How to Install Kylin Desktop V11 and Use Its Built-in AI: Step-by-Step Guide
TL;DR
- Time to complete: 60–90 minutes (30 min media preparation, 30 min installation, 15 min post-install checks)
- Difficulty: Intermediate — you will erase a disk and work with block devices
- You will need: a target x86_64 PC with UEFI firmware, an 8 GB or larger USB stick whose contents you can destroy, the Kylin Desktop V11 ISO image and its checksum file from the vendor's official download channel, sudo/root access on the installer, and a working backup of the target disk
- Scope warning: the exact ISO file name, checksum value, hardware minimums, partition sizes and the list of pre-installed AI components are published per-edition by Kylinsoft. They are not reproduced here — verify them against the download page and the release notes before you start.
Requirements and setup
Kylin Desktop V11 is a Linux desktop distribution published by Kylinsoft. Everything below uses standard Linux tooling, so the procedure stays valid even if a menu label differs slightly between editions.
- Target machine: x86_64 (Intel/AMD), UEFI boot mode enabled. Confirm the architecture before downloading anything.
- Free disk space: the whole target disk will be partitioned. Back up files first; the "erase disk" install path destroys them.
- USB stick: 8 GB minimum. It will be overwritten completely.
- Installer media source: ISO + SHA256 checksum file from the official Kylinsoft distribution page. Do not use third-party mirrors.
- Firmware settings: ability to enter the boot menu (usually F2, F10, F12 or Del at power-on) and to toggle Secure Boot.
- Network: optional during install, required afterwards for updates and for downloading AI models if the edition uses on-demand model downloads.
Pre-flight checklist — tick every line before Step 1:
- [ ] ISO downloaded and its checksum file saved next to it
- [ ] USB stick identified by device name (e.g.
/dev/sdb) and confirmed to hold no data you need - [ ] Backup of the target disk completed and restored once as a test
- [ ] UEFI mode confirmed (not Legacy/CSM) in firmware settings
- [ ] Power cable connected (a laptop that sleeps mid-install corrupts the target disk)
Example: on the machine you use to write the USB stick, check the architecture and list block devices:
uname -m
# expected: x86_64
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT
# expected output lists your disks, e.g.
# sda 476.9G disk
# └─sda1 476.9G part /
# sdb 14.9G diskHere /dev/sdb is the USB stick because it is the small removable device with no mountpoint. Why this works: lsblk reads the kernel's device tree, so size and mountpoints tell you unambiguously which node is the stick — writing to the wrong node destroys your system disk.
Step 1. Verify the ISO and write it to the USB stick
What to do: verify the image integrity, then write it byte-for-byte to the raw device.
# 1. Verify the checksum in the folder that holds both files
sha256sum -c Kylin-Desktop-V11-*.sha256
# expected: Kylin-Desktop-V11-....iso: OK
# 2. Unmount the stick if auto-mounted
sudo umount /dev/sdb* 2>/dev/null
# 3. Write the image
sudo dd if=Kylin-Desktop-V11-<edition>.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync
# expected: a progress line, then a summary such as
# 4294967296 bytes (4.3 GB, 4.0 GiB) copied, 312 s, 13.8 MB/sThe exact ISO filename and the checksum string come from the vendor page — replace <edition> with the value printed there.
Why: a truncated or corrupted image is the single most common cause of an installer that boots but fails halfway. dd writes the ISO's own boot record and filesystem, so the stick boots in UEFI mode without extra tooling. This is the same raw-write mechanic used for other Linux images, e.g. installing SteamOS 3.9.5 on a regular PC.
How to check: run sync and then re-read the first megabytes back:
sync
sudo dd if=/dev/sdb bs=4M count=1 2>/dev/null | file -
# expected: ... DOS/MBR boot sector ...If file - reports plain data with no boot sector, the write failed — repeat the dd step.
Step 2. Install Kylin Desktop V11 and complete first boot
What to do: boot the stick, run the installer, partition the disk, create your user, reboot.
1. Insert the stick, power on, press the boot-menu key, and pick the UEFI entry for the USB device (the one prefixed UEFI:, not the legacy entry).
2. At the boot menu choose the install/live option, then select your language and keyboard layout.
3. Choose Erase disk and install for a clean machine, or Manual partitioning if you need to keep another OS.
4. If you partition manually, a working UEFI layout looks like this:
| Mount point | Size | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `/boot/efi` | 512 MB | EFI System Partition | FAT32; required for UEFI boot |
| `/` | 30 GB or more | ext4 | root filesystem |
| `/home` | remaining space | ext4 | user data, survives reinstall |
| `swap` | 2–4 GB | swap | optional on machines with enough RAM |
5. Set timezone, create your username and password, start the installation, and wait for the "installation complete" screen.
6. Reboot and remove the USB stick when the screen goes blank — otherwise you boot the installer again.
Partition sizes above are a generic baseline; the vendor's recommended minimums for V11 are in the release notes — check the documentation if your disk is small.
Why: a separate /home keeps documents intact across future reinstalls, and the 512 MB ESP is what the UEFI firmware reads to find the bootloader. Using the UEFI: boot entry ensures the installer writes an EFI bootloader instead of a legacy one.
How to check: after reboot you land on the graphical login. Log in and confirm the installed system, not the live session:
cat /etc/os-release
# expected: NAME / VERSION lines identifying Kylin Desktop V11
lsblk -f
# expected: /boot/efi mounted vfat, / mounted ext4, /home mounted ext4
findmnt /boot/efi
# expected: /boot/efi vfat ... /dev/sda1If /boot/efi is missing from findmnt, the system was installed in Legacy mode — see Troubleshooting.
