USB Burning Guide

How to burn SmartyHome OS to USB — Windows (Rufus), macOS, Linux. Complete step-by-step with screenshots.

⚠ Important: Burning the image will erase all data on the USB drive. Use an 8GB+ USB drive. The ISO is hybrid — works for both BIOS and UEFI boot.

Windows — Rufus (Recommended)

1. Download Rufus

Get the latest version from rufus.ie. Free and open-source.

2. Insert USB & Open Rufus

Use an 8GB+ USB flash drive. Rufus auto-detects it.

3. Critical Settings

Configure Rufus exactly as shown:

Device: Your USB drive
Boot selection: Click SELECT → choose smartyhome-os-v2.0.2.iso
Partition scheme: GPT
Target system: UEFI (non CSM)

4. Write in DD Image Mode (CRITICAL)

Click START. Rufus will ask:

"ISOHybrid image detected"
Select: Write in DD Image mode

❌ Do NOT select "Write in ISO Image mode" — it won't boot.
✅ Must select "Write in DD Image mode".

5. Important Notes

This ISO is UEFI-only. Your tablet must boot in UEFI mode (not Legacy/CSM).
If Rufus says "UEFI-only media" — that's correct. Select GPT + UEFI and continue.
In BIOS: Disable Secure Boot. Enable UEFI Boot.
Wait 2-5 minutes for Rufus to complete.

Alternative: Balena Etcher (Windows/macOS/Linux — EASIEST)

Easiest method — no settings to configure

Download Etcher
Select the ISO → Select USB → Click Flash!
Etcher auto-detects the image type and writes it correctly

If Rufus gives you trouble, use Etcher. It just works.

macOS — Terminal (dd)

# 1. Find your USB drive
diskutil list

# 2. Unmount (replace diskN with your USB, e.g. disk2)
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN

# 3. Write the ISO
sudo dd if=smartyhome-os-v2.0.2.iso of=/dev/rdiskN bs=4m status=progress

# 4. Wait for completion, then eject
diskutil eject /dev/diskN

Use /dev/rdisk (raw device) for faster writes. Replace diskN with your actual disk number.

Linux — Terminal (dd)

# 1. Find your USB drive
lsblk

# 2. Unmount all partitions (replace sdX with your USB)
sudo umount /dev/sdX*

# 3. Write the ISO  
sudo dd if=smartyhome-os-v2.0.2.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

# 4. Sync and done
sync

Booting from USB

1. Enter BIOS/UEFI

Power on your tablet and immediately press one of these keys repeatedly:

F2 (most common)
F7
F12
Del
Esc

2. Disable Secure Boot

In BIOS, go to Security or Boot → find Secure Boot → set to Disabled.

Some tablets also need Fast Boot disabled.

3. Set Boot Order

Move USB Drive or UEFI: USB to the top of the boot order. Save and exit.

4. Boot from USB

The tablet should boot from USB and show the SmartyHome OS GRUB menu. Select "Live Boot" or "Install to Disk".

Troubleshooting

Pipo X9 / Bay Trail Tablets (32-bit UEFI)

⚠ Pipo X9 and similar Z3736F tablets use 32-bit UEFI firmware. The boot procedure is DIFFERENT from standard PCs.

1. Format USB as FAT32 (NOT with Rufus ISO/DD mode)

For 32-bit UEFI tablets, the USB MUST be FAT32 with an EFI folder. Rufus DD mode writes a raw ISO image which some 32-bit UEFI BIOS cannot read.

Do this instead:

Format USB as FAT32 (right-click → Format → FAT32 on Windows)
Extract the ISO contents to the USB: 7z x smartyhome-os-v2.0.2.iso -oE:\
Make sure E:\EFI\BOOT\BOOTIA32.EFI exists

2. Enter BIOS Settings

Power on tablet, press F2 repeatedly
Go to Security tab → Secure Boot menu → Set to Disabled
Go to Boot tab → Enable USB Boot

3. Use "Boot Override" (NOT Boot Order)

This is the critical step most people miss:

Go to Save & Exit tab
Look for the "Boot Override" section at the bottom
Select your USB drive from Boot Override
Do NOT use the regular boot order — use Boot Override!

If USB doesn't appear in Boot Override: try a different USB port (OTG/micro-USB with adapter often works).

4. Alternative: Ventoy

If the above doesn't work, try Ventoy:

Install Ventoy to USB (creates FAT32)
Copy our ISO file to the USB
Boot from USB in BIOS
Ventoy handles the 32-bit + 64-bit EFI boot automatically

General Issues

Problem	Solution
USB not showing in boot menu	Enable "USB Boot" / "Legacy USB Support" in BIOS. Disable Secure Boot.
Black screen after GRUB	Try "Live Boot (safe graphics)" — adds `nomodeset` parameter
"No bootable device"	Re-burn in DD Image mode. Check USB is at least 8GB.
Rufus fails with error	Try Etcher instead. Or use the `.img.gz` file with DD mode.
Boot loops back to BIOS	Disable Secure Boot. Enable CSM/Legacy Boot. Try both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.
Touchscreen not working	Connect USB keyboard + mouse for setup. Configure touchscreen in Settings after install.
WiFi not detected	Enable WiFi in BIOS. Use Ethernet USB adapter if available. Configure in Settings.

File Formats

Format	Use With	Size
`.iso`	Rufus (DD mode), Etcher, dd — Recommended	668 MB
`.img.gz`	Rufus (DD mode), dd — Raw disk image	760 MB
`.tar.gz`	Extract manually, use `burn-usb.sh`	718 MB