The XeroLinux Distro

XeroLinux is a KDE Plasma-based Arch Linux distribution focused on aesthetics and usability. For mid-range or higher hardware, it provides a polished out-of-the-box experience. It can run on lower-end systems, but performance may vary.

Note

If you prefer not to use the ISO, the same result can be achieved with the XeroInstall script on a base Arch install.

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ISO Variants

XeroLinux ships as two separate ISOs:

• Standard ISO — For Intel and AMD GPU systems
• nVidia ISO — For RTX-series cards using modern open drivers

Caution

Legacy nVidia 900/1000 series cards are not supported by the nVidia ISO. Use the Standard ISO and install the legacy 580xx drivers manually via the toolkit. The ISO will boot in nomodeset (low-res) until drivers are installed. No support is provided for these legacy drivers.

This split ensures each ISO targets its hardware cleanly — fewer black screens, better reliability.

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GPU Swap Detection

A background service monitors your GPU hardware. If a change is detected (e.g., swapping an nVidia card for AMD), a notification appears in Plasma offering to install or remove the correct drivers automatically.

Supported: Intel, AMD, nVidia, and hybrid configurations.

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Boot Requirements

Requirement	Details
Firmware	UEFI only — Legacy BIOS/MBR is not supported
Boot tool	Ventoy recommended (provides GRUB fallback)
Session	Wayland by default — X11 can be re-enabled via the toolkit

Tip

Avoid burning with Etcher or similar tools — there’s no fallback if SystemD-Boot fails. Use Ventoy instead.

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Calamares Installer

XeroLinux uses the Calamares installer.

Key features:

• Encryption — LUKS2 full-disk encryption
• System update during install — Packages are updated as part of the installation process (duration depends on update size and connection speed)

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Post-Install Setup

XeroLinux Toolkit

The toolkit (first icon on the dock) handles initial system configuration. See the full Customization Hub documentation for details.

If updating from an older toolkit version, the dock icon may disappear. Run the following to restore it, then restart the shell with rshell:

sed -i.bak \
  -e '\|^localPath=/home/|d' \
  -e 's|^url=file:///usr/share/applications/xapit-cli.desktop$|url=file:///usr/share/applications/xero-toolkit.desktop|' \
  "$HOME/.config/plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc"

Fingerprint Support

An in-house fingerprint GUI tool is available via the toolkit.

Note

Polkit may still prompt for a password — swipe your finger to authenticate. Terminal authentication works out of the box. For SDDM details, see this guide.

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Filesystem & Swap

Feature	Options
Filesystems	xfs, ext4, btrfs
Encryption	LUKS2
Swap	zRAM via zram-generator

Check zRAM status with zramctl --output-all. See the zram-generator documentation for configuration.

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Package Managers

No GUI package manager is included by default. Available via the toolkit:

• Octopi
• Bauh
• Bazaar

Danger

Avoid KDE Discover — it’s known to cause stability issues on Arch-based systems.

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Kernel Manager / SCX

The toolkit includes a Kernel Manager and sched-ext tool for kernel tuning.

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Troubleshooting

Pacman DB Error

If you encounter unknown key "%INSTALL_DB%" in local database during updates:

sudo find /var/lib/pacman/local/ -type f -name "desc" -exec sed -i '/^%INSTALLED_DB%$/,+2d' {} \;

Alternatively, use Pacman DB Fix in the toolkit under Servicing/System Tweaks.

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Support

For installation-related questions, reach out on Fosstodon or Discord. Hardware-specific issues are best directed to the ArchWiki or community Discord.