below, to enable 2FA.

  • type the 2FA code that is shown in your Google Authenticator app (or other TOTP app) on your phone, beneath "Proton:{YourProtonEmailAddress}"

  • check: the "Signing in" hourglass is shown

  • check: the Proton VPN GUI is shown
  • check: the message "You are disconnected" is shown
  • go to the country to connect with
  • click the [Connect] button, next to the country name
  • check: the message "You are connected to {CountryCode}#{VpnServerNumber}" is shown (e.g. IT#33)
  • you can now type an URL of a GEO-blocked server in your browser, located in the country you're connected with

▹ Configure Proton VPN to use the Open VPN (TCP) protocol 🔗

[i] The default "WireGuard" option in the settings pane should work in most situations. If you can't connect using the "WireGuard" option, try the "Open VPN (TCP)" option, as it uses TCP port 443 (HTTPS, Secure HTTP protocol) to access the Internet. This port is always accessible within your local network (your home), as it's the same port your Internet browser uses.

  • click the [triangle down] button in the left above corner of the Proton VPN GUI
  • click "Settings"
  • go to the "Connection" section
  • click the [triangle down] button, to the right of "Protocol"
  • select "Open VPN (TCP)"
  • click the [X] button in the right above corner

▹ Enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA) 🔗

[i] The "Enter your 2FA code here" pane is only shown, when you enabled Two Factor Authentication (2FA) in your Proton account settings. Enabling 2FA is highly advised.

  • go to your Proton Mail
  • click the [gear] icon, in the right above corner
  • click the [All Settings] button
  • click "Account and password" in the menu
  • go to the Two-factor authentication section
  • go to "Authenticator app"
  • slide the button behind "Authenticator app" to the right
  • click the [Next] button
  • check: a QR code is shown
  • open the TOTP Autenticator app on your smartphone

[i] Some well known TOTP Autenticators are: Google Authenticator, Proton Athenticator and BinaryBoot TOTP Authenticator

  • click the [add] button

[i] In the Google Authenticator app, the [add] button is a 4-colour [+] button, in the right below corner. TOTP = a password with a limited lifespan, generated by a TOTP app on a smartphone.

  • click the [Scan a QR code] button
  • check: a scan visor is shown
  • scan the QR code shown on the Proton website
  • check: the entry "Proton: {YourEmailAddress}" is added to the Authenticator main screen, with a 6 digit 2FA code, and a "Pac-Man" hourglass showing its lifespan

[i] All Proton VPN apps are open source

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Turn a laptop into a sleep sound machine (white noise machine) 🔗

When your surroundings are a bit noisy, you can buy an expensive white noise machine or MP3 player (with a BlueTooth transmitter) to sleep tight, or you can use an old laptop, and let an audio player play the MP3 sound file or stream that works best for you.

A sleep sound machine can provide relief from insomnia, but can also be used as sound therapy for tinnitus ("ringing in the ears"). The American Tinnitus Association offers extensive information about tinnitus and provides sound files specifically for people with tinnitus.

This is what you need:

[i] Of course, you can use a brand new bulky PC/laptop as well ;-)

In my experience, a Sleep Sound Machine works best with two small satellite speakers (with only a mid-range and treble unit), one next to each ear, but you can also try sleep headphones also named "sleepbuds", or the build-in speakers of your laptop. I don't like the sounds with lower frequencies, so I don't use a sub woofer, but perhaps your brain likes different sounds.

For extended information about the different sound "colors" (white, pink, brown, etc.) you'll find good information on the Sleep Disorders Resource Center website. SDRC has lots of other usefull sleep related info too.

▹ Methods for Windows, macOS and Linux 🔗

[i] When playing a audio stream URL (radio station) in your browser, SMplayer or MPV, there should'nt arise any hiccups (short interruptions in the sound) at all, because a radio station doesn't need to restart at "the end of the track", it's always infinite.

[!] When playing an MP3 file infinitely, using the "--loop-file=inf" switch in SMplayer, an MPV command, or the repeat function of an MP3 player (device), it is normal that there's a hiccup at the end of the track (MP3 file), when the player replays the same track. When you hate the hiccup at the end of the track, use the 3. Stream a sleep sound URL in your internet browser or 4. Stream a sleep sound URL in the SMplayer GUI method instead.

▹ Methods only for Linux 🔗

▹ Method only for Windows 10\/11 🔗

Don't be intimidated by the commands. This HowTo is aimed at beginning Windows/macOS/Linux users and everything is described step by step. Once the command or script method is set up, everything works flawlessly. This HowTo focuses on Linux Mint and antiX Linux, which uses the Debian (APT) package installer, but can easily be adapted to Windows, macOS, and other Linux distributions (maybe with a little help from a computer nerd ;-).

▹ 1. Download MP3 files with sleep sounds 🔗

  • create a folder [/home/$USER/Music/SleepSounds] on a installed Linux OS, OR:
  • create a "SleepSounds" folder on an USB stick, when booting from a Linux ISO file, OR:
  • create a "SleepSounds" folder in your Windows/macOS home directory

Download all the files you want from:

to your "SleepSounds" folder.

[i] Google for white noise MP3 when looking for other sleep sounds to download. Download only the smallest files (10 min.), you don't need the larger ones (60 min.) as we are using the infinite repeat function of the media player.

▹ 2. Check your power management settings 🔗

When playing sleep sounds, you want your laptop to use as little power as possible, as it runs for about eight hours (during your sleep, hopefully!). The screen should go black after a short time. Do the following (Linux Mint):

  • go to [application menu\preferences\power management]
  • Turn off the screen when inactive for = 5 minutes
  • Suspend when inactive for = Never
  • When the lid is closed = Lock screen
  • Power mode = Power Saver
  • Dim your laptop screen, by (most often) holding down the [FN] key (blue print), and repeatedly pressing the [arrow-down] key

[i] When the [arrow-down] key doesn't work, try the [arrow-left] key, or look for the [F5] or [F6] key with a sun or lightbulb, printed in blue.

