Editing Openai/695158d7-1b68-800b-a02f-4817bf1f6d25 (section)

== gpt-5-t-mini ==
=== User: Thanks for the tips! ===
Thanks for the tips!
But there are still some issues...
# 
When I tried to install it using ventoy, I couldn't pick "Installation Source" despite there being an option for ISO file, and when I tried it using Rufus in dd mode, when I clicked something like "test and install qubes" the test failed despite being successful before. So I got the idea to install it using 2 flash drives - Ventoy to boot the installer and Rufus to select as source, but people on reddit told me to just continue with installing without the tests. Well, when clicking that, I still see tests (it looks like appearing command lines with green text at the beginnig, like OK or PASSED, idk what). Now, what is the difference between those two modes?

I got this comment: "The image you provided has it failing the test, so trying without the test will hopefully get you farther, or at least give a more helpful error message. I don't see much use in trying with 2 usb drives. 
As for ventoy, looking at the github issue for it, it hasn't been fully diagnosed why it doesn't work. But I don't believe it's a high priority, so I don't believe the devs are actively trying to figure out why it doesn't work." and yes secure boot is off and yes virtualization is enabled.
Soo what should I do, should I simply ignore it and hope nothing bad happens? My thinkbook isn't on the list of supported devices.
# 
When creating partition, I don't see an option for exfat. I see:
-btrfs (I guess there is a difference between btrfs partition and volume? please explain)
-EFI System Partition (some Windows stuff?)
-ext2
-ext3
-ext4
-f2fs
-physical volume (LVM)
-ntfs
-swap (soo extended ram?)
-vfat
-xfs
-unformated

What should I do? I guess I can reformat it later, right? Should I try to use ZFS, which I heard is good for servers (so good for media storage?). Please explain to me strenghts, weaknesses and usage of each file system mentioned and if I should just choose ext4 and reformat it later.
# 
Under the BLIVET GUI PARTITIONING (thanks god for gui), there are 2 groups now: Disks (my only m.2 2240 drive) and LVM (I called Notebook, size 150GiB). I can create partitions inside the Notebook LVM. Should I? Or is it automatic.
# 
Should I enable root account? it's disabled by default
# 
Under SOFTWARE SELECTION, there are 3 Additional software for Selected Enviroment (only 1 - Qubes OS with Xfce)
-Qubes UI (Audio/Gui) - only one that is on by default
-Desktop accessibility
-Sway Window Manager (supplemental package)

Should I turn them all on?
# 
After setting it all up, I can't even click "Begin Installation", because Installation Destination tells me "Error checking storage configuration". I set up 150GiB LVM2 as you said and left the rest empty, also I left the LVM empty with no partitions. After clicking Installation Destination, and clicking on the error for details, it tells me: "Failed to find a suitable stage1 device: EFI System Partition cannot be of type luks.

Please explain everything in obsessive detail cause idk what I'm doing.

=== Assistant: Nice — you’re deep in the weeds now, good stuff. ===
Nice — you’re deep in the weeds now, good stuff. I’ll answer each of your numbered points clearly and in practical order, with exact actions you can take right now (no fluff).

If anything below looks unfamiliar, follow the “Recommended quick fixes” at the end of each section.

==== ### ====
* Ventoy: a multiboot USB loader that runs ISOs directly from the USB. It sometimes interacts oddly with hybrid ISOs or with the installer’s expectations (loopback, squashfs), so some distros or installers don’t behave perfectly on Ventoy.
* Rufus — DD mode: writes the ISO bit-for-bit as a raw image. This is the most reliable way to make a bootable USB for Linux ISOs.
* “Test and install” in the Qubes (Anaconda) installer runs media checks / sanity checks (checksum, integrity of live image, maybe firmware checks). If these tests fail it will either stop or print warnings. A failure can be: - real (corrupt ISO / bad write) - caused by the way USB was written (Ventoy can trigger false failures) - caused by a quirk of your hardware or boot mode

