BlissOS: Requirements and Targeted Audience
As of Q4 2022, BlissOS requires the following hardware at a minimum:
↪ Intel:
Intel Core i Series (i3/5/7/9) – Fully SupportedIntel Celeron M – Fully Supported (Kernel 5.4+ recommended)Intel Atom – Mostly Supported (Kernel 5.10+ recommended)Core2Duo – Not Fully Supported (Needs SSE4.2) (May require 32-bit builds)
↪ AMD:
A Series – Mostly Supported (Needs SSE4.2) (Kernel 5.10+ recommended)Ryzen Series (1k-7k) – Fully Supported (Kernel 5.10+ recommended)Athlon Series – Mostly Supported (Needs SSE4.2) (Kernel 5.10+ recommended)
BlissOS is primarily built for low-end devices and is a complete operating system, unlike an app that you’d launch within Windows. These operating systems are intended for developers and users who want something other than basic Windows. BlissOS is not the strongest recommendation for gaming enthusiasts as you’d be better off with something like Bluestacks or Gameloop. If you have an older laptop or another compatible device, why not consider getting the Android experience with an operating system like BlissOS? Many people prefer Android for media consumption, and for developers, such systems can be invaluable for testing and debugging software without needing a physical mobile device.
Disabling Secure Boot, TPM, and Setting SATA to AHCI
From the official documentation of BlissOS, you’ll need to change a few settings in your BIOS:
Disable TPM (drive encryption).Disable Secure Boot.Make sure drive access is set to AHCI.
Installation via the Windows Installer
We believe the reason why BlissOS hasn’t seen widespread adoption is due to its complicated installation procedure. Multibooting Bliss using GRUB requires some experience and know-how about how partitioning works. Luckily for us, BlissOS offers users a Windows Installer, which is much easier than the aforementioned method. The only caveat is that a standard EFI install is always better in terms of stability, updates, and other features compared to the Windows Installer. If you only wish to boot using Bliss, the process is straightforward. However, complications arise when you dabble into multi-OS territory. We will discuss the EFI method in a later section.
1) Preparing the Windows Installer
2) Downloading the Bliss OS .iso File
3) Creating the Required Partition
Since we’re not following an EFI install, you must already have Windows installed on your storage device. Therefore, we have to create another partition for BlissOS. You can do so by simply shrinking an existing partition (one in which your Windows is installed) by around 15–20GB. Follow these steps to do so:
4) Installing BlissOS
EFI Installation
In order to install using a USB bootable drive, we first need to install Rufus and flash the .iso file to our USB drive. Afterward, we need to create an unallocated partition, but this time, we won’t be formatting it. Through the installer, we’ll divide this main partition into two parts. One part will contain the bulk/main data of our OS, which we’ll refer to as “A“. The second partition will be called “B“, and this will host the “EFI System“.
1) Downloading the Bliss OS .iso File
2) Creating a New Partition
3) Downloading Rufus and Flashing the OS
4) Booting From USB
Once you’ve copied the .iso to your flash drive, the last step is to install BlissOS. First, you’ll need to boot your system through the USB drive. To do so, follow these steps:
5) Setting Up EFI and OS Partitions
6) Installing BlissOS
Setting Up BlissOS
BlissOS is one of many builds that are derived from Androidx86, porting Android to x86-based systems. While not as intuitive to install as, say, Windows, it can give you some experience if you want to install Linux or another OS later on. Let’s address the elephant in the room. BlissOS is not as stable as Windows and you shouldn’t expect it to be. In our experience, we found multiple infuriating issues. A community over at Reddit does exist, but you’ll often find yourself stranded if you encounter a “not so common” problem.