[i] When your laptop gets too hot, consider using a laptop cooler. When you experience hiccups when the laptop lid is closed, leave the lid opened, and dim your screen.

▹ 3. Stream a sleep sound URL in your internet browser (Windows, macOS and Linux)

[!] When there's no Internet connection in the bedroom, use "4. GUI method using SMplayer".

The easiest and quickest way to get started, is streaming sleep sound URLs (radio stations) in your web browser.

▹ Use the browser on your Windows\/macOS\/Linux laptop 🔗

Go to one of the following websites:

and click the "radio station" that's broadcasting your favorite sleep sound.

To stop playback:

  • click the speaker or musical note icon in the system tray (next to the date/time display)
  • click the [filled square] icon (stop symbol)

[i] wNoise.org has the same sounds as The MC2 Method (MP3 files).

▹ Use the browser on an old laptop 🔗

You can also use an old laptop, and do the following:

[i] An antiX Linux ISO file allways has MPV Media Player installed.

  • flash the ISO file onto an USB stick with Balena Etcher
  • boot from USB stick
  • start Firefox
  • go to a radio station website (see section "Use the browser on your Windows/macOS/Linux laptop")
  • click the "radio station" that's broadcasting your favorite sleep sound

[i] Keep in mind that this is the "heavyweight solution", as a web browser uses more power, CPU an RAM than an audio player like MPV (CLI, lightweight) or SMplayer (GUI, middleweight).

▹ 4. Stream a sleep sound URL in the SMplayer GUI (Windows, macOS and Linux) 🔗

[i] This method can be used on any computer that has the GUI media player "SMplayer" installed, and has an Internet connection. You can download the SMplayer app for Windows, macOS and several Linux variants. For antix/LMDE 32 bit, you can use a Debian 32bit (i386) .deb package, but try the "apt-get install" command first. When installing SMplayer, MPV is also installed, because SMplayer uses MPV as it's engine.

▹ Install and configure SMplayer 🔗

  • install SMplayer by typing the following command in your Terminal:
sudo apt-get install -y smplayer
  • or, when using a downloaded .deb package:
sudo apt-get install -y "/home/$USER/Downloads/smplayer_25.6.0-1+1.1_i386.deb"

[i] Change the path, to match the real file name of the .deb package

  • or: install SMplayer using the downloaded Windows (.exe) or macOS (.dmg) package
  • or: use [Application menu\Administration\Software Manager] (Linux Mint Installer GUI)
  • go to [Application menu\Sound & Video\SMplayer]
  • go to [menu Options\Preferences\Advanced\tab Mplayer/mpv]
  • type the following mpv switch in the "Options:" field:
--loop-file=inf
  • click [OK]

▹ Copy a sleep sound radio station (stream) URL 🔗

  • go to Radio-browser.info: tags [sleep], [noise] and [ambient]

  • go to the radio station of your choice

  • click on the radio station name in the "Name" column
  • check: the radio station information page is opened
  • go to the "Details" section
  • select the URL after "url" using a "rubberband" select
  • press the [Ctrl]+[c] keys simultaneously (copy)
  • check: the URL of the radio station is now on your clipboard

▹ Play a sleep sound radio station (stream) URL 🔗

  • go to [menu Open\URL...]
  • paste the URL on your clipboard into the the field after "URL:"
  • click [OK]
  • check: SMplayer is playing your sleep sound radio station

[!] SMplayer can play the streams (URLs) from Radio-browser.info, but not the streams from wNoise.org, Muso.fm, You.radio and Internet-radio.com.

To automatically play this URL at startup:

  • go to [application menu\preferences\startup applications]
  • click the [+] button
  • click [Custom command]
  • Name = Sleep Sound Machine
  • Command = smplayer "https://stream.epic-classical.com/classical-music-for-sleep"
  • Comment = SMplayer plays a sleep sound radio station
  • Startup delay = 10
  • click [Add]

[i] Change the URL after "Command:" to the URL of your favorite sleep sound radio station, or hard rock station, whatever suits you ;-)

▹ 5. Play a sleep sound MP3 file in the SMplayer GUI (Windows, macOS and Linux) 🔗

[i] This method can be used on any computer with the GUI media player "SMplayer" installed. You can download the SMplayer app for Windows, macOS and several Linux variants. For antix/LMDE 32 bit, you can use a Debian 32bit (i386) .deb package, but try the "apt-get install" command first. When installing SMplayer, MPV is also installed, because SMplayer uses MPV as it's engine.

  • follow the instructions in section "4. Stream sleep sounds in the SMplayer GUI", sub-section "Install and configure SMplayer"

  • go to [menu Open\File]

  • browse to the [/home/$USER/Music/SleepSounds] folder, OR:
  • browse to the "SleepSounds" folder on an USB stick, OR:
  • browse to the "SleepSounds" folder in your Windows/macOS home directory
  • select your favorite sleep sound MP3 file
  • click [Open]

To automatically play this file at startup:

  • go to [application menu\preferences\startup applications]
  • click the [+] button
  • click [Custom command]
  • Name = Sleep Sound Machine
  • Command = smplayer "/home/$USER/Music/SleepSounds/01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"
  • Comment = SMplayer plays a sleep sound MP3 file
  • Startup delay = 10
  • click [Add]

[i] Change the path after "Command:" to the path of your favorite MP3 file.

▹ 6. Command method booted from an Linux ISO file 🔗

This method is your best choice, if you want to skip the time-consuming installation of a Linux OS. You can simply boot the Linux OS of your choice from an USB stick (flash drive), and issue a command to play the MP3 file, that's located on another USB stick.