===== 1. Verify the ISO first on your host machine: ``<code>bash sha256sum Qubes-R4.1-x86_64.iso </code>`<code> Compare with the SHA256 on the Qubes website. If the checksum matches, the ISO is OK. =====
# Create the USB with a different, very reliable tool: - Preferred: balenaEtcher (GUI, cross-platform) — writes correctly for almost all distros. - Or: use dd (Linux/macOS) or Rufus in DD/“dd” mode (Windows). - Avoid Ventoy for the initial install attempt if you’re seeing test failures.
# Boot the installer in the same mode you’ll install (UEFI vs legacy). Check you booted in UEFI by opening the live environment terminal and running: </code>`<code>bash [ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI boot" || echo "Legacy/BIOS boot" </code>`` Qubes expects UEFI for most modern installations.
# If a write-method still causes the “test” to fail but the ISO checksum was OK, try another USB stick or another writer (balenaEtcher or dd). If the test still fails after a proper write and checksum match, post the exact test output (copy-paste) — that gives a clue. But typically: use dd/balenaEtcher and proceed.

Quick fix: Verify ISO SHA256 → write ISO with balenaEtcher or dd → boot in UEFI → try install. Don’t use Ventoy for first attempt.

==== You listed: btrfs, EFI System Partition, ext2, ext3, ext4, f2fs, physical volume (LVM), ntfs, swap, vfat, xfs, unformatted. ====

===== - EFI System Partition → Use vfat (FAT32), size ~512 MiB, flagged as EFI System Partition. This must be unencrypted. =====
* Qubes system (inside LUKS+LVM) → LUKS container → LVM → ext4 volumes will be created automatically by the installer (you do not need to pick ext4).
* Large unencrypted media partition (Linux-only) → ext4 (fast, reliable).
* Small exchange partition for Windows/macOS → exFAT (supports large files and cross-OS). If the installer GUI does not offer exFAT, make it unformatted now and format it later from a Linux environment or in your media VM.
* NTFS → only if you must share with Windows and need Windows ACLs. Otherwise avoid.
* btrfs → advanced features (snapshots, checksums), but not recommended for dom0 / Qubes system. You can use btrfs for a media partition if you want snapshots, but ZFS/btrfs add complexity and more potential for tricky recovery.
* ZFS → not listed in the installer (often not available); ZFS is excellent for servers (data integrity, snapshots), but it is RAM-hungry and unusual on a laptop — not recommended for Qubes dom0 or for your media partition on a laptop.

===== - ext4: mature, reliable, fast, low memory — default choice for Linux-only media and what Qubes expects for system volumes. =====
* vfat (FAT32): required for EFI boot. Also used for very small cross-platform partitions. No permissions, no journaling.
* exFAT: cross-platform, large file support, no POSIX permissions. Good for sharing movies with Windows/macOS.
* ntfs: Windows-native; use if you need Windows features. Linux support is solid but heavier.
* btrfs: snapshots, checksums; more complex, riskier recovery, not recommended for dom0.
* f2fs: filesystem optimized for flash; specialty use.
* xfs: good for big-file servers; not necessary for laptop media, and less flexible for shrinking.
* ext2/ext3: legacy (ext2 no journaling; ext3 is older journaling); not recommended over ext4.
* swap: swap partition (pagefile). Qubes installer will create swap inside LVM usually.

===== The installer GUI may not list exFAT. Do this: create the partition as unformatted or as ext4 temporarily and reformat later inside a media-vm with mkfs.exfat (install exfatprogs) or on another machine. =====

Quick fix: Use EFI (vfat) 512 MiB for ESP, physical volume (LVM) for the Qubes LUKS container, and unformatted or ext4 for your media partition if you plan to reformat later to exFAT.

==== ### ====
* Disk = physical device (your M.2).
* Partition = a region on the disk (e.g., /dev/nvme0n1p1).
* Physical Volume (PV) = partition or whole disk that LVM uses.
* Volume Group (VG) = collection of PVs (a pool).
* Logical Volume (LV) = “virtual partition” carved out of a VG (you create file systems on LVs).

In the BLIVET GUI you’re seeing a VG named Notebook (that’s fine). You do not create partitions inside the VG — instead you create logical volumes inside the VG, or let the installer do it automatically.

