micro SD card preparation

If you had purchased a micro SD card that comes pre-flashed with the Raspbian New Out of the Box Software (NOOBS) image, you may skip the micro SD card preparation:

1. The first step is downloading the Raspbian NOOBS image. The image can be downloaded from https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/noobs/.

Downloads the Raspberry Pi NOOBS image

1. Format your SD card using the SD Card Formatter tool. Make sure that the FORMAT SIZE ADJUSTMENT is ON as shown in the snapshot (available from https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/index.html):

Format the SD card

1. Extract the downloaded ZIP file and copy the contents of the file to the formatted micro SD card.

1. Set up the Raspberry Pi (not necessarily in the same order):

• Interface the HDMI cable from the monitor via the mini HDMI interface
• USB hub via the USB OTG interface of the Raspberry Pi Zero
• Micro-USB cable to power the Raspberry Pi Zero
• Plug in a Wi-Fi adapter, a keyboard, and a mouse to the Raspberry Pi Zero

Raspberry Pi Zero with the keyboard, the mouse, and the Wi-Fi adapter

1. Power up the Raspberry Pi, and it should automatically flash the OS onto the SD card and launch the desktop at startup.
2. The first step after startup is changing the Raspberry Pi's password. Go to menu (the Raspberry Pi symbol located at the top-left corner) and select Raspberry Pi Configuration under Preferences.

Launch Raspberry Pi configuration

1. Under the System tab, change the password:

Change the password

1. Under the Localisation tab, change the locale, time zone, and keyboard settings based upon your region.

1. When the installation is complete, connect the Raspberry Pi Zero to the wireless network (using the wireless tab on the top right).

Raspberry Pi desktop upon launch

1. Let's launch the command-line terminal of the Raspberry Pi to perform some software updates.

Launching the command-line terminal

1. Run the following commands from the command-line terminal:

       sudo apt-get update
       sudo apt-get upgrade

The OS upgrade should complete within a couple of minutes.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation hosts a video on its website that provides a visual aid to set up the Raspberry Pi. This video is available at https://vimeo.com/90518800.