Raspberry Pi Stack Exchange
Raspberry Pi Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [setup]

This tag covers everything related to setting up the Raspberry Pi including flashing SD cards and changing the default user.

NOTE Do not use this tag for question regarding the installation of software. Instead, please use the tag.

Whenever you buy a new PC, there is a certain amount of setup that needs to be done - what needs to be done with the RPi? A few key questions are listed below in the 3 broad categories: efficiency, safety and security.

Efficiency

The official Debian image only sees 2GB by default and will not see extra space. Instead you need to do it manually.

In order to extend the life of your SD Card consider disabling the swap space.

Safety

A case protects the Raspberry Pi from spills or electrical damage.

Properly shutting down your Raspberry Pi can prevent the loss of data and ensure the functionality of your operating system.

Security

The official operating systems have a default user and password; this should be changed to prevent a hacker from compromising your machine.

211 questions
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How do I get the serial number?

Where can I find the serial number of the Raspberry Pi I am currently using?
Alex Chamberlain
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4 answers

Is it possible to update, upgrade and install software before flashing an image?

It seems silly to use our limited SD write cycles to upgrade the software shipped on the images. Can we upgrade the software and install new software before flashing an image to the SD card?
Alex Chamberlain
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On the RPi Advanced setup page, what does mkcard.txt do?

I have come across the RPi Advanced Setup but there are incomplete steps. For example, where can I find mkcard.txt from the Advanced SD card setup section? Do I just reuse the one from the BeagleBone demo site? Then there is an important steps…
Joe
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6 answers

Change default username

I want to change the default username (pi) to something, I tried usermod -l newusername pi but that gives me usermod: user pi is currently used by process 2104 Is there another way to modify the root account or disable this and create a new root…
Jamil Seaidoun
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How do I access the distribution's name on the command line?

I have a number of distros I'm playing with. I label the SD cards, but: They are in upside down I'm usually in another room from the RPi I set up a service in init.d which lets me know via Pushover when my Pi is shutting down or starting up…
Cade Roux
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6
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5 answers

Raspberry Pi stuck at splash screen

I am stuck at the splash screen. In the top right of the screen there is an image of a Raspberry. When I first power on the device, I get the colored screen, and then I get the image of the raspberry followed by a white cursor which quickly freezes…
Matthew
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3 answers

Set up Pi, but nothing appears on monitor.

I just got my Pi today (the 512 mb model, make in the UK), and I've so far been unable to do anything with it. I plugged it in to my TV using my hdmi cable, hooked up a super simple keyboard, and powered it with my cellphone charger (which supplies…
Alex
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How do I make 'beep' work over HDMI

After adding hdmi_drive=2 in the /boot/config.txt and rebooting I can get audio playback when typing sudo aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav. After sudo install beep I can not get the beep to play over HDMI. I have added sudo amixer cset…
PersonOfInterest
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Missing 'combined' file in '/sys/module/i2c_bcm2708/parameters' directory

Following Adafruit's instructions for their capacitive touch sensor (https://learn.adafruit.com/mpr121-capacitive-touch-sensor-on-raspberry-pi-and-beaglebone-black/overview) I'm getting the error message when trying to run their example python…
tommyr
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Is the SD card needed just to flash the Raspberry Pi, or does it need to remain in the device?

I'm setting up a new raspberry pi, trying to figure out what I need to buy and what I can borrow. None of the tutorials I've watched have made this clear. Is the SD card just used to initially flash the board with the OS, or does it need to remain…
tapetaLucida
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Serial connection Woes

I was wondering if anyone could provide assistance or explanations for my pi woes. I have a pi with a formatted microsd card that I got from adafruit. I do not have an HDMI monitor so I have been trying to connect it via serial cable. I followed…
rougon
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Raspberry Pi autonomous headless setup

everytime I setup a new sd card for a pi, I first have to ssh to the running pi and then start to install some software via shell commands. Isn't there a way to drop a shell setup file to the fat32 partition of a fresh sd card which then gets…
rdmueller
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Is Raspberry Pi a good system for a middle schooler to learn to code?

I have no experience with the Raspberry Pi system, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. My son is interested in learning to code (any kind of coding at this point), and I am wondering if you guys think the system would be a good starting…
Colin
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Raspberry Pi setup

I have some questions about the raspberry. Mine will be delivered in 7 work days so I might as well be asking some stuff i'm not sure about(so I am a complete beginner). Is a HDMI cable optional or a must have? I bought a Raspberry Pi B with an sd…
Loko
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Mass configuring PIs

We have an upcoming project which will use a large number of R-Pis. They will have a lot of configuration in common e:g boot into desktop environment, enable SSH, individual static IP addresses etc. Is there a technique/system which will help auto…
sisko
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