===== - Create a partition on the disk to be used as the LUKS container or PV (e.g., /dev/nvme0n1p2), mark it for LUKS encryption. =====
* After LUKS is set on that partition, inside it create an LVM PV, then a VG, and then LVs: the installer normally does this for you automatically (root, swap, vm-pool).
* Do not try to create classic MBR-style partitions inside the LVM — that’s not how LVM works.

If BLIVET is showing an LVM and letting you create LVs, you can:
* Let it create the LVs automatically (recommended)
* Or create LVs manually: root, swap, qubes pool etc. But be careful and copy a recommended layout.

Quick fix: Let the installer auto-create the LVs inside your LUKS→LVM PV. If you must do it manually, create LVs, not partitions, inside the VG.

==== No — keep root disabled (default). Qubes expects dom0 root to be locked and you to use sudo from your normal dom0 user when necessary. Enabling root is an unnecessary increase in attack surface / risk. ====

If you really want to enable it later:

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">sudo passwd root

</syntaxhighlight>

But don’t unless you know why.

Quick fix: leave root disabled.

==== - Qubes UI (Audio/GUI) — keep on (default). Needed. ====
* Desktop accessibility — enable only if you need screen reader/assistive tech.
* Sway Window Manager — choose only if you prefer a tiling Wayland sway session and you know how to use it. If you’re new to Qubes/Xfce, leave it off.

Quick fix: stick with defaults for a first install (only Qubes UI).

==== This is the key error. The installer is telling you the EFI System Partition (ESP) is currently set to be inside LUKS (encrypted), or you flagged the ESP to be encrypted — that’s invalid. The firmware (UEFI) needs an unencrypted FAT32 partition to read the bootloader. ====

===== You must create a separate unencrypted EFI partition (FAT32, ~512 MiB) and not put it inside LUKS. Example partition scheme: =====
# Partition 1 — EFI System Partition - Size: 512 MiB - Type: EFI System Partition - Filesystem: vfat/FAT32 - Do not encrypt this.
# Partition 2 — LUKS container for Qubes - Size: 150 GiB (or your chosen system size) - Type: physical volume (LVM) or leave as partition that you will encrypt - Enable LUKS encryption on this partition (the installer will wrap it and then create LVM inside it).
# Partition 3 — Unencrypted media - Size: ~700 GiB - Filesystem: ext4 OR leave unformatted and format later (exFAT if you need Windows compatibility) - Not encrypted.
# (Optional) Partition 4 — small exchange - Size: ~54 GiB - Filesystem: exFAT (if available) or unformatted and format later.

Important: Ensure the ESP is flagged properly and that when you choose LUKS for the main system you do not select the ESP to be inside LUKS. The GUI sometimes lets you accidentally apply LUKS to the whole disk; instead assign LUKS only to the partition you intend for the system.

===== Boot the installer live and open a terminal: =====

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">lsblk -f

</syntaxhighlight>

Check which partitions exist and whether any FAT32 partition is present for EFI. Also check you booted in UEFI.

===== If you accidentally encrypted the whole disk (including ESP), you need to: =====
* Recreate partitions: make a small unencrypted FAT32 ESP first, then the LUKS partition after it. This may require wiping/repartitioning the disk.

Quick fix: Create a 512 MiB vfat EFI partition (unformatted as EFI System Partition in GUI), then a separate LUKS partition for Qubes. Don’t wrap the EFI partition in LUKS.

==== After install, attach the media partition to a media-vm and run: ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"># install tools in the media-vm if missing
sudo dnf install exfatprogs      # Fedora-based template
=== or on Debian-based TemplateVM: ===
sudo apt install exfatprogs

=== format the block device (example /dev/nvme0n1p3) ===
sudo mkfs.exfat /dev/nvme0n1p3

</syntaxhighlight>

Or use mkfs.ntfs for NTFS, mkfs.ext4 for ext4.

