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  • Post #1
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![](https://)I just ran across your Distro and it Seems impressive but I have a couple of questions. I'm watching a video review and when your installer gets to partitioning there is no replace partition option and the only selectable file systems are either ext4 or xfs. I tend to have multiple distros on my system all on btrfs so I need the option of being able to replace a partition not wipe the drive and to select btrfs. Questions are since the video is about a year old has your installer been update to allow the selection of btrfs, if not is it the Calamares installer that's being used where I can go in and edit partition.conf and set it to use btrfs as the default? I've included a screenshot from the review to give you an idea of what version of KaOS is in the video. THANKS

Never the best idea to go by some random video 🙂
Installing alongside/replace is always dependent on the users partition setup. Any normal setup, replace is always available.
BTRFS has been an option for just ten years 🙂
Using the Manual partition option, you can setup completely as you like, with whatever filesystem, for automated, the options are XFS (default), EXT4, BTRFS and ZFS.

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Thanks for the reply but I'm not doing manual partitioning cause it never works if you already have other OS's installed. The OS's you are doing manual partitioning for never gets added to the boot loader. Now as for BTRFS being available from the dropdown menu when one selects replace a partition in the installer no it is not there. I went ahead and looked at the live environment in the latest ISO and went through the install up to that point to see and BTRFS is not one of the options in the dropdown under replace partition. I then canceled the install and went to edit partition.conf under /etc/ and that copy is either not there or hidden on purpose.

Not clear which ISO you are using, but any of the latest ISOs have BTRFS as option in the erase drop-down (not replace, that is newly added in upstream Calamares, but not tested much, so not included here, simply editing /usr/share/calamares/settings.conf and adding it there is not enough to make that feature work).
But in all, might be a good idea to understand what KaOS is and what it is not before installing, especially the part about limited repositories:
https://kaosx.us/
https://kaosx.us/#goals
https://kaosx.us/#repo
https://kaosx.us/about/
As for bootloader, systemd-boot is default here (you can select no bootloader or rEfind), makes no difference how the bootloader part is done whether you use automated or manual. In your case, if you have many installs over many partitions, it is better to use rEfind (or no bootloader, and let the bootloader from another install add KaOS).

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I am not interested in or nor am I erasing the entire drive. Now as for the option for file system selection under replace a partition the option for either ext4, xfs, or btrfs has been in Calamares for at least the last 4 versions. Now back to partition.conf no the two version of it under /usr/ one can't edit and even if the user could they would have no effect. Again there should be one under /etc/ that is edible, and once edited will add the option of using btrfs. I have 3 out of 5 Arch based distros install where when I want them installed I have to edit that file and the edit works. Thanks for the info links I'll have a look in a bit.

EDIT:

So since the version in the video KaOS has switched from Grub to systemd?

Again, make sure to read what KaOS is and what it is not, it is NOT Arch based either:
https://kaosx.us/about/based/
If the distro you used had the replace drop-down option, that is distro specific, the replace option was never added to stable Calamares (3.2 series is now the latest stable), and there is just one release now (alpha 3.3) that has the option added), again, since not tested enough, not added in KaOS for this ISO.
Since KaOS uses it's own Calamares fork, nothing is packaged in /etc for conf files, all are in /usr/share/calamares

For UEFI systems, KaOS has never used grub, again, if you read any about KaOS it has been documented for 10 years why systemd-boot. So that video must use a BIOS install, then grub is in use.

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You might want to take a look at the video cause your fork of Calamares clearly used Grub. Please take a look at the linked video at 5:26 in the linked video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLZM0ktmfio

Did you not read my reply? For UEFI, grub has NEVER been in use here, so that video is using a BIOS system.

But please stop referring to a random video, read the KaOS documentation and see if this distro fits your needs.

Never understood why folks don't follow a distribution's documentation. KaOS is one distro I always check on, although I'm not using it presently. It is specific to its KDE underpinnings while displaying the old-world-style craftsmanship missing in other distros. Once Plasma 6 hits the market I am giving it a try first.

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    • Post #10

    down8ve while displaying the old-world-style craftsmanship missing in other distros.

    WOW that truly is one extremely huge pile of horse shit.

      Take, eat, enjoy! Since you said you "tend to have multiple distros on my system" I'd recommend that you consider adding another small drive to your pc. Some distros want to create an efi-boot on whatever drive is flagged first in the BIOS (Solus), so it often takes fiddling with that to make sure they are installed on the right drive.

      One thing further, fwiw. My 8th gen i5/NV-950 desktop does not get to a screen at all using the Nvidia option, about to try the regular way. Checksums match, using plain 'old isowriter style usb writer or etcher makes no difference.

      In other words, you got further than me, Locutus. I'll try the normal boot option and see if it will install on a separate drive. This PC does not have windows, so that's probably why I've avoided more issues. I use windows on a 5-year-old old Surface Book 2 only.

      • demm replied to this.

        down8ve

        If you have more than one PC, you don't have to wait. I am typing this on the Plasma 6 version now.

          down8ve not get to a screen at all using the Nvidia option

          Live mode with old nvidia needs nomodeset, seems not needed after install, at least on my very old (2007-2008) test system. On boot edit the bootscreen (just start typing if you boot in BIOS mode, type e in UEFI) and add nomodeset at the end.

          But this is starting to move away from the topic, if more ISO/nvidia questions, please start a new topic.