Download AlJefra OS

Flash to USB

Get AlJefra OS running on real hardware. Choose the method that matches your platform.

Option A: Balena Etcher (Windows / macOS / Linux — recommended)

The easiest method for all platforms. No command-line needed.

1. Download and install Balena Etcher
2. Insert a USB drive (2 GB or larger)
3. Open Balena Etcher and click "Flash from file"
4. Select the downloaded aljefra_os_v0.7.11.iso
5. Click "Select target" and choose your USB drive
6. Click "Flash!" and wait for completion
7. Eject the USB and plug it into the target machine

Option B: Rufus (Windows only)

Lightweight Windows alternative with more control over boot settings.

1. Download Rufus (portable version works fine)
2. Insert a USB drive and open Rufus
3. Select your USB drive under "Device"
4. Click "SELECT" and choose aljefra_os_v0.7.11.iso
5. Set Partition scheme to MBR (for BIOS) or GPT (for UEFI)
6. Click "START" and wait for completion

Option C: Automated Script (macOS)

unzip aljefra-os-v0.7.11-usb.zip
chmod +x flash_usb.sh
sudo ./flash_usb.sh

The script auto-detects your USB drive, asks for confirmation, and flashes.

Option D: Manual dd (macOS)

# Find your USB disk (e.g. /dev/disk2)
diskutil list

# Unmount it
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN

# Flash (use rdiskN for speed)
sudo dd if=aljefra_os_v0.7.11.iso of=/dev/rdiskN bs=4m

# Eject
diskutil eject /dev/diskN

Option E: Manual dd (Linux)

# Find your USB (e.g. /dev/sdb)
lsblk

# Flash
sudo dd if=aljefra_os_v0.7.11.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sync

BIOS / UEFI Setup

Before booting AlJefra OS on real hardware, you may need to adjust your BIOS/UEFI settings.

Disable Secure Boot

AlJefra OS does not have a Microsoft-signed bootloader. If your machine has Secure Boot enabled, you will see: Secure Boot Violation — Invalid signature detected. Check Secure Boot policy in setup.

1. Restart your computer and enter BIOS/UEFI setup (see key table below)
2. Navigate to the Security or Boot tab
3. Find Secure Boot and set it to Disabled
4. If the option is grayed out, set a Supervisor Password first
5. Save and exit (usually F10)

BIOS Entry Keys by Brand

Set USB as Boot Device

1. Insert the AlJefra OS USB drive
2. Restart and press the Boot Menu Key for your brand (see table above)
3. Select the USB drive from the boot menu
4. Alternatively, enter BIOS setup and change the Boot Order to place USB first

Boot Menu Options

The AlJefra OS boot menu provides four options:

• AlJefra OS — Default boot with automatic video mode. Works on all hardware.
• AlJefra OS (Safe Video 800x600) — Lower resolution for laptops with display compatibility issues.
• AlJefra OS (Text Mode) — Text-only mode for debugging or serial console use.

Troubleshooting

• "No suitable video mode found" — Try the Safe Video or Text Mode boot option.
• "Secure Boot Violation" — Disable Secure Boot in BIOS (see above).
• USB not detected — Try a different USB port (USB 2.0 ports are more compatible). Check that USB boot is enabled in BIOS.
• Black screen after boot — The kernel may be outputting to serial. Try the Text Mode option, or connect a serial cable.

Build from Source

Build AlJefra OS for any supported architecture using the included build system.

Requirements

• Git
• NASM (Netwide Assembler)
• GCC cross-compiler (for target architecture)
• GNU Make

Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/qatarit-com/AlJefra-OS.git
cd AlJefra-OS

# Build for a specific architecture
make ARCH=x86_64     # ~987 KB kernel ELF
make ARCH=aarch64    # ~1,014 KB kernel ELF
make ARCH=riscv64    # ~996 KB kernel ELF

Kernels will be built to build/[arch]/bin/kernel_[arch].bin. For detailed build instructions, see the Developer Guide.

QEMU Quick Start

Test AlJefra OS in the QEMU emulator before deploying to real hardware.

x86-64 (Intel/AMD) — using the ISO

qemu-system-x86_64 -m 256 \
  -cdrom aljefra_os_v0.7.11.iso -boot d \
  -serial mon:stdio -display none \
  -device e1000,netdev=n0 -netdev user,id=n0

x86-64 — from source build

# Build a GRUB ISO first:
mkdir -p /tmp/iso/boot/grub
cp build/x86_64/bin/kernel_x86_64.bin /tmp/iso/boot/aljefra.bin
cat > /tmp/iso/boot/grub/grub.cfg <<'EOF'
insmod all_video
insmod gfxterm
insmod vbe
insmod vga
terminal_output gfxterm console
set gfxmode=1024x768x32,800x600,auto
set gfxpayload=keep
set timeout=3
menuentry "AlJefra OS" {
    set gfxpayload=1024x768x32,800x600,auto
    multiboot /boot/aljefra.bin
    boot
}
EOF
grub-mkrescue -o aljefra.iso /tmp/iso

# Boot it:
qemu-system-x86_64 -m 256 -cdrom aljefra.iso -boot d \
  -serial mon:stdio -display none \
  -device e1000,netdev=n0 -netdev user,id=n0

ARM64 (AArch64)

qemu-system-aarch64 -M virt -cpu cortex-a72 -m 256 -nographic \
  -kernel build/aarch64/bin/kernel_aarch64.bin

RISC-V 64-bit

qemu-system-riscv64 -M virt -m 256 -nographic \
  -kernel build/riscv64/bin/kernel_riscv64.bin

Press Ctrl+a x to exit QEMU. The x86-64 kernel outputs to serial (COM1 115200 8N1). ARM64 and RISC-V output to UART.

System Requirements

AlJefra OS runs on minimal hardware across all supported architectures.

AlJefra OS is designed for minimal footprint. The full HAL kernels with GUI, AI chat, and 22+ drivers produce ELF binaries of ~987 KB (x86-64), ~1,014 KB (ARM64), and ~996 KB (RISC-V), with text sections of 148 KB, 147 KB, and 123 KB respectively.

Contribute

AlJefra OS is open source. We welcome contributions from developers worldwide.

How to Contribute

1. Fork the repository on GitHub
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b my-feature
3. Make your changes and commit: git commit -m "Add my feature"
4. Push to your fork: git push origin my-feature
5. Open a Pull Request on GitHub

Ways to Help

• Write or improve portable drivers (storage, network, input, display)
• Port to new architectures or fix architecture-specific issues
• Improve the AI bootstrap and marketplace client
• Test on real hardware and report compatibility results
• Improve documentation and add tutorials
• Report bugs and submit feature requests via GitHub Issues

Read our Contributing Guide for code style, PR process, and review guidelines.

Version History