==== - /dev/nvme0n1p1 — EFI | 512 MiB | vfat | EFI System Partition (unmounted by LUKS) ====
* /dev/nvme0n1p2 — System | 150 GiB | set to be encrypted (LUKS) → inside LUKS create LVM → LVs (auto: root, swap, vm-pool)
* /dev/nvme0n1p3 — Media | 700 GiB | unformatted (or ext4) → format later as ext4 or exFAT inside media-vm
* /dev/nvme0n1p4 — Optional exchange | ~54 GiB | unformatted (format later to exFAT/NTFS if needed)

Make sure the EFI partition is not encrypted.

==== 1. ISO SHA256 verified. ====
# USB written with balenaEtcher or dd.
# Booted in UEFI (not legacy).
# EFI partition exists (vfat, 512 MiB, unencrypted).
# Main system partition is marked for LUKS and inside it LVM will be created.
# Media partition left unencrypted/unformatted or ext4 as you prefer.
# Don’t enable root; keep software defaults.
# If you get “Error checking storage configuration” again, review the installer log (there’s a button to show details) and confirm the ESP is not LUKS.

If you want, I can:
* Walk you through writing the ISO step-by-step for your OS (Windows or Linux) — exact commands for dd / Rufus / Etcher.
* If you copy the exact installer test error output (the text it shows when tests fail), paste it here and I’ll diagnose it specifically.
* Or I can create a short checklist you can follow at the installer screen (one-liner commands you can copy into a terminal in the live environment).

Which would you like next — (A) exact USB write commands for your OS, or (B) help parsing the installer test failure output?

=== User: "use efi for esp" - what is esp? ===
"use efi for esp" - what is esp?

What is the difference between Tiling Wayland and Xfce? Which one does Garuda Dragonized Gaming Edition use? (I'm coming from that distro) and what are the pros/cons of both?

Do you think the LUKS error is caused because I checked "encrypt" for the system partition? If yes, shouldn't the devs, like, fix it so newbies don't have to deal with it? Afaik Qubes is supposed to be for security so it's assumed you wanna encrypt your stuff.

Is there a difference between btrfs partition and volume (idk which volume there was just volume)? if yes, which one? I can create both of them in the same space (directly on the drive) as normal partitions.

Thanks for all the help!

=== Assistant: Nice — great follow-ups. ===
Nice — great follow-ups. I’ll go point-by-point, keep it practical, and call out the exact things you should do right now. I’ll start with the short answers, then give the deeper explanation.

=== ESP = EFI System Partition. ===
It’s a small unencrypted FAT32 partition the UEFI firmware reads to find and load your bootloader (GRUB/shim/whatever). It must be unencrypted and flagged as an EFI System Partition.

(So: create a ~512 MiB vfat/FAT32 partition, mark it as EFI System Partition, do not put it inside LUKS.)

=== - Tiling Wayland (e.g. Sway) = a tiling window manager running on Wayland. Keyboard-driven, tiles windows automatically, very efficient workflow, minimal UI chrome, modern compositor features (Wayland). Pros: power-user productivity, low overhead, modern Wayland features. Cons: steeper learning curve, some apps/GUI tools expect floating windows, Wayland + NVIDIA can be flaky at times. ===
* Xfce = a traditional desktop environment (panel, menu, settings) that runs on X11 (mostly). Pros: simple, familiar, stable, easy to configure. Cons: less modern compositor features, not tiling by default (but you can add tilers), looks older.

Which does Garuda Dr460nized use?
Garuda’s “Dr460nized / Dr46onized / Dr460nized Gaming” is a KDE Plasma variant (not Xfce or Sway by default). It ships Plasma (customized) and historically uses X11 by default but users can enable a Wayland Plasma session; the gaming variant is mostly configuration / packages on top of KDE/Plasma. Garuda Linux Forum<ref>{{cite web|title=Garuda Linux Forum|url=https://forum.garudalinux.org/t/dragonized-kde-vs-dragonized-gaming/5816|publisher=Garuda Linux Forum|access-date=2025-12-29}}</ref>

