Raspberry Pi from the inside, part 2 – system installation step by step
Raspberry Pi from the inside, part 2 – system installation step by stepDate of publication: 11-03-2026 🕒 6 min read
When buying a Raspberry Pi, we get a computer without an operating system – it needs to be downloaded from the Internet and configured by yourself. Experimenting with our computer or its software, we may reach a point where it will be necessary to reinstall the operating system or the associated packages (software libraries). In the previous article, it was discussed what criteria to follow when choosing a Raspberry Pi model and operating system; now we will describe how to install the chosen system and how it can be “refreshed”.
The first steps with Raspberry Pi should begin by loading the chosen operating system onto a microSD card, which should be inserted into the microcomputer’s slot before powering on. For this purpose, you will need:
- A PC with Internet access (preferably a fast connection, because depending on the chosen system, we will be downloading from several hundred MB up to several GB of data),
- A microSD card reader connected to the PC’s USB port,
- A fast microSD card with at least 8GB capacity (16GB recommended),
- Raspberry Pi,
- Power supply for Raspberry Pi,
- Optionally: keyboard, mouse, monitor (alternatively, configuration can be done headless via SSH).
Installing Raspberry Pi OS
For the purpose of this description, let us assume that the 32-bit version of Raspberry Pi OS will be installed, which can also be supported by boards with modest hardware resources (less memory, weaker processor, etc.) or is required for compatibility with older software and more stable operation of software library packages provided by independent developers.
To write the image to the microSD card, it is most convenient to use a PC with an attached card reader and the Raspberry Pi Imager program installed. On a Windows, MacOS, or Linux PC:
- Go to the page https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/.
- Download Raspberry Pi Imager for your system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- Install the downloaded program on your computer.
- Launch Raspberry Pi Imager.
- Click Choose model and select the type of Raspberry Pi for which you will download the operating system.
- Click Choose OS, then select Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit) or another version (Lite, Desktop, etc.).
If you want to install e.g., Ubuntu, choose Other general-purpose OS. Other operating systems, such as those for multimedia centers, are available in options like Media player, Emulation and game OS, etc.
- Click Choose storage and select the microSD card in the reader.
- Click Continue. A window will appear where you click Edit settings. This will take you to configure options. Start by selecting the General tab.
- Set hostname (default value is raspberrypi).
- Set login and password.
- Configure Wi-Fi network – enter the SSID and password of the available network. Wi-Fi Country – select PL from the list.
- Localization settings – time zone (Europe/Warsaw) and keyboard layout (pl).
- Select the Services tab. Choose Enable SSH and Use password authentication.
- Select the Options tab. Check Eject media when finished (which will unmount the device in Windows or Linux) and Enable telemetry (measuring download speed).
- Click Save.
- Wait for the process to finish (several minutes).
- After completion, remove the microSD card from the reader and insert it into the Raspberry Pi slot.
- Power on the Raspberry Pi.
- If you have a monitor, you will see the Raspberry Pi OS startup screen. If configuring the board without a physical monitor, then:
- Check the IP address on the router.
- Connect via SSH: ssh
@<adres_IP>. When asked for a password, enter the one you set in the Imager.
Backup and Reinstallation of the Operating System
The easiest way to backup a Raspberry Pi system is to copy the entire SD card or use tools such as SD Card Copier, rsync, rpi-clone, or raspiBackup. This allows quick restoration of the system in case of failure.
The simplest and most commonly used method is to create an image of the entire SD card. On a Linux computer, you can use the command:
sudo dd if=/dev/sdX of=raspberrypi_backup.img bs=4M status=progress
where /dev/sdX is the path to the SD card.
On a Windows computer, you can use programs like Win32 Disk Imager or balenaEtcher. On Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS installed, there is the SD Card Copier program available in the Accessories menu. It copies the contents of the current card to another SD card or USB drive – it is worth running it after initial system configuration. The program has a graphical interface and does not require terminal knowledge, making it very good for beginners.
For more advanced users, Rsync and Rclone programs are alternatives. The first allows making copies of changed files, while the second enables backup to cloud services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox. Note that these tend to be data backups rather than full system backups. Example usage:
rsync -av --progress /home/pi/ /media/backup/home_pi/
From repositories available on GitHub, you can download rpi-clone and/or raspiBackup programs. The first is basically a script designed to clone the system to another SD card or USB drive.
Installation:
git clone https://github.com/billw2/rpi-clone.git
sudo cp rpi-clone/rpi-clone /usr/local/sbin
Launching:
sudo rpi-clone sda
raspiBackup is a more advanced tool allowing multiple system backup versions and easy restoration.
For simple projects and to save time, an SD card image created, for example, once a week or once a month (depending on needs), is sufficient. For intensive work and experiments, using rsync or rpi-clone for quick and frequent backups is advisable. For storing backups in the cloud, rclone works best.
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