How to install CentOS 8 workstation

CentOS is a rock-solid, reliable Linux distribution similar to Debian, but with RPMs and RedHat technology rather than DEB and Debian tech. It’s used a lot on servers, but did you know that you can also use it as a desktop Linux distribution?

In this guide, we’ll show you how to install CentOS on your computer. Start the installation, grab a USB flash drive of at least 4 GB in size, and follow the instructions below!

Downloading CentOS 8

To get your hands on CentOS 8, you need to head over to the official website for CentOS. Once you’ve made it to the official website, look for the “CentOS Linux” area of the homepage, and find the “8 (2004)” column.

Inside of the “8 (2004)” column on the CentOS website, you will see three choices to choose from. These choices are “ISO,” “Packages,” and “Others.” Look for the “ISO” one, and click on the “x86_64” option.

Upon selecting the “x86_64” option, you’ll be taken to a mirror list. This mirror list ensures that you can download CentOS from a server closest to where you live. Look through the list of mirrors for the one that suits best for you.

Note: can’t find a reliable link for CentOS 8? Try this link instead.

After choosing a mirror, you’ll see a list of files. In this list of files, locate “CentOS-8.2.2004-x86_64-dvd1.iso”. We’ll be focusing on the DVD release of CentOS 8 in this guide, as it comes with many packages that you’d otherwise have to download.

If you do not want to download “CentOS-8.2.2004-x86_64-dvd1.iso,” there is also ” CentOS-8.2.2004-x86_64-boot.iso,” and “CentOS-8.2.2004-x86_64-minimal.iso”. However, these two ISOs will not focus on this guide, and you will need to do the setup process yourself without any guidance.

Creating the CentOS 8 USB installer

CentOS 8 can only be installed onto a computer by imaging the ISO file to a USB flash drive. To create a bootable USB flash drive that contains CentOS 8, follow the step-by-step instructions outlined below.

Step 1: Download the Etcher USB/SD flashing utility for your computer, install it and launch it. Once the app is open, plug in the USB flash drive, you plan to flash Cent OS 8.

Step 2: Locate the “Flash from file” button, and click on it with the mouse. Upon selecting this button, a pop-up window will appear. In this pop-up window, browse for “CentOS-8.2.2004-x86_64-dvd1.iso” on your computer and select it with the mouse.

Step 3: Find the “Select target” button with the mouse. After selecting this button, a menu will appear on the screen. Use it to select the USB flash drive that you want to Flash CentOS 8.

Step 4: Locate the “Flash!” button in Etcher, and click on it with the mouse. After selecting this button, Etcher will begin the CentOS 8 ISO file to your USB flash drive. When the process is complete, reboot your PC, and access the BIOS to boot from the flash drive.

Installing CentOS 8

To install CentOS 8 onto your computer, follow the step-by-step instructions outlined below.

Step 1: In the CentOS 8 installer, you must select your language. Look through the welcome screen for the language you speak. Then, select “Continue.”

Step 2: After selecting your language, you will see the “INSTALLATION SUMMARY” screen. Look for the “SYSTEM” column, and select “Installation Destination.”

Once you’ve selected “Installation Destination,” look to “Local Standard Disks,” and select the hard drive you wish to install CentOS 8 on. Then, select “Automatic” for “Storage Configuration.” Only do custom partitioning if you are an expert!

Select “Done” when done.

Step 3: Back at the summary screen, locate the “Software Selection” button, and click on it. Inside the software selection window, click on the “Workstation” option to tell the installer you are installing CentOS 8 as a desktop and not a server.

Select “Done” when done selecting.

Step 4: Once you’re back on the summary screen, locate the “Network & Host Name” button, and click on it to access network configurations for your CentOS 8 installation.

On the “Network & Host Name” page, you should see your default network connection already configured. To add a new connection manually, click on the plus sign.

After configuring your network connection, look for the “Host Name” text box. By default, it should say “localhost.localdomain.” Erase it and change it to what you’d like your new Cent OS installation to be known as on the network.

When done, click “Done.”

Step 5: Locate the “Begin Installation” button at the bottom of the summary page when you’re ready to start the installation process.

Step 6: After selecting the “Begin installation” button, you will be prompted to set up your user account and root password. Select the buttons for “Root Password” and “User Creation” to set them up.

Once your user account and password are configured, CentOS will wrap up the installation. Sit back and relax. When the process is complete, you will see a prompt saying the installation is finished and reboot.