Installing HootBoard OS (HBOS) onto a kiosk machine takes about 10–15 minutes. The HBOS Installer only asks you for input on three screens. Everything else runs automatically until the Setup Screen appears.
What you need
- A target machine (NUC, mini-PC, or kiosk-class device) with at least 32 GB of storage
- A USB stick (8 GB or larger) to flash the installer onto
- A second computer to download the ISO and create the bootable USB
- A wired Ethernet connection (preferred) or known Wi-Fi credentials
- A keyboard and mouse plugged in for the installer
⏱ Total interaction time: under 2 minutes across the 3 prompts. The remaining install time is hands-off.
Download the HBOS Installer ISO
Grab the latest installer from the HootBoard downloads page:
👉 https://downloads.hootboard.cloud/?platform=linux
The download is a single .iso file (around 1–2 GB). Save it somewhere you can find it — the next step needs it.
Create the bootable USB
Flash the ISO onto a USB stick using any of these tools:
- balenaEtcher — recommended, works on Windows / macOS / Linux
- Rufus — Windows only, lightweight
ddon Linux/macOS —sudo dd if=hbos-installer.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress(replacesdXwith your USB device)
⚠️ Flashing erases everything on the USB stick. Use a blank one or back up its contents first.
Once the flash completes, eject the USB and plug it into the kiosk machine.
Step 1 — Boot the installer and select Install HootBoard OS
Insert the USB stick, power on the device, and boot from USB (the boot key varies by device — usually F12, F10, or Esc). You'll land on the HBOS Installer boot menu.
What to do:
- The first option, Install HootBoard OS, is selected by default.
- Press <kbd>Enter</kbd>.
ℹ️ Don't pick Advanced install options or Utilities unless you're recovering a specific machine — these aren't part of the standard install path.
Step 2 — Select the network interface and connect to the internet
After the installer loads, it prompts for the primary network interface. HBOS needs internet access to fetch the latest components during installation.
What to do:
- Click your network interface to select it:
- Ethernet (e.g.
enp2s0,eno1) — strongly preferred for kiosks. The connection is configured automatically; you don't need to enter anything else. - Wireless (e.g.
wlp3s0) — also supported. You'll then be prompted to pick the SSID and enter the passphrase.
- Ethernet (e.g.
- Click Continue.
⚠️ If no interface is listed, the kiosk's network hardware isn't supported by this installer build. Power down, plug in a USB-Ethernet adapter, and retry — or contact the HootBoard team for a build that includes drivers for your hardware.
Step 3 — Choose Guided – use entire disk
The installer then asks how to lay out the disk. Kiosks always use the full disk for HBOS.
What to do:
- Click Guided – use entire disk (the first option).
- Click Continue.
- If a follow-up screen asks which disk to use, pick the kiosk's primary disk.
- Confirm Yes when asked to write changes to disk.
⚠️ This erases everything on the selected disk. If the kiosk has been used before, double-check there's nothing on it that needs to be preserved.
That's it — walk away ☕
From this point the installer copies HBOS to the disk, sets up the boot loader, and reboots — all without prompting you.
When the device reboots, you'll see the HBOS Setup Screen, where the kiosk gets paired with its HootBoard account, board, and orientation.
Quick reference
| # | Screen | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Download | Get the ISO from downloads.hootboard.cloud and flash to USB |
| 1 | Boot menu | Install HootBoard OS → <kbd>Enter</kbd> |
| 2 | Configure the network | Pick Ethernet (or Wi-Fi) → Continue |
| 3 | Partition disks | Guided – use entire disk → Continue → confirm Yes |
| ✓ | Setup Screen | Pair the kiosk with its HootBoard board |
Troubleshooting
Boot menu doesn't appear / device boots straight to existing OS. The BIOS isn't booting from USB. Enter the BIOS/boot menu (commonly F2, F10, F12, or Del at power-on) and select the USB device. On Secure Boot–enabled machines, either keep Secure Boot on (the HBOS Installer is signed) or disable it for kiosk deployments.
Network step lists no interfaces. The kiosk's network hardware isn't supported by this installer build. Plug in a USB-Ethernet adapter as a workaround, or contact the HootBoard team for an installer that includes drivers for your hardware.
Installer hangs at "Retrieving files" or "Installing the system". Slow or filtered network. Check that the kiosk can reach the HootBoard package servers — a transparent proxy or captive portal will block this. Move the kiosk to an unrestricted network for installation.
Installer reaches the end but the device boots to a black screen. Usually a display rotation or driver issue rather than an install failure. Reach out to the HootBoard team with the kiosk's serial number and a photo of the screen.
Reach out to support@hootboard.com for any help.
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