If you’re coming from Garuda Dr460nized (KDE), then moving to Xfce in Qubes is a different workflow — Xfce is simpler and more predictable for Qubes; Sway (Wayland tiling) is available as an optional install but only pick it if you’re comfortable with tiling WMs and aware of Wayland/NVIDIA quirks. Garuda Linux Forum<ref>{{cite web|title=Garuda Linux Forum|url=https://forum.garudalinux.org/t/plasma-5-wayland-by-default/8718|publisher=Garuda Linux Forum|access-date=2025-12-29}}</ref>

=== Yes — but specifically: the error you saw (EFI System Partition cannot be of type luks) means the installer found your EFI partition flagged as being inside (or treated as) an encrypted volume. The firmware needs to read the ESP before any decryption, so ESP cannot be LUKS-encrypted. ===

Why it happens:
* If you accidentally selected the whole disk for encryption (instead of a single partition), the installer may try to wrap the ESP too.
* The GUI sometimes lets you assign encryption at the disk-level or apply LUKS to the wrong partition.

Fix (concrete steps):
# In manual partitioning create a separate partition for ESP first: /dev/nvme0n1p1 → 512 MiB → vfat → flag: EFI System Partition (leave unencrypted).
# Make a separate partition for the system and enable LUKS only on that partition (not the whole disk).
# Media/exchange partitions are separate and unencrypted (or formatted later).

Why devs don’t silently encrypt ESP:
* The firmware must read ESP without decryption; automatic encryption of ESP would prevent boot. It’s the firmware constraint, not an installer oversight. The installer could warn more helpfully, but the underlying rule is firm: ESP must be accessible to the firmware unencrypted.

=== Short: there’s no “two filesystems in the same partition” magical thing — you can only have one filesystem occupying a partition. But the terms you see are talking about two different layered concepts: ===
* btrfs partition (what you pick in the partition editor): you create a partition on disk and format it with the btrfs filesystem. That means the whole partition is a btrfs filesystem.
* btrfs volume / subvolume (internal to btrfs): inside a btrfs filesystem you create subvolumes (sometimes shown as “volumes” in GUIs). Subvolumes act like independent mountable roots but they live inside the single btrfs filesystem (they are not separate partitions). btrfs also supports multiple devices combined into a btrfs pool, RAID levels, etc.

So:
* If the GUI shows both options for the same slice of disk, it likely means (a) create a partition and (b) create a btrfs filesystem on it and then optionally create subvolumes inside it. You cannot have a separate ext4 and btrfs both on the same partition — you must pick one filesystem per partition.

If you want LVM + encryption, that’s a different model: LVM gives you logical volumes (LVs) that look like separate block devices and you can format each LV with ext4 / btrfs etc. btrfs subvolumes are more akin to directories with special semantics, not block-device LVs.

=== - Don’t use btrfs for dom0/system — Qubes devs advise against Btrfs for dom0 (historical stability and recovery reasons). Use LUKS+LVM with ext4 for the system. ===
* Media partition: ext4 is the simplest and most trouble-free on Linux.
* exFAT if you need cross-platform (Windows/macOS) compatibility. If you want snapshots for media, btrfs can provide them, but they add complexity and possible recovery headaches on a laptop — only choose btrfs if you understand subvolumes and are comfortable with btrfs maintenance. ZFS is excellent for servers (integrity, compression, snapshots) but it’s heavy (RAM, kernel module/licensing differences) and not typically used for Qubes/dom0 on laptops.

=== 1. ESP (EFI System Partition): - Create partition #1, 512 MiB, vfat (FAT32), flag EFI System Partition, do not encrypt. ===
# System partition: - Create partition #2, your chosen system size (e.g. 150 GiB), mark it for LUKS encryption (LUKS2), inside it the installer will create the LVM and LVs.
# Media partition: - Create partition #3, the big ~700 GiB, leave it unformatted or set as ext4; you can change later to exFAT from a media AppVM.
# Optional small exchange: - Partition #4, leave unformatted if the GUI lacks exFAT; format later.
# Make sure the installer shows the EFI partition as vfat and NOT inside LUKS. If it still says ESP cannot be LUKS, you missed step 1 or accidentally set encryption at the disk-level.