[i] You need an Internet connection to issue the full command, as the MPV package is downloaded from a Linux repository. If there's no Internet connection available in the bedroom, you best use an antiX Linux ISO file, because antiX allways has MPV installed.

Do the following:

  • Take an USB stick (#1) of at least 4 GB (to flash the Linux ISO file)
  • Take an USB stick (#2) of at least 1 GB (for the MP3 files with sleep sounds)

Download the ISO file of the Linux OS, that best matches the specifications of your laptop/PC:

[i] A hard disk or SSD is not required for this method. Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is preferred for audio tasks, as it can use almost every sound card.

  • flash the ISO file onto USB stick #1 using Balena Etcher
  • create a "SleepSounds" folder on USB stick #2
  • put the sleep sound MP3 files in the "SleepSounds" folder
  • boot from USB stick #1
  • insert USB stick #2 (with the MP3 files)
  • open the file manager
  • browse to the "SleepSounds" folder on USB stick #2
  • right-click in the folder pane
  • click [Create new documen\Empty document]
  • check: your text editor app is opened
  • copy/paste the following command into the empty text file:
sudo apt-get install -y mpv && mpv --loop-file=inf "CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"
  • go to [menu File\save as...]
  • browse to the "SleepSounds" folder containing the MP3 files on USB stick #2
  • in the field after "Name:" type: "0_Sleep-sound-command.txt" (0=zero)

[i] The "0_" makes sure, that the file always appears at the top of the file list

  • click the [Save] button
  • leave the text editor opened
  • go to the file manager
  • browse to the "SleepSounds" folder containing the MP3 files on USB stick #2
  • left-click the MP3 file with your favorite sleep sound
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously, to copy the path to the MP3 file to your clipboard
  • go to the text editor, with "0_Sleep-sound-command.txt" opened
  • double-click "CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"
  • press [Ctrl]+[v] simultaneously, to to paste the path to the MP3 file, that's on your clipboard
  • check: the command in "0_Sleep-sound-command.txt" now looks like this:
sudo apt-get install -y mpv && mpv --loop-file=inf "/media/mint/USB_stick2/SleepSounds/01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"

[i] This is an example, the path to your MP3 file is different

  • click in the text editor's text pane
  • press [Ctrl]+[a] simultaneously, to select the full command
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously, to copy the command to your clipboard
  • go to [Menu File\Save]
  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • right-click in the Terminal window
  • click [Paste], to paste the command on your clipboard
  • press [Enter]
  • check: your MP3 file is played by MPV, and it's showing something like this:
Reading package lists... Done
{lines removed}
 (+) Audio --aid=1 (mp3 2ch 48000Hz)
File tags:
 Artist: MC2Method.org
 Album: MC2Method.org WhiteNoise
 Title: White Noise 01
 Track: 1
AO: [pipewire] 48000Hz stereo 2ch floatp
A: 00:01:38 / 00:10:01 (18%)
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously, to silence MPV

▹ 7. Load the sleep-sound-radio-station-list.txt file in antiXradio 🔗

TODO This method is in DEV state

▹ 8. Script method on an installed Linux OS 🔗

The script method is the best way to go, if you want to make your Sleep Sound Machine start automatically at startup, or when there's no Internet connection available in the bedroom. Do the following (Linux Mint Cinnamon):

  • install MPV Media Player, by typing the following command in Terminal:
sudo apt-get install -y mpv

[i] You can also use your Software Manager GUI to install the MPV Media Player

  • go to the file manager
  • browse to [/home/$USER/Music/SleepSounds], or to the "SleepSounds" folder on USB stick #2
  • left-click the MP3 file with your favorite sleep sound
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously, to copy the path to the MP3 file to your clipboard
  • open your text editor (e.g. Xed or Geany)
  • paste the path to the MP3 file into a (temporary) "memo.txt" text file
  • leave "memo.txt" opened in the text editor
  • create a folder [/home/$USER/Scripts]

[i] You can also find the script beneath as "2508NN-{version}-sleep-sound-machine-script-for-linux.sh" in the general folder. After downloading the file, rename it into "sleep-sound-machine.sh"

  • open your text editor (e.g. Xed or Geany)
  • copy/paste the following text into a blank text file:
#! /bin/bash
# Scriptcode=2508NN

# Please enter the full path to your favorite sleep sound MP3 file, or the URL of the radio station:
MySleepSoundFile="CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"

# For example:
# MySleepSoundFile="/home/$USER/Music/SleepSounds/01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"
# or (on an USB stick):
# MySleepSoundFile="/media/mint/USB_stick/SleepSounds/ATA-Air-purifier-60min.mp3"
# or (a radio station):
# MySleepSoundFile="http://uk1.internet-radio.com:8280/listen.pls"

echo "==================================================="
echo "                 Sleep Sound Machine"
echo "==================================================="
echo ""
echo "The following file is played infinitely:"
echo "$MySleepSoundFile"
echo ""
echo "Press [Ctrl]+[c] to silence the Sleep Sound Machine"
echo ""
echo "==================================================="
echo ""
mpv --loop-file=inf $MySleepSoundFile
  • go to [menu File\Save as]
  • save this script as [/home/$USER/Scripts/sleep-sound-machine.sh]
  • leave "sleep-sound-machine.sh" opened in the text editor
  • click on the "memo.txt" tab in the text editor (or open "memo.txt" when closed)
  • press [Ctrl]+[a] simultaneously, to select the full path to your favorite MP3 file
  • press [Ctrl]+[c] simultaneously, to copy the path to your clipboard
  • delete the "memo.txt" text file
  • go to the opened [/home/$USER/Scripts/sleep-sound-machine.sh] file
  • double-click "CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"
  • press [Ctrl]+[v] simultaneously, to to paste the path to the MP3 file, that's on your clipboard
  • check: the line with "MySleepSoundFile=" now looks like this:
MySleepSoundFile="/home/mint/Music/SleepSounds/01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"

or:

MySleepSoundFile="/media/mint/USB_stick2/SleepSounds/01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"

[i] These are examples, the path to your MP3 file is different.

