HYVE ETHER OS · SETUP
Install Instructions
HYVE Ether OS installs as a full operating system on its own drive or partition — it is not an app that runs inside Windows or macOS. The whole process takes about 30–60 minutes, most of which is copying the AI models that ship inside the image. You do not need an internet connection to install. At activation the OS registers your license key once with hyveether.com; HYVE collects no telemetry or usage data.
Prefer to watch first? Everything below is also covered in the owner troubleshooting hub if you hit a snag. Not sure your machine qualifies? Check hardware compatibility first.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN — WHAT YOU NEED
- ▸A 64-bit x86-64 PC — 4+ CPU cores with AES-NI + AVX2 (nearly all machines since ~2015). Boots in UEFI (recommended) or Legacy/BIOS. Intel/AMD only — not Apple-Silicon (M-series) Macs.
- ▸8 GB RAM minimum — 16 GB+ recommended for the studios and larger models.
- ▸A dedicated GPU is optional — Without one, AI answers are slower.
- ▸~105 GB free on the target drive — The OS ships with its AI models baked in, so the installed system is large. Back up that drive first — installing erases it.
- ▸A USB flash drive, 128 GB or larger — It will be completely erased when you flash the ISO to it. The 3.0 images are about 63 GB, so a 64 GB stick is too small.
- ▸Your license key — The HYVE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX key from your Closed Beta access email. You enter it once, at first boot.
Download the ISO — and verify it
Downloads of HYVE Ether OS are paused while we inspect the 2.1.2 image. Your license stays valid. Updates are posted at hyveether.com/progress.
Go to hyveether.com/download, paste your license key, and download the disk image (46.1 GiB). Because it's a large file, use a stable connection and let it finish completely.
Then verify the download — a corrupted ISO is the #1 cause of a USB that won't boot. Compare the SHA-256 of your file to this:
aefb4165f4692360d86b144c51479b21b7c8b3160ad50cef0467ff665491fcc5Run the matching command for your system:
Windows (PowerShell)
Get-FileHash .\HYVE-ETHER-OS-2.1.2.iso -Algorithm SHA256macOS
shasum -a 256 HYVE-ETHER-OS-2.1.2.isoLinux
sha256sum HYVE-ETHER-OS-2.1.2.isoIf the value matches, you're good. If it doesn't, delete the file and download it again.
Make a bootable USB drive
Flash the ISO to your USB drive (64 GB+) with one of these free tools. This erases everything on the USB.
balenaEtcher (Windows, macOS, or Linux — easiest):
- 1. Download it from balena.io/etcher and open it.
- 2. Flash from file → pick the HYVE-ETHER-OS-2.1.2.iso.
- 3. Select target → choose your USB drive.
- 4. Flash, and wait for it to finish and validate.
Rufus (Windows):
- 1. Open Rufus, pick your USB under Device.
- 2. SELECT the ISO. Leave the partition scheme on GPT / UEFI.
- 3. Click START. If asked, choose "Write in DD Image mode".
Double-check you selected the USB drive, not your hard drive. Flashing overwrites the target completely.
Boot from the USB
Leave the USB plugged in and restart the computer. As it powers on, tap the firmware key to open the boot menu — it's usually one of F12, F10, F9, ESC, or DEL (the screen often flashes which key; it varies by maker).
In your BIOS/UEFI settings, make sure:
- ▸Boot mode: UEFI is recommended, but the image now boots in Legacy / BIOS (CSM) too — either works, so use whatever your machine offers.
- ▸Secure Boot is OFF. This is important — it lets the graphics driver load so the OS and its AI can use your GPU. You can leave it off.
- ▸Select your USB drive as the boot device.
Save and exit. The HYVE Ether OS live environment will boot to a desktop you can look around before installing.
Install it to your machine
From the live desktop, launch Install HYVE Ether OS. The installer walks you through language, timezone, and your user account, then asks where to install.
- ▸Pick the target disk or partition using the disk picker. Make sure it's the drive you intend.
- ▸Confirm there is ~105 GB free — the image copies its baked-in AI models during install, so this step takes a while.
- ▸When it finishes, remove the USB and reboot.
Installing erases the drive or partition you choose. If it's your only computer, back up anything important first, or install to a second drive.
Activate your license
On the first boot into your installed system, you'll see the activation screen. Enter your license key exactly as it appears in your email:
HYVE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXYour machine checks the key, then the OS registers it once with hyveether.com over HTTPS. The key, a machine identifier and the OS version are sent, and our server can read them; if you're offline, it tries again on a later boot. HYVE collects no telemetry or usage data. Copy the key straight from your email to avoid typos (extra spaces are the usual culprit if it's rejected).
Lost your key? Re-open it anytime from your account or the order-lookup page — both email it back to you.
First run — set up your local AI
On first launch, HYVE detects your GPU, CPU, and RAM and offers to set up the right local AI models for your hardware. The image ships with AI models baked in for chat, code, image understanding, transcription, and speech, and no account is needed; depending on your hardware, setup may offer more models to download.
If the machine has no internet, use the offline import path to add models from a USB drive. Bigger, more specialized models are a one-click download later for hardware that has the room. From here on, your AI runs on your machine; features you choose, like web search or model downloads, use the internet.
INSTALLING IN A VIRTUAL MACHINE
Trying HYVE Ether OS in a VM is a good way to look around first. A QEMU/KVM boot has been tested; other hypervisors are untested. You don't need a USB stick — attach the HYVE-ETHER-OS-2.1.2.iso directly as a virtual CD/DVD and boot from it.
- ▸Guest OS type — Linux → Debian (64-bit). Not “other”/Windows.
- ▸Firmware — The image includes both EFI (UEFI) and BIOS boot loaders — pick either. Turn Secure Boot OFF.
- ▸Disk — Give it ~105 GB or more — the AI models are baked into the image and copy in during install.
- ▸Memory / CPU — 8 GB RAM and 4+ vCPUs minimum; more is better for the studios.
- ▸GPU — The shell and core local AI run on a virtual GPU, but the creative Studios need a real GPU (passthrough), and Sense needs add-on ESP32-S3 sensor boards — for full fidelity, install on bare metal.
Apple-Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4) run on ARM and cannot run HYVE Ether OS in Parallels, UTM, or VMware Fusion — it is x86-64 software. Use an Intel/AMD PC, or an x86-64 cloud VM. (The reason a Windows ISO “just worked” in Parallels on a Mac is that Parallels ran the ARM build of Windows.)
If something goes wrong
This is a beta — if you hit a rough edge, here are the fast fixes. The full, symptom-by-symptom guide (with an AI assistant) lives in the owner hub.
Make sure Secure Boot is OFF. The image boots in both UEFI and Legacy/BIOS, so if one mode doesn't show the boot menu, switch your firmware to the other and retry. If it still won't boot, the ISO may be corrupted — re-verify the SHA-256 (Step 1) and re-flash in DD / Image mode.
Choose the safe-graphics / nomodeset boot option from the live menu and finish the install. If the AI then won't use your GPU, see the next item.
The GPU driver likely isn't loaded (often Secure Boot). Very new NVIDIA cards need the open driver — the owner hub has the one-command fix and re-tier step.
Paste it exactly as emailed — no leading/trailing spaces, all four groups. Re-send a fresh copy from the account or order-lookup page if needed.
Still stuck? Open the troubleshooting hub, ask on the support page, or bring it to the community Discord — the fastest way to get help from the people building HYVE: discord.gg/F266YJntcF.