=== - Is ESP the same as “EFI” you saw in the GUI? Yes — choose the item “EFI System Partition” or create a small vfat partition and mark it as EFI. ===
* If I need exFAT but installer doesn’t show it: make the partition unformatted now and format it later from a TemplateVM/media-vm using mkfs.exfat (exfatprogs) or format on another machine.
* If the GUI allowed “encrypt whole disk” and you chose that: you must repartition so that ESP is separate and unencrypted.
* Can I use btrfs for media? Yes, but only if you want the specific btrfs features (snapshots, checksums); otherwise ext4 is simpler and more proven on laptops.

=== Create a 512 MiB unencrypted vfat ESP, create a separate LUKS2 partition for the system (LVM inside), and put your big media partition as ext4 or unformatted (convert to exFAT later if you need cross-OS). For desktop choice: if you like KDE on Garuda, you’ll feel most at home with a full-featured DE — but for a first Qubes setup stick with the default Xfce (stable & simple); add Sway (tiling Wayland) later if you’re confident and the hardware (esp. GPU/NVIDIA) plays nicely. ===

If you want I can:
* Give the exact clicks to make these partitions in the installer (step-by-step with labels), or
* Provide the exact parted / gdisk / mkfs commands to repartition from a live terminal, or
* Help you decide ext4 vs exFAT formatting command and how to format the media partition from a TemplateVM after install.

Which one do you want me to do next?

=== User: When I tried the custom automatic, it did: ===
When I tried the custom automatic, it did:

/boot/efi 600MiB nvme0n1p1

/boot 1024MiB
nvme0n1p2

/ 20GiB
qubes-dom0-root

swap 3.92 GiB
qubes-dom0-swap

and each one has many options/setting

Is there really no way to create unencrypted volumes here? Also why is efi under something and not directly on the drive as a partition?

My issue is that I see no option for Thin Provisioning in the Blivet advanced partitioner

=== Assistant: Nice — you’re asking exactly the right next-level questions. ===
Nice — you’re asking exactly the right next-level questions. I’ll keep this short(ish) and actionable: explain why you’re seeing what you see, show the safe/simple path you should take now, and then give the exact manual commands you can use only if you want to do everything by hand.

==== 1. If you want LVM thin (recommended for Qubes) and also unencrypted media partitions, use the Custom flow (not Advanced) and pick LVM Thin Provisioning there. ====
# If you already went into Advanced (Blivet), first create the unencrypted partitions (EFI, /boot, media) before you create the encrypted LUKS partition. The installer will then create the LUKS/LVM inside the correct partition.
# If Blivet GUI doesn’t show a “thin” checkbox, don’t panic — either go back to the earlier Custom screen to pick LVM Thin, or you can create a thin pool manually from the live terminal (commands below). Manual commands are powerful but risky — only use them if you’re comfortable.

==== - /boot/efi (vfat) is the EFI System Partition (ESP). It is a real partition (e.g. /dev/nvme0n1p1). BLIVET may display it under the device or grouped by mountpoint — that’s just UI representation. ====
* /boot is usually an unencrypted small partition (here 1024 MiB). Qubes keeps /boot unencrypted so the bootloader & initramfs can be read to unlock the encrypted LUKS container.
* / (qubes-dom0-root) and swap are logical volumes created inside the encrypted LUKS → LVM. The installer auto-created small defaults (20 GiB root, ~4 GiB swap) for dom0. You can change sizes — but they live inside the LVM VG.

==== Yes — but only if you create partitions outside the LUKS container. ====

How to do that in Blivet/Advanced:
* Create a partition on the disk and do not mark it for encryption (e.g. /dev/nvme0n1p3, size 700 GiB). Format it as ext4 (or leave unformatted to format later as exFAT). This partition will be unencrypted and accessible if you mount it in a VM.
* Create the partition you do want encrypted (e.g. 150 GiB) and mark that one for LUKS. Inside that LUKS container you'll create the LVM PV/VG and LVs for the system.

So the trick: put unencrypted partitions alongside the LUKS partition. Don’t try to create unencrypted LVs "inside" an encrypted PV — once PV is inside LUKS, everything inside is encrypted.