  • make the script executable, by typing the following command in Terminal:
sudo chmod 770 /home/$USER/Scripts/sleep-sound-machine.sh

[i] In Linux Mint, this can also be achieved by using the option [sleep-sound-machine.sh\right-click\Properties\Permissions\Execute], on = "Allow executing file as a program". This pane may look different in another Linux OS. When you see three "execute" checkboxes, only check "owner" and "group".

Put "Make Link" in the context menu of your File Manager:

  • go to [Application menu\accessories\Files]
  • go to [Menu Edit\preferences\Context Menus\Selection]
  • on = Make Link

Create a shortcut on your desktop:

  • right-click [/home/$USER/Scripts/sleep-sound-machine.sh]
  • click "Make Link"
  • move [/home/$USER/Scripts/Link to sleep-sound-machine.sh] to [/home/$USER/Desktop]
  • right-click the shortcut, click "Rename"
  • rename the shortcut into "Sleep Sound Machine"
  • right-click the shortcut, click "Properties"
  • click the icon
  • type "sleep"
  • click the "gnome-session-sleep" icon
  • click [Select], [Close]

Make the script auto-start:

  • go to [application menu\preferences\startup applications]
  • click the [+] button
  • click [Custom command]
  • Name = Sleep Sound Machine
  • Command = bash /home/$USER/Scripts/sleep-sound-machine.sh
  • Comment = Start the Sleep Sound Machine script
  • Startup delay = 10
  • klik [Add]

▹ 9. Script method for Windows 🔗

TEST This method isn't tested yet. Please test this method for me on your Windows 10/11 machine, and send your findings/corrections/remarks to [od4knb monkey tail gmail dot com], mentioning your Windows version and CPU architecture. Thanks in advance! If not tested, this section and script 2508NP, will be removed on 01-nov-2025.

[i] You can find alternative download sites here

  • go to the version that has the [latest] tag
  • click "▶ Assets"
  • download the "ffmpeg...7z" package, that matches your CPU architecture

[i] The Ffmpeg package is required by MPV Media Player. "aarch64" = arm64, "i686" = 32bit/IA-32/i386, "x86-64" = amd64/x86-64-v1 & x86-64-v2, "x86-64-v3" = amd64/x86-64-v3 & x86-64-v4. When you're not shure what CPU is in your laptop, it's most likely "x86-64-v3" (amd64) or "aarch64" (arm64). You can also read the instructions in the Determine your CPU architecture (32\/64 bits) section.

  • download the "mpv...7z" package, that matches your CPU architecture

[!] Do not download a "mpv-dev-...7z", or "mpv...gcc...7z" file

[i] A ".7z" file is an archive container ("zip") created by the free 7-Zip app. I use 7-Zip in this example, but you can also try WinZip (paid, but has a trial version), or your Windows archive manager to extract ("unzip") the .7z archives.

  • download the .exe package that matches your CPU architecture.

[i] When you're not shure what CPU is in your laptop, it's most likely a "64-bit x64" (x86-64/amd64) or "64-bit arm64" (aarch64) CPU. You can also read the instructions in the Determine your CPU architecture (32\/64 bits) section.

  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [Desktop\My Documents\Downloads] or [This computer\C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Downloads]
  • double-click the "7z{version}-{CpuArchitecture}.exe" file (e.g. "7z2501-x64.exe")
  • check: the "7-Zip {version} Setup" pane is opened
  • click [Install], [Close]
  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [Desktop\My Documents\Downloads] or [This computer\C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Downloads]
  • right-click the "ffmpeg...7z" file (e.g. "ffmpeg-x86-64-git-6711c6a89.7z")
  • select [7-Zip]
  • click [extract to "ffmpeg...\"]
  • open the "ffmpeg...\" folder
  • check: ffmpeg.exe is extracted here
  • double-click "ffmpeg.exe"
  • follow the on-screen instructions to install Ffmpeg
  • right-click the "mpv...7z" file (e.g. "mpv-x86_64-20250811-git-01b7edc.7z")
  • select [7-Zip]
  • click [extract to "mpv...\"]
  • open the "mpv...\" folder
  • check: mpv.exe is extracted here
  • double-click "mpv.exe"
  • follow the on-screen instructions to install MPV Media Player
  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [Desktop\My Documents\Downloads] or [This computer\C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents]
  • right-click in the right pane
  • click [New\Folder]
  • type: "Scripts" [Enter]
  • check: the folder [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Scripts] is created

[i] You can also find the script beneath as "2508NP-{version}-sleep-sound-machine-script-for-windows.cmd" in the general folder. After downloading the file, rename it into "sleep-sound-machine.cmd"

  • go to [start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Notepad]
  • copy/paste the following code into the blank page:
:: ScriptCode="2508NP"

:: Please enter the full path to your favorite sleep sound MP3 file, or the URL of the radio station:
SET MySleepSoundFile="CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"

