A computer to give to Haven
At least 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage. 8 GB of memory if you want Haven AI. Everything on it will be erased: copy anything you want to keep first.
Testing version: for trying on a spare computer
Download Haven
Haven replaces everything on the computer it's installed on. It takes about an hour, most of it waiting. You'll need a USB stick and a few minutes in the computer's start-up settings.
Download Haven 0.39 (1.7 GB)
For PCs and laptops with Intel or AMD processors (64-bit). Not for Macs with Apple chips, tablets or Chromebooks.
Haven is free software (GPL-3.0). Its source code for this version: haven-0.39.0-source.tar.gz (checksum, signature). The parts Haven downloads while installing come from their makers, listed with their licences in the archive's LICENSING.md.
What you need
A USB stick
4 GB or bigger. It will be erased too.
The internet
A cable, or Wi-Fi and its password. Haven downloads its parts from their makers while it installs.
About an hour
Ten minutes of doing, the rest waiting. Then about five minutes of questions about the person who'll use it.
1. Make the USB stick
Copying the file onto the stick isn't enough: it has to be written with one of these free tools.
On Windows: Rufus
- Get Rufus from rufus.ie and open it.
- Under Device, choose the USB stick.
- Press SELECT and choose the Haven file you downloaded.
- Press START. If it asks how to write the image, choose DD Image mode.
On Windows, Mac or Linux: balenaEtcher
- Get balenaEtcher from etcher.balena.io and open it.
- Press "Flash from file" and choose the Haven file.
- Press "Select target" and choose the USB stick.
- Press "Flash!" and wait until it says it's done.
Check the download is genuine (optional)
The file's SHA-256 checksum should be exactly:
49327c5116745c7e49690b54dfe0e545d75b2c9d853cbb7d10cdab37d867d63b
On Windows, in PowerShell: Get-FileHash haven-0.39.0-installer.iso. On a Mac or Linux: shasum -a 256 haven-0.39.0-installer.iso.
The checksum is also signed with Haven's release key, the same key Haven itself uses to check its updates: checksum file, signature, Haven's public key.
To check the signature with OpenSSH: ssh-keygen -Y verify -f allowed_signers -I haven-release -n haven-release -s haven-0.39.0-installer.iso.sha256.sig < haven-0.39.0-installer.iso.sha256, where allowed_signers holds the line haven-release followed by the public key.
2. Turn off Secure Boot
Secure Boot is a setting that only starts systems signed with Microsoft's keys. Haven isn't signed that way yet, so it needs Secure Boot off. It's in the computer's start-up settings (often called BIOS or UEFI).
- Turn the computer off. Turn it on, and straight away press the settings key below, again and again, until the settings appear.
- Find Secure Boot. It's usually under Security, Boot or Authentication.
- Set it to Disabled.
- Save and leave: usually F10, then Yes.
| Maker | Settings key | Boot menu key |
|---|---|---|
| Dell | F2 | F12 |
| HP | Esc, then F10 | Esc, then F9 |
| Lenovo | F2 (ThinkPad: F1) | F12 |
| Acer | F2 | F12 |
| ASUS | F2 or Del | Esc or F8 |
| MSI | Del | F11 |
| Gigabyte | Del | F12 |
| Microsoft Surface | Hold volume up, press power | Hold volume down, press power |
Not listed, or not working? The key often shows on screen for a moment as the computer starts. Or search for your computer's model and "boot menu key". Some laptops need "F12 boot menu" switched on in the settings first.
3. Start from the USB stick, and install
- Start from the stick. Put the stick in, turn the computer on, and press the boot menu key (above). Choose the USB stick: it may say UEFI and the stick's name.
- Welcome. Haven's installer starts by itself.
- Internet. Plug in a cable, or choose your Wi-Fi and type its password.
- Which disk. Choose where Haven goes. Everything on it will be erased.
- Type ERASE. Nothing is erased before this. You can still cancel.
- A carer password. For the carer's login, kept separate from the person's screen.
- Wait. 15 to 40 minutes, depending on the internet. Then it restarts by itself.
- First start. Take the stick out. Haven asks a few questions about the person who'll use it, sets itself up, and asks you to choose a carer PIN.
After that, updates come from Haven's settings, only when a carer chooses them, and they can be undone.
Something went wrong, or a step didn't match? Tell us: hello@havenlinux.org. Haven is free software (GPL-3.0); its source code is published with each release.