==== This is a UI thing. nvme0n1p1 is a partition on the drive. BLIVET groups mountpoints and shows logical relationships; it may visually nest boot/efi under the device or volume. As long as that partition is vfat and not marked LUKS, it’s correct. ====

==== - In the Custom install flow there’s a specific toggle or radio to choose LVM Thin Provisioning. That’s the easy way — pick Custom, choose Thin, then only use Advanced if you need per-partition control. ====
* If you’re already in Advanced and don’t see a “thin” checkbox, you can: 1. Go back to the previous screen and pick Custom → choose LVM Thin (recommended), or 2. Create the LUKS + VG with the GUI and then create the thin pool manually in a terminal (commands below).

==== Only follow this if you understand CLI and have a backup. Replace device names and sizes to match your layout. ====

Assume you created partitions:
* /dev/nvme0n1p1 — EFI (vfat), 600 MiB — unencrypted
* /dev/nvme0n1p2 — /boot 1024 MiB — unencrypted
* /dev/nvme0n1p3 — 150 GiB — intended for LUKS (system)
* /dev/nvme0n1p4 — media (rest) — unencrypted

Commands (run in the live installer terminal):

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"># 1) format and set up LUKS on the partition
sudo cryptsetup luksFormat --type luks2 /dev/nvme0n1p3
=== open it (choose a name like cryptroot) ===
sudo cryptsetup open /dev/nvme0n1p3 cryptroot

=== 2) create LVM PV and VG inside the decrypted mapping ===
sudo pvcreate /dev/mapper/cryptroot
sudo vgcreate Notebook /dev/mapper/cryptroot

=== 3) create dom0 logical volumes (example sizes) ===
sudo lvcreate -L 20G -n qubes-dom0-root Notebook
sudo lvcreate -L 33G -n qubes-dom0-swap Notebook

=== 4) create a thin-pool to back thin LVs (choose size for pool; here 90G as example) ===
sudo lvcreate --type thin-pool -L 90G -n thinpool Notebook

=== 5) create thin logical volumes for VMs (virtual size can be larger than physical) ===
=== e.g., create a 200G-thin LV (virtual size) for VM storage ===
sudo lvcreate -V 200G -T Notebook/thinpool -n qubes-vm-pool

=== 6) create filesystems on LVs where expected (dom0 uses ext4 etc.) ===
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/Notebook/qubes-dom0-root
sudo mkswap /dev/Notebook/qubes-dom0-swap
=== DO NOT mkfs on the thin pool itself ===

</syntaxhighlight>

After this you’d tell the installer where root, swap and the VM pool are (if doing everything manually) or let the installer proceed if it detects these LVs. Again, manual approach requires care.

==== 1. Back out of Advanced if you’re unsure. ====
# Choose Custom (semi-guided). On that screen select LVM Thin Provisioning.
# In the partitioning step create explicitly: - nvme0n1p1 — ESP (vfat, ~600 MiB) — unencrypted - nvme0n1p2 — /boot (~1 GiB) — unencrypted - nvme0n1p3 — 150 GiB — mark as Physical volume (LVM) and enable encryption (this becomes LUKS -> VG) - nvme0n1p4 — media (~700 GiB) — ext4 or unformatted (unencrypted) - optional exchange partition — unformatted/exFAT
# Let the installer create LVs inside the encrypted VG (it will create qubes-dom0-root, swap, and the thin pool/LVs if you chose Thin). If you need custom sizes for dom0 root/swap, adjust them in Custom before applying.

==== - Don’t create swap as a separate unencrypted partition if you want full-disk protection — put swap inside the encrypted LUKS/LV. ====
* If you choose to do LVM thin manually, monitor free space — thin pools can run out and cause issues.

If you want, tell me which path you want now:
* A) I’ll walk you step-by-step in the installer GUI (exact clicks for Custom → partition setup).
* B) I’ll provide a ready-to-run script of the exact cryptsetup + pvcreate + vgcreate + lvcreate commands tailored to your chosen sizes.

Pick A or B and I’ll give the exact next steps.