:: For example:
:: SET MySleepSoundFile="C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\My Music\SleepSounds\01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"
:: or (on an USB stick):
:: SET MySleepSoundFile="E:\SleepSounds\01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"
:: or (a stream or radio station):
:: SET MySleepSoundFile="http://uk1.internet-radio.com:8280/listen.pls"

echo ===================================================
echo                  Sleep Sound Machine
echo ===================================================
echo 
echo The following file is played infinitely:
echo %MySleepSoundFile%
echo 
echo Press [Ctrl]+[c] to silence the Sleep Sound Machine
echo 
echo ===================================================
echo 
mpv --loop-file=inf %MySleepSoundFile%
  • go to [menu File\Save as]
  • browse to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Scripts]
  • File name = sleep-sound-machine.cmd
  • Save as type = All files
  • Encoding = UTF-8
  • Click the [Save] button
  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Scripts]
  • check: the script "sleep-sound-machine.cmd" is present, without ".txt" at the end
  • right-click "sleep-sound-machine.cmd"
  • click [Create shortcut]
  • move the "Shortcut to sleep-sound-machine.cmd" file to [C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop]
  • rename "Shortcut to sleep-sound-machine.cmd" into "Sleep Sound Machine"
  • right-click the "Sleep Sound Machine" shortcut
  • click [Properties], [Another icon], [Browse]
  • go to [C:\Windows\Icons] (or anywhere else)
  • select the 32x32 pixels icon of your choice

[i] You can also download a nice crescent icon (.png) from Flaticon, and change/convert it using IloveIMG.

  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • cut & paste all the sleep sound MP3 files from [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Downloads] to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\My Music\Sleepsounds]
  • go to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\My Music\Sleepsounds]
  • right-click on your favorite sleep sound MP3 file, e.g. "01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"
  • go to [tab general\Location]
  • select the full path behind "Location:" using a "rubberband select", or:
  • click at the beginning of the path (right before before e.g. "C:\..."), press [Shift]+[End]
  • right-click the selection
  • click [Copy], [Cancel]

[i] The path to your favorite sleep sound MP3 file is now on your clipboard

  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\Scripts]
  • right-click "sleep-sound-machine.cmd"
  • select [Edit] or [Edit with Notepad]
  • check: Notepad is showing the contents of the script file

[i] This way you can always edit the script, to change the path to your favorite sleep sound MP3

  • you'll find the following lines:
:: Please enter the full path to your favorite sleep sound file:
SET MySleepSoundFile="CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"
  • double-click "CopyPasteThePathToTheMp3FileHere"
  • press [Ctrl]+[v] simultaneously, to to paste the path to the MP3 file, that's on your clipboard
  • check: the line with "SET MySleepSoundFile=" now looks like this:
SET MySleepSoundFile="C:\\Documents and Settings\\YourUserName\\My Documents\\My Music\\SleepSounds\\01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"

or (on an USB stick):

SET MySleepSoundFile="E:\\SleepSounds\\01-White-Noise-10min.mp3"

[i] These are examples, the path to your MP3 file is different.

  • go to [menu File\Save]
  • go to [menu File\Quit]
  • double-click the "Sleep Sound Machine" shortcut on your desktop
  • check: you'll see something like this:
===================================================
                  Sleep Sound Machine
===================================================

The following file is played infinitely:
C:\\Documents and Settings\\YourUserName\\My Documents\\My Music\\SleepSounds\\01-White-Noise-10min.mp3

Press [Ctrl]+[c] to silence the Sleep Sound Machine

===================================================
  (+) Audio --aid=1 (mp3 2ch 48000Hz)
File tags:
 Artist: MC2Method.org
 Album: MC2Method.org WhiteNoise
 Title: White Noise 01
 Track: 1
AO: [pipewire] 48000Hz stereo 2ch floatp
A: 00:01:38 / 00:10:01 (18%)
  • check: your sleep sound should now be played

If you want to automatically start the Sleep Sound Machine when you boot your laptop:

  • go to [Start menu\all programs\accessoiries\Windows Explorer]
  • go to [C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop]
  • copy shortcut [C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Sleep Sound Machine] to [C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Start menu\Programs\Startup]

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Solving sound problems 🔗

▹ No sound 🔗

When you have no sound, the onboard sound card (connected to the green jack output) is most likely not selected. Perhaps the audio chip on your video card is selected instead. Try the following (Linux Mint):

  • insert the jack plug of your headphones/speakers into the green outlet (before you power on the PC/laptop)
  • power-on the computer speakers or mini-amp
  • power on the laptop/PC
  • go to [application menu\preferences\audio\tab Output\Device]
  • select another audio device (audio chip, sound card)
  • go to "Device settings"
  • click the [Test sound] button
  • click the [Front left] button
  • check: a voice says "Front left"
  • click the [Front right] button
  • check: a voice says "Front right"
  • click the [Close] button

If that doesn't solve the problem, try the following:

  • insert the jack plug of your headphones/speakers/mini-amp into the green outlet (before you power on the PC/laptop)
  • power-on the computer speakers or mini-amp
  • power on the laptop/PC
  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • type:
alsamixer
  • press [Enter]
  • press the [F6] key (Select sound card)
  • select another sound card by pressing the [arrow-down] key
  • press [Enter]
  • press the [Esc] key
  • click the [X] button

▹ Clipping (sound distortion) 🔗

Don't set your sound card's master volume too high, as this can cause clipping (distortion). The sound card's master volume slider is usually shown when clicking the speaker or musical note icon in the system tray (next to the date/time display). Best practice:

  • set the sound card master volume level to a maximum of 75%
  • set the audio player app volume level to a maximum of 75% (e.g. in the SMplayer GUI, or the in-browser app)
  • set the external mini-amp or computer speakers volume level to a maximum of 75%
  • close all apps on your desktop, except for the app that's playing the audio file or audio stream URL

If the sound is still distorted, try lowering the sound card master volume level. When using headphones or the internal laptop speakers, set the audio player app volume level to your liking.

▹ Hiccups (short interruptions in sound) 🔗

When playing an MP3 file infinitely, using the "--loop-file=inf" switch in SMplayer or an MPV command, it is normal that there's a hiccup at the end of the track (file), when the player replays the same track. During the playback of the track, there should'nt be any hiccups. When using a 60 or 75 minutes MP3 file, the "end of file hiccup" is once every 60/75 minutes, instead of every 10 minutes, when using a "10min" MP3 file.

