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Flashing PiKVM OS image

Micro-SD Card Requirements

Minimum 16 Gb, Class 10 recommended


Download the image

Download the appropriate SD card image. Select it based on the board, platform, and the video capture device you are using.

Official PiKVM Devices

These images are not suitable for DIY and are intended only for our branded devices.

DIY PiKVM V2 Platform

DIY PiKVM V1 Platform

Any other combinations for advanced users

Please check the file archives for ready-made image or build the image yourself.


Flashing the image

Tip

After inserting the memory card into your computer, ignore request to format. This is not nessessary.

Using Linux CLI (ADVANCED USERS)

Decompress (if nessessary) and flash the image. Be careful when choosing the device path, it may be different on your machine:

[user@localhost]$ xz --decompress v2-hdmi-rpi4-latest.img.xz
[user@localhost]$ sudo dd if=v2-hdmi-rpi4-latest.img of=/dev/mmcblkX

You can also use dd_rescue or ddrescue.

Using RPi Imager (Linux, MacOS and Windows)

  1. Download and install the latest version of RPi Imager.

  2. Run RPi Imager:

  3. Press NO FILTERING then CHOOSE OS and select Use custom image at bottom of the list:

  4. After clicking on this item, select the image file (*.img or *.img.xz), then click CHOOSE STORAGE:

    Warning

    This should already be set to blank though the flashing process from step 7 but its best to double check the advanced settings (CTRL+SHIFT+X), make sure they are blank or the flash will fail.

  5. Insert the memory card into the card reader. Choose the card reader from this list. Be careful and choose the right device:

  6. After choosing the memory card, press the WRITE button. Confirm the operation when you are asked about it:

  7. Refuse customization options.

    Warning

    The customization is designed for Raspberry OS and will not work in PiKVM OS. If you apply any custom settings, this will cause the image to malfunction.

    PiKVM OS has its own settings mechanism, please use it after the flashing if you need to configure Wi-Fi or something similar.

  8. Wait for the process to finish. Get yourself a coffee or do some stretching :) The process may hang at 99% for a long time, this is okay, just wait for it to complete.

  9. Remove the memory card after successful completion. If an error occurs during flashing or booting PiKVM, repeat the process. If the error persists, use a different memory card.