How to install OpenSUSE Leap 15.4
OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 is the latest release of the LEAP branch for OpenSUSE. Leap is designed to be highly stable, much like Debian. Follow this guide if you’d like to install OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 on your PC.
Please note that you will need a USB flash drive of at least 8 GB, as the offline ISO is massive. You will also need a capable computer with at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores.
Downloading OpenSUSE Leap 15.4
Before you attempt to install OpenSUSE Leap 15.4, you’ll have to download the ISO file from the official website. Head to the LEAP download page on OpenSUSE.org to download the latest ISO.
Once you’re on the download page, find the “Offline Image” option. Then, download the latest release of OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 to your computer. Alternatively, download the “Network Image” option. However, we will not cover the Network Image in this guide.
Creating an OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 installation USB
After downloading the latest OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 ISO to your computer, you will need to create an installation USB. To create an installation USB, you must download the Etcher program.
Why Etcher? It is a helpful program that works on all operating systems (Windows, MacOS, and Linux.) To get your hands on Etcher, head to the official website. Then, download Etcher and set it up on your computer.
Once the Etcher application is set up, follow the step-by-step instructions below to make your installation USB.
Step 1: Select the “Flash from file” button inside the Etcher app. Then, using the pop-up window, browse for the downloaded OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 ISO file to add it to the Etcher application.
Step 2: Once the ISO file is added to Etcher, insert your USB flash drive into the computer. Then, find the “Select target” button with the mouse. When you click the “Select target” button, select your USB flash drive to use with Etcher.
Step 3: Now that you’ve chosen your USB flash drive, find the “Flash!” button in the Etcher app to start the flashing process. This process will take a few minutes to complete.
When the flashing process is complete, reboot your computer and access the BIOS. Once inside the BIOS, configure it to boot from USB so you can install OpenSUSE Leap 15.4.
Please note that every computer’s BIOS is different. Please refer to your computer manual if you do not understand how to operate your BIOS.
Installing OpenSUSE Leap 15.4
To install OpenSUSE Leap 15.4, follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1: You must agree to the OpenSUSE License agreement. Read it, and select the “Next” button to continue.
Step 2: After agreeing to the license agreement, you’ll be asked to enable online repositories. Agree to do so. Then, enable any repos you wish to use in your new installation. We recommend enabling “Main Repository,” “Non-OSS Repository,” “OpenSUSE Backports,” etc.
Click on the “Next” button to continue when done selecting repos.
Step 3: Once you’ve enabled OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 online repositories, you’ll see the “System Role” page. Your choices are “Desktop with KDE Plasma,” “Desktop with GNOME,” “Desktop with Xfce,” “Generic Desktop,” “Server,” or “Transactional Server.”
Choose either KDE, Gnome, or XFCE. Then, click on the “Next” button to continue.
Step 4: When you’ve selected your OpenSUSE Leap 15.4 “role,” the installation tool will look at your hard drive and suggest a partitioning layout. Select the “Next” button to continue with the suggested partition layout.
Alternatively, select “Expert Partitioner” if you’re an expert and prefer to set up your own OpenSUSE Leap partitioning configuration. Click “Next” when done.
Step 5: You must now select a timezone so that your clock functions correctly. Using the world map, choose where you live. When done, click the “Next” button to continue to the next page.
Step 6: You’ll need to create a local user after configuring the timezone. Enter your full name in the “User’s Full Name” box. Then, enter your user in the “Username” box, the password in the “Password” box, and the “Confirm Password” box.
Click the “Next” button to move to the next page of the installer.
Step 7: Upon entering your user information, the OpenSUSE Linux installation tool will give you a complete overview of what the installation process will do. Read this overview in detail. After reading it, find the “Install” button, and select it with the mouse.
Step 8: When you select the “Install” button, OpenSUSE Leap will begin installing on your computer. This installation process will take a bit of time. When the process is complete, reboot to use your newly installed OS!