When playing a stream URL (radio station) in SMplayer, MPV or your browser, there should'nt arise any hiccups at all, because a radio station doesn't have "an end of a track", it's always infinite.

To investigate your sound configuration, do the following (Linux Mint):

  • go to [apllication menu\Terminal]
  • install the "PulseAudio Volume Control" GUI app, by typing:
sudo apt-get install -y pavucontrol

[!] antiX Linux doesn't have a PulseAudio sound server (the "pulseaudio" package) installed, but does have the "PulseAudio Volume Control" app, and the "pipewire-pulse" package installed. pipewire-pulse provides an interface for PulseAudio applications to work with a PipeWire sound server.

  • insert your headphones, or cable to your computer speakers/mini-amp, into the green female jack on your PC/laptop
  • go to [application menu\sound & video\PulseAudio Volume Control]
  • go to [tab Configuration]
  • go to the section [Built-in Audio] (the onboard audio controller)

[i] When your PC has more than one audio controller (sound chip), probably on your sound card or video card, go to the controller to which your speakers or mini-amp are connected. A video card can also have a sound chip, to add sound to the HDMI or DisplayPort output.

  • click the [▼] button behind "Profile:", to open the pull down menu
  • select "analog stereo output" (not "analog stereo duplex")
  • go to [tab Output devices\Built-in Audio\Port]
  • select the port (green female jack) in which the audio cable is plugged-in: analog output = green laptop jack; headphones = PC front panel/laptop; line out = PC backplane
  • set the volume slider to 75% (this is the sound card master volume level)

[i] When the slider cannot be moved, audio is muted. Press the [speaker-square] button, next to the [padlock] button. When you want to set the left and right volume seperately, click the [padlock] button.

  • click the [▶] button before "Advanced", to show the advanced options
  • in the field behind "Latency offset:", enter value "0.00", if not already entered
  • click the [X] button to close the "Volume Control" window
  • close your network connection, by clicking the [3-square] icon in the system tray, and sliding the [Wired] or [Wi-Fi] button to the left
  • close all apps on your desktop, except for the app that's playing the audio file or audio stream URL (SMplayer/browser/terminal)
  • when audio is still distorted, also close the desklets (small panes with time, CPU, RAM etc.) on your desktop

[i] When you experience hiccups when the laptop lid is closed, leave the lid opened, and dim your screen by (most often) holding down the [FN] key (blue print), and repeatedly pressing the [arrow-down] key. When the [arrow-down] key doesn't work, try the [arrow-left] key, or look for the [F5] or [F6] key with a sun or lightbulb, printed in blue.

▹ Get the brand and model number of your audio chip (sound card/controller) 🔗

When you want to search for drivers (software) for your sound card, you need the brand and model number of the device.

  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • type:
sudo apt-get install -y inxi && inxi -v8
  • go to the "Audio:" section
  • go to "Device-1"
  • the value of "Device-1" gives the brand and model number of your audio chip

▹ Check the installed driver for your sound card 🔗

  • go to [application menu\administration\driver manager]
  • select another driver for your sound card (when displayed)
  • click [Apply changes]

[i] You can only select, not add a driver in this applet

▹ Install proprietary audio driver from the manufacturer's website 🔗

TODO The package must be installed with the [sudo apt-get install] command

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Using Flameshot to create and edit screenshots 🔗

The Flameshot app is much easier to work with, and has a lot of features that the "Screenshot" app (gnome-screenshot, default in Linux Mint) lacks. With Flameshot you can highlight or hide an area, add numbers, arrows and text, etc.

Flameshot can capture a pull down menu, but not the mouse pointer. Considering the great features of Flameshot, I don't consider that a disadvantage.

Packages are available for several different distros. To use Flameshot, do the following:

  • in your Terminal window, type: 
sudo apt-get install -y flameshot
  • press [enter]
  • check: Flameshot is being installed
  • type "exit" [Enter]
  • go to [application menu\accessoiries\Flameshot]
  • right-click the Flameshot icon in the system tray (Ubuntu: top right, Linux Mint: bottom right)
  • click [Open Launcher]
  • check: the "Capture Launcher" pane is opened
  • behind "Area:" select "Rectangular region"
  • behind "Delay:" select "5 seconds"
  • behind "BxH+x+y", in the four separate fields, type successively: "500", "500", "0", "0"
  • press the [Windows] and [D] key simultaneously, to minimize all windows
  • put the application window, that you want to make a screenshot of, on the left side of your desktop
  • put the "Capture Launcher" pane on the right side of your desktop
  • click the [Take new screenshot] button
  • quickly open the pull down menu in the application window, that you want to make a screenshot of
  • note: the mouse pointer will not be captured
  • release your mouse and keyboard
  • wait for the purple "Mouse - Ctrl+S - Ctrl+C (etc.)" pane to show
  • click and pull the purple dots in the outline, to select the desired capture area
  • edit the selected area, by using the buttons to mark or hide an area, place numbers or arrows, or add text
  • press the [Floppy Disk] icon, to save the capture as a .png file
  • check: a "Save Screenshot" item selector pane is shown
  • after "Name:", and after "YYYY-MM-DD_hh-mm", type an an appropriate name for the screenshot
  • browse to the desired folder
  • click the [Save] button

[!] Flameshot 12.1.0 (Debian 12.1.0-2build2) works perfectly on Linux Mint 22, but version 12.1.0 (Debian 12.1.0+ds-2) doesn't work correctly on Ubuntu 25.04. I posted an issue at the Flameshot Issue page.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Splitting and reassembling a big file using split/cat 🔗

TODO This section is in DEV state

It's not advised to upload a very large file (e.g. a backup of a 25 GB VeraCrypt container) in one piece to your online Proton Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive etc., because, when your Internet connection is stuttering after two hours, with the upload hourglass at say 50%, the complete upload is lost, and you have to start all over again :-(

Chopping up a BigFile that's larger than 4 GB, can also be very handy, when you need to copy such a file to a file system that doesn't support files larger than 4 GB, such as FAT16 or FAT32.

