How to Install the Operating System Tiny Core Linux

Introduction: Meet Tiny Core Linux – The Featherweight Champion

Welcome to the ultimate guide on installing Tiny Core Linux, the distribution that laughs at bloated installers and sneers at multi-gigabyte ISOs.
At a mere 16 MB (Core) or 21 MB (TinyCore), this minimalist marvel fits on a floppy – if you can even find one these days!
Whether you’re building a super-fast rescue system, running Linux on ancient hardware, or simply love the zen of minimalism, Tiny Core has got your back.

Why Choose Tiny Core Linux?

Speed: Boots in seconds and runs entirely in RAM.
Modularity: Add only what you need via .tcz extensions.
Small Footprint: Perfect for low-resource devices or virtual appliances.
Active Community: Find help at the Tiny Core Forum or the official website.

Prerequisites: Gearing Up for Battle

Before diving in, make sure you have:

A computer or virtual machine with BIOS or UEFI boot support.
An empty USB stick (1 GB is more than enough) or a blank CD/DVD.
A stable internet connection (to download the ISO and extensions).
Basic familiarity with BIOS/UEFI settings and partitioning tools.

Step 1: Download Tiny Core Images

Head over to the official download page:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/

Image	Size	Description
Core (16 MB)	16 MB	CLI only. For advanced users who like to DIY their desktop.
TinyCore (21 MB)	21 MB	Includes FLWM window manager. Great for newbies.
CorePlus (106 MB)	106 MB	Additional drivers, VNC, WiFi, non-US keyboard support.

Tip: If you’re unsure, grab CorePlus – it saves you configuring WiFi by hand.

Step 2: Create Your Bootable USB or CD

2.1 Using USB (Recommended)

Plug in your USB stick and identify it via lsblk or fdisk -l.
Example: If it’s /dev/sdb, be extra cautious—you don’t want to wipe your main disk!
Write the ISO:
sudo dd if=TinyCore-current.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress sync
Wait for the write to complete, then safely remove the USB.

2.2 Burning a CD/DVD

On Linux: cdrecord dev=/dev/cdrom TinyCore-current.iso (or use Brasero/K3b GUI tools).
On Windows: Use tools like ImgBurn or BurnAware.

Step 3: Booting Tiny Core

1. Insert your USB or CD.
2. Reboot and enter BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, F10, DEL, or ESC).
3. Select USB/CD as the first boot device.
4. Enjoy the lightning-fast Tiny Core menu!

The default options include:

tce – Standard boot with extension support.
tce64 – 64-bit mode (if you downloaded the 64-bit ISO).
data – Boot preserving changes in /tce directory.

Step 4: Partitioning and Installing to Hard Drive

4.1 Why Install to HDD?

Although Tiny Core runs in RAM, you can install it to a hard drive for persistence and convenience.

4.2 Preparing Partitions

Launch cfdisk or fdisk:

sudo cfdisk /dev/sda

Create:
- / (root) – ext4, at least 100 MB.
- /home – ext4, as big as you like for your files.
- (Optional) swap – equal to RAM size if you plan to hibernate.
Write changes and quit.
Format partitions:

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1   # root
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2   # home
sudo mkswap /dev/sda3      # swap

4.3 Copying Files to Disk

Mount the new root partition:
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

Copy Tiny Core’s filesystem:

If you booted from USB: sudo cp -a /usr/local/ /mnt/
Or mount the ISO and copy contents:

sudo mkdir /tmp/tci
sudo mount -o loop TinyCore-current.iso /tmp/tci
sudo cp -a /tmp/tci/ /mnt/

Create /mnt/tce for extensions:
sudo mkdir /mnt/tce
Unmount:
sudo umount /mnt

4.4 Installing Syslinux (BIOS)

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
sudo extlinux --install /mnt/boot/extlinux
sudo cp /mnt/usr/share/syslinux/syslinux.cfg /mnt/boot/extlinux.cfg
# Edit extlinux.cfg to point to your kernel and initrd:
# LABEL tinycore
#   KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz
#   APPEND initrd=/boot/core.gz root=/dev/sda1 rw
sudo umount /mnt
sudo sync

4.5 Installing GRUB (UEFI or BIOS)

Mount partitions:

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/home
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/boot/efi   # if UEFI

Install GRUB:
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sda

Create /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg:

set default=0
set timeout=5
menuentry Tiny Core Linux {
    linux /boot/vmlinuz quiet root=/dev/sda1
    initrd /boot/core.gz
}

Unmount and reboot:
sudo umount -R /mnt sync reboot

Step 5: Post-Installation – Make Yourself at Home

Log in as tc (no password by default).
Launch appbrowser via the menu or command line:
appbrowser
Browse and install .tcz extensions (e.g., firefox.tcz, alsa.tcz).
Configure persistence by editing ~/.profile to auto-load your favorite extensions:
```
for ext in firefox.tcz alsa.tcz do
    tce-load -wi ext
done
      
```

Step 6: Customization and Tips

Themes Icons: Install fltk-themes.tcz and icon-theme .tcz.

Networking: Use wpa_supplicant and dhcpcd for WiFi:

tce-load -wi wpa_supplicant.tcz dhcpcd.tcz
wpa_passphrase YourSSID YourPass > /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
sudo wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
sudo dhcpcd wlan0

Storage Extensions: Mount USB drives or network shares automatically by adding to /etc/fstab.
Backup Backup: Keep your /tce folder backed up!

Troubleshooting FAQ

Q1: ‘My network card isn’t detected!’

Load the appropriate module:
tce-load -wi e1000.tcz for Intel use lsmod to check.

Q2: ‘I lost my changes after reboot!’

Make sure you used the ‘data’ boot option or set TCE_MOUNT=hda2/tce in /opt/bootlocal.sh.

Q3: ‘How do I upgrade Tiny Core?’

Keep an eye on the release page.
Simply replace vmlinuz and core.gz on your boot medium and reboot.

Conclusion: You Are Now Tiny Core-ified!

Congratulations! You’ve wrestled the leanest Linux distro in existence into submission.
Now enjoy blazing-fast performance, maximum customization, and the smug satisfaction of using less than 30 MB for your entire OS.
Remember, with great minimalism comes great responsibility – choose only the extensions you need!

Happy tinkering, and may your RAM usage stay mercifully low.

Official Website of Tiny Core Linux

LINUXMIND.DEV