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BMCoCo-Pi 0.1.0rc3 · Linux console and model downloads; Windows planned.

Prepare an SD card using Linux

The 0.1.0rc3 guided console prepares a card without a desktop application, GitHub access or a compiler. It uses Python 3.10 or newer and standard Linux sudo, lsblk, mount, umount and sync commands. It does not bundle Python. Native Debian 13 and Ubuntu 22.04/Python 3.10 checks passed; the fresh card was boot-tested on a Pi500. Other Linux distributions and host architectures have not been individually validated. Windows setup is still planned.

Download and verify

Get the console .pyz, its SHA-256 file, and the ZIP for your exact Pi model from Downloads. Keep the model ZIP compressed. In a terminal opened in your download folder, run:

sha256sum -c BMCoCoPiSetup-0.1.0rc3-console.pyz.sha256
sha256sum -c BMCoCo-Pi-0.1.0rc3-rpi500.zip.sha256

Use your model's filename instead of rpi500 when appropriate. Prepare all 12 system ROMs in a separate folder. No ROMs or games are bundled.

Prepare the card

  1. Back up everything needed from the destination card. A fresh installation erases all its existing partitions and files.
  2. Run python3 BMCoCoPiSetup-0.1.0rc3-console.pyz as your normal user.
  3. Enter your exact model (rpi400, rpi4, rpi500 or rpi5), model ZIP path and ROM folder. The app verifies the package and ROMs before card access.
  4. Review the detected devices. System/boot/home/swap/read-only or ambiguous disks are blocked. Choose the exact removable card path shown by the app.
  5. Review the reader identity and capacity. Confirm your recovery backup with BACKED UP, type the displayed ERASE ... phrase exactly, then INSTALL. Supply your Linux administrator password only at the local sudo prompt.
  6. The helper rechecks identity, unmounts that card, creates a full-usable- capacity MBR/FAT32 partition, quick-formats metadata, copies all files and reads them back. It does not zero unused card data.
  7. Wait for successful verification and safe unmount. Errors never trigger an automatic retry. Do not boot an incomplete card. Cancellation waits for the current operation and safe unmount.
  8. Insert the verified card in the powered-off Pi and follow First boot.

Use python3 BMCoCoPiSetup-0.1.0rc3-console.pyz --help for optional command-line arguments. --verify checks a supplied package and ROM folder without writing a card. The normal guided workflow still requires explicit erase confirmations.

Existing card

The optional --mode maintenance adds missing files without formatting or replacing existing boot/kernel, profiles, media or display settings. Back up valuable contents first. Use the Web updater for kernel updates. The earlier frozen GUI is not part of this release.

Guide edition: November 2, 2026.