This how-to includes the following method:

  • chop the BigFile in pieces of 1 GB or 500 MB using the split command
  • upload the folder with the pieces of the BigFile to your online drive

In case of emergency:

  • download the folder with the pieces of BigFile
  • reassemble the pieces of BigFile using the cat command

Do the following:

▹ 1. Chop the BigFile into pieces 🔗

  • go to [application menu\accessories\Files] (your File Manager)
  • create a folder "Temp1" on your HDD/SSD/USB-stick

[i] In this example, the BigFile "VeraCryptContainer1.vcc" is located on an external drive labled "Backup_HDD"

[!] There must be enough free space available on the HDD/SSD/USB-stick: at least twice the size of your BigFile

  • copy the BigFile to the "Temp1" folder
  • add the DateTime of the present moment (the DateTime of the backup), in the notation "YYYY-MM-DD-hh.mm-" (or whatever you like) in front of the BigFile in the "Temp1" folder, e.g.:
2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc
  • left-click on the BigFile in the "Temp1" folder
  • press the [Ctrl]+[c] buttons on your keyboard simultaneously, to copy the file path of BigFile to your clipboard

[i] In this example (on Linux Mint), the path to "/Temp1/BigFile" (the temporary copy of BigFile) is:

"/media/mint/Backup_HDD/Temp1/2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc"

[!] Your path to BigFile is different

  • change the following command to match your situation:
split --bytes=500MB --suffix-length=3 --numeric-suffixes=001 --verbose "PastePathToBigFileOnYourClipBoardHere" "FileNameOfThePieces." > "/home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-split.log"" 2>&1

[!] Always create a logfile (the path after the ">"), otherwise, when the Terminal/OS crashes, you can't determine the cause of faillure

[!] Pay attention to the {""} at the end of the logfile path. Dubble-quotes must always be paired.

Explanation of the split command:

  • --bytes=500MB = all pieces are 500 MB in size, except for the last one (the remainder). --bytes=1GB = 1GB pieces
  • --suffix-length=3 = the addition behind the piece filename is 3 characters long
  • --numeric-suffixes=001 = the numbering of the pieces (the suffix) starts at "001", next piece is "002", etc.
  • --verbose = extended information on screen or in the logfile
  • "PastePathToBigFileOnYourClipBoardHere" = "/path/to/Temp1/BigFile" = full path to the non-chopped BigFile in the Temp1 folder
  • "FileNameOfPieces." = the filename of the pieces, in front of the suffix (numbering). Always add a dot at the end
  • 2>&1 = all standard messages and errors are registered in the logfile

For example:

split --bytes=500MB --suffix-length=3 --numeric-suffixes=001 --verbose "/media/mint/Backup_HDD/Temp1/2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc" "2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc." > "/home/$USER/"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S')-split.log"" 2>&1

The pieces (created in the Temp1 folder) will be named:

2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc.001
2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc.002
2025-09-04-16.24-VeraCryptContainer1.vcc.003 (etc.)
  • copy the split command that matches your situation to your clipboard
  • go to [application menu\Terminal]
  • right-click in the Terminal window
  • click "Paste"
  • press [enter]
  • check: the split command is running, but you'll see no messages in the Terminal window
  • go to [application menu\accessoiries\text editor]
  • open the [/home/$USER/YYYY-MM-DD-hh.mm.ss-split.log] logfile, and check for errors

[i] In the Geany text editor you can press [Ctrl]+[r] to reload the log file, while the split command is running. In other text editors, that don't have a "reload" menu option, you probably have to: ~ press [F5] ~ click [Cancel] ~ click [Reload].

TODO

  • delete the non-chopped copy of BigFile in the Temp1 folder

[!] Always perform a restore test, before you delete the original BigFile. There's no guarantee that the pieces-set isn't corrupted!

▹ 2. Change the Power Management settings 🔗

To prevent your PC/laptop from falling asleep when the pieces of BigFile are beeing uploaded, you have to adjust your Power management settings. Do the following (Linux Mint):

  • go to [application menu\preferences\power management]
  • set the options:
  • Turn off screen = never
  • Suspend when inactive for = never
  • When power button is pressed = ask (default)
  • Power mode = balanced (default)

TODO

▹ 3. Upload the pieces to your online (backup) drive 🔗

TODO

▹ 4. Reassemble the pieces 🔗

To restore the chopped-up BigFile on your online drive to your HDD/SSD in case of an emergency, you first have to reassemble it.

TODO

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ List of 32 bit Linux distros (IA-32/i386) 🔗

Lightweight

Mediumweight

[i] Debian doesn't create 32 bit ISO files anymore. The last 32 bit version was 12.11.0.

