Installing Arch Linux with Hyprland — A Hacker’s Guide

🧰 What You'll Need
- USB drive (2GB+)
- Stable internet access
- A system ready to install Linux (will be wiped)
- Optional: external drive to dual boot

Ready to embrace the terminal and the void? Let's begin.

📥 Step 1: Download & Verify Arch ISO
Go to: https://archlinux.org/download

In terminal (on Windows):
certutil -hashfile archlinux-*.iso SHA256

Compare the checksum against Arch’s site.

💾 Step 2: Create Bootable USB
Use Rufus to flash the ISO. Select your ISO and USB drive → click Start.

🔁 Step 3: Boot from USB
Reboot → Boot Menu (Esc/F12/etc) → Select USB. Welcome to Arch live shell.

🌐 Step 4: Connect to Wi-Fi
iwctl
station wlan0 scan
station wlan0 get-networks
station wlan0 connect 

🔑 Step 5: Initialize Keys (Optional)
pacman-key --init
pacman-key --populate archlinux

🧙 Step 6: Install Using Archinstall
archinstall

Then follow these options:
- Language: English
- Keyboard: US
- Disk: Select your target drive (⚠️ data will be wiped)
- Disk Layout: Wipe all partitions
- Filesystem: ext4 (stable and fast)
- Bootloader: GRUB (flexible and reliable)
- Create a User: Give it a strong password and superuser rights
- Profile: Minimal (barebones, lets us add Hyprland manually)
- Audio: PipeWire (modern audio backend)
- Packages: git, neovim
- Network: Choose NetworkManager
- Time Zone: e.g., America/New_York
- Enable multilib repository

🔄 Step 7: Reboot
reboot  
→ remove USB → boot into Arch

📶 Step 8: Reconnect to Wi-Fi
nmcli device wifi connect  password 

📦 Step 9: Install yay (AUR Helper)
cd /opt
sudo git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay-git.git
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER yay-git
cd yay-git
makepkg -si
yay -Syu

🛠️ Step 10: Clone and Run Hyprland Setup
cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/sol-does-tech/hyprland.git
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER hyprland
cd hyprland
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

🌈 Step 11: Launch Hyprland
Login via TTY and type:
Hyprland

🎨 Step 12: Apply Themes
xfce4-appearance-settings
lxappearance

Apply Dracula theme + icons.

🌐 Step 13: Install Chromium + Wayland Fixes
yay -S chromium  
Then enable Wayland and PipeWire flags in chrome://flags

💫 Step 14: Make Chromium Transparent
In hyprland.conf:
windowrulev2 = opacity 0.8,class:^(chromium)$

🔐 Step 15: Useful Hyprland Shortcuts
- Super + Q → Open terminal
- Super + L → Lock
- Super + M → Logout
- Hyprland → Start Hyprland again (from TTY)

🐉 Final Step: Install BlackArch Repos
curl -O https://blackarch.org/strap.sh
chmod +x strap.sh
sudo ./strap.sh
sudo pacman -Syyu
sudo pacman -S blackarch

🎨 Bonus: Theming Hyprland + Waybar
yay -S swww dracula-gtk-theme dracula-icons-git  
Edit:
~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf  
~/.config/waybar/style.css

Apply via:
lxappearance

🎯 Mission accomplished!
Your Arch box is now lean, mean, and hacker-themed. From tiling windows to glowing bars, you're ready to take on the digital underground.