content/documentation/install-guide.md

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+title = 'Installation Guide'
+date = 2024-06-17T16:41:29+02:00
+draft = true
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+ExectOS is in early development phase and thus it is NOT suitable for daily use, especially on real hardware. It is
+recommended to run it in a virtual machine like Qemu or VirtualBox. Otherwise, you act at your own risk!
+
+### Running in Qemu
+Running ExectOS in Qemu is straight-forward, as our build pipeline produces a disk image, that is ready to use in Qemu.
+Once you download it and extract, you can use below commands to run the virtual machine, depending on the target CPU
+architecture of the image. For x86_64 use:
+```
+qemu-system-x86_64 -cpu host -enable-kvm -m 2G -hda disk-amd64.img -serial stdio \
+                   -drive file=sdk/firmware/ovmf_code_amd64.fd,if=pflash,format=raw,unit=0,readonly=on \
+                   -drive file=sdk/firmware/ovmf_vars_amd64.fd,if=pflash,format=raw,unit=1
+
+```
+And for i686 use:
+```
+qemu-system-i386 -cpu host -enable-kvm -m 1G -hda disk-i686.img -serial stdio \
+                   -drive file=sdk/firmware/ovmf_code_i686.fd,if=pflash,format=raw,unit=0,readonly=on \
+                   -drive file=sdk/firmware/ovmf_vars_i686.fd,if=pflash,format=raw,unit=1
+
+```
+Above commands require an UEFI firmware to be available. It can be found in the
+[ExectOS GIT repository](https://git.codingworkshop.eu.org/xt-sys/exectos/src/branch/master/sdk/firmware).
+
+### Running in VirtualBox
+VirtualBox is commonly used for running the system in an isolated environment. In this case, the same disk image as
+for Qemu can be used. However, it needs to be converted to QCOW2 format, that is supported by VirtualBox. This can be
+done with the following command:
+```
+qemu-img convert -O qcow2 disk.img disk.qcow2
+```
+Once, the disk image is converted, you can create a new virtual machine. As an Operating System, you can choose either
+32-bit or 64-bit Windows® 10, depending on ExectOS disk image architecture. Just make sure, that EFI support is
+enabled.
+
+### Running on Bare Metal
+It is recommended to not install, nor run ExectOS on a real hardware. Otherwise, installation should be
+straight-forward and self descriptive:
+ * Download a binary package or build XTOS yourself.
+ * Prepare a pendrive or USB stick. It should have at least first partition formatted as FAT32.
+ * Copy all binaries to USB drive, keeping the existing directory structure. Contents of the archive, or contents of
+   `build/output/binaries` is the root of your drive. Do NOT paste them into any subdirectory.
+ * Reboot the computer.
+ * Enter Firmware Setup or Boot Selection menu and choose your USB drive.
+ * Viola, enjoy!
+
+In case of any problems, take a photo of your screen and contact with ExectOS developers.