Ultra lightweight

Tools

Reviews

No live-system (only installer)

No Desktop Environment (no GUI)

ISO files that can't be booted using a Ventoy bootloader

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Ranking RAM Usage of Linux Distros 🔗

Ranking RAM usage at startup of several lightweight and mediumweight Linux distro's: (booted from ISO (Live-system), using a Ventoy bootloader)

  1. Damn Small Linux (DSL)(32bit): 86 MB
  2. antiX Linux SysVinit & Runit full (32bit): 95 MB
  3. Bodhi Linux (32bit): 140 MB
  4. antiX Linux SysVinit full (64bit): 214 MB
  5. antiX Linux Runit full (64bit): 228 MB
  6. Sparky Linux Minimal GUI (32bit): 250 MB
  7. BunsenLabs Boron (32bit): 265 MB
  8. MX Linux Fluxbox (32bit): 500 MB (MX Linux is the middleweight nephew of lightweight antiX Linux)
  9. Linux Mint Debian Edition Cinnamon (LMDE) (32bit): 780 MB
  10. MX Linux Xfce (32bit): 790 MB
  11. Linux Mint Xfce (64bit): 830 MB
  12. Linux Mint MATE (64bit): 870 MB
  13. Linux Mint Cinnamon (64bit): 1.1 GB
  14. Linux Mint Debian Edition - LMDE (64bit): 1.1 GB

Bodhi-32bit-ISO is very beautiful, but bare (out-of-the-box): no firewall applet, no LibreOffice, no Chromium/Firefox, and it does not support the exFAT File System (my standard FS for transport media) ... You have to install Bodhi, instead of just booting the ISO, and add a lot of apps to make it workable. The antiX-full-ISO's (32bit and 64bit) on the other hand, are very complete OOTB: all the apps and tools you need.

Even Ubuntu (64bit) is bare OOTB: no exFAT, gUFW, ifconfig, Timezone applet, GDebi etc. Debian-32bit doesn't even have a firewall installed, and the UFW Firewall package is not in the 32bit repository (it is in the 64bit repo though). Bare ISO's are not suitable for novice Linux users.

For several years, my daily driver is Linux Mint Cinnamon (64bit): stable, complete and beautiful, looks just like Windows 10, but, to run it you'll need at least a 2-core-2GHz-CPU + 4 GB RAM. It's not suitable for really old computers.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Radio Kootwijk 🔗

Radio Kootwijk is located nearby Apeldoorn and Arnhem in The Netherlands. Perhaps you've seen it on the TV series Arcadia or the Mindhunters movie.

The radio technology of Radio Kootwijk was quite impressive, and its architecture still is. The desktop wallpaper of od4knb Linux gives a nice impression of the signal room. The building is located in the middle of beautiful nature, nearby De Hoge Veluwe National Park. Visit Radio Kootwijk and De Hoge Veluwe National Park!

[Website Radio Kootwijk] [On the map] [Tourist information] [Website De Hoge Veluwe National Park]

[i] Radio Kootwijk (owned by Dutch State Forest Management) and De Hoge Veluwe National Park (a privately owned independent foundation are non-commercial endeavours.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Policy, comments and disclaimer 🔗

od4knb Linux:

  • is not part of antiX Linux, it only uses its software as a base for the "od4knb-antiXradio.iso/img" files
  • has not been assigned a trademark by the Linux Mark Institute, but follows it's guidelines.
  • rejects URLs of radio stations that are religious or politically motivated, not objective, or otherwise questionable
  • keeps the antiX Linux principle "Proudly anti-fascist" in mind (not authoritarian, not nationalistic)
  • does not provide streams from radio stations that are a "puppet" of a (semi) authoritarian government
  • does not accept any financial donations, but please consider a donation to antiX Linux or Linux Mint
  • has no interest in the brands of devices/software/websites etc. mentioned in od4knb Linux publications
  • doesn't earn any money with it's activities in any way, and does not receive any non-monetary compensation
  • presents all software downloads under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3): free to use, open source, but it is greatly appreciated if you mention od4knb Linux and antiX Linux in your publications/software
  • presents all non-software downloads (audio files, manuals etc.) as Public Domain: free for personal and commercial use, unless mentioned otherwise in the Licenses section
  • has not checked the radio stations for legality, because checking this is extremely complicated. There are several checks that need to be carried out: does the broadcaster: ~ earn money by broadcasting (commercials)? ~ receive donations (also considered income by the tax authorities)? ~ pay its taxes to the government? ~ pay a fee to the music creators association? ~ broadcast illegal/criminal spoken content? etc.
  • cannot guarantee that the installation is completely safe and unwreckable
  • has done it's very best to prevent malware slipping into the installation: ~ the internet browser has not been used for browsing the Internet on the Build PC ~ the network egress firewall is set to "High", unsafe UDP/TCP ports are closed ~ packages have been installed using the official MX Linux/Debian repositories ~ this SourceForge site is 2FA protected
  • has tested the radio station streams carefully, but it is possible that some stations will seize broadcasting in the near future.

[!] If you notice something wrong, please let me know! I will take appropriate measures.

[Go to the Table of Contents]

⬥ Post scriptum

▹ Contact 🔗

od4knb monkey tail gmail dot com

▹ Notice 🔗

▹ Licenses 🔗

▹ GPLv3 License 🔗

▹ Other licenses 🔗

▹ Under Copyright 🔗

  • Desktop Wallpaper copyright owner: National Archives of The Netherlands (Collection Spaarnestad/Het Leven/Photographer unknown/ref. SFA022812731), permission to use for the od4knb Linux project only

▹ Donations 🔗

[i] od4knb Linux doesn't accept any donations

▹ Credits 🔗

  • Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

▹ Special thanks to 🔗

▹ Keywords 🔗

<meta name="keywords" content="Linux, antiXradio, Radio-antiX, internet radio, radio streams, dutch radio stations, nederlandse zenders, regionale zenders, Refracta Snapshot, antiX WiFi, antiX Wi-Fi, antiX WLAN, antiX wireless network, oude computer, old computer, vieil ordinateur, alter Rechner, 古いコンピューター, 旧电脑, old laptop, i386, 32-bit, 32bit, against e-waste, thrift store, second hand shop, kringloopwinkel, Gebrauchtwarenladen, friperie, magasin d'occasion, sleep sounds, white noise, insomnia, tinnitus, proton vpn app, proton vpn client for linux">

Source: 2411D3-051.11-od4knb-linux-readme-for-files-folder.md, updated 2025-09-27