Step 3. Update the system and check the built-in AI features
What to do: identify the package manager, apply updates, confirm disk space for models, then locate and test the pre-installed AI components.
# Detect the package manager (V11's base is stated in /etc/os-release)
command -v apt && echo "apt-based" || command -v dnf && echo "dnf-based"
# apt-based example
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
# expected: "Reading package lists... Done" then "0 upgraded, 0 newly installed..."
# Free space for local model files
df -h /
# expected: Avail column showing several GBWhy: updates ship kernel and firmware fixes that affect GPU/NPU drivers — the hardware the local models run on. Free space matters because on-device models are large files; the exact per-model size is published with each model, so check the documentation before downloading.
Next, find the AI entry points actually present on this edition:
# List applications whose desktop entries mention AI/assistant/NPU
ls /usr/share/applications | grep -iE 'ai|assistant|npu|llm'
# expected: e.g. an "*-assistant.desktop" or vendor-specific entry, if shipped
# Check for accelerator hardware
lspci | grep -iE 'npu|neural|gpu'
# expected: your integrated or discrete GPU/NPU is listed
# Check whether an assistant service is running
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running | grep -iE 'ai|assistant'The names of the assistant, the models it uses, whether inference is local or cloud, and the account requirements are edition-specific — check the documentation and the vendor's AI feature page for the authoritative list. What you *can* verify yourself:
- [ ] The AI entry appears in the application menu or system settings and launches
- [ ] A test prompt returns an answer in the chat window
- [ ] With the network cable unplugged, the assistant either still answers (local inference) or reports a connection error (cloud inference) — this tells you where your data goes
- [ ] The model download/conversion step reports the file size and the target path before writing
Example: typing a short prompt such as Summarize this paragraph: into the assistant's input field and pressing Enter should produce streamed text within a few seconds on accelerator hardware. If the window stays empty, check the service log:
journalctl -u <assistant-service-name> -n 50 --no-pager
# replace <assistant-service-name> with the unit name from the systemctl listing aboveIf your edition ships no assistant, a desktop AI client is a valid substitute — the install and plugin steps are the same shape as in DeepSeek Harness Desktop on Windows and Mac.
How to check: you have succeeded when cat /etc/os-release reports V11, apt upgrade finishes with nothing left to install, and the assistant answers one prompt — on-screen result, not a command exit code.
Troubleshooting
Problem. The USB write fails immediately with a permission error
- Error:
dd: failed to open '/dev/sdb': Permission denied - Cause:
ddwrites to a raw block device, which requires root; or the stick is still mounted and busy. - Solution: unmount and re-run with sudo:
sudo umount /dev/sdb* 2>/dev/null
sudo dd if=Kylin-Desktop-V11-<edition>.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress oflag=syncProblem. The machine shows "No bootable device" after selecting the USB entry
- Error:
Failed to load image \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI: Not Found - Cause: the image was written to a partition (
/dev/sdb1) instead of the raw device, or Secure Boot rejects the unsigned bootloader. - Solution: rewrite to
/dev/sdb(no digit suffix), then disable Secure Boot in firmware settings and retry. Verify the write withsudo dd if=/dev/sdb bs=4M count=1 2>/dev/null | file -.
Problem. Package operations refuse to start after first boot
- Error:
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend. It is held by process 1234 (unattended-upgrades) - Cause: the automatic updater grabbed the package lock right after boot.
- Solution: wait for it to finish instead of deleting the lock file:
ps -p 1234 -o comm=
# expected: unattended-upgrades
sudo systemctl stop unattended-upgrades
sudo apt updateDeleting /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend while a process holds it can leave the package database inconsistent.
Summary and next steps
You now have Kylin Desktop V11 installed from verified media, with a separate /home and a working UEFI boot entry, plus a confirmed answer from the built-in assistant. Next, read the V11 release notes for the supported model list and hardware acceleration requirements, then repeat the checklist in Step 3 on the second machine you deploy to.
FAQ
Is Kylin Desktop V11 free to download?
Licensing and download eligibility are set by Kylinsoft per edition and region — check the official download page before planning a deployment.
Can I install it alongside Windows in a dual-boot setup?
Yes, use manual partitioning and keep the existing EFI System Partition instead of formatting it; the installer adds its own bootloader entry. Back up the Windows partition first.
Do the built-in neural networks work without an internet connection?
It depends on whether the edition runs models locally or calls a cloud service. Test it by disabling networking and sending a prompt — a local model answers, a cloud one returns a connection error.
Which models and versions are bundled?
The bundled model names and versions differ between V11 editions and are documented by the vendor, not fixed by this guide — check the documentation shipped with your image.
🤖 AI summary
- Updated: 2026-10-28
- Topics: kylin desktop v11 установка, китайская операционная система с ии, kylin linux обзор, неизменяемая система linux, kylin desktop v11 нейросети
- Summary: Пошаговая установка китайской ОС Kylin Desktop V11 на ПК или виртуальную машину, настройка неизменяемой системы и обзор встроенных ИИ-функций и совместимых программ.
- Key facts:
- TL;DR Time to complete: 60–90 minutes (30 min media preparation, 30 min installation, 15 min post-install checks) Difficulty: Intermediate — you will erase a disk and work with block devices You will need: a target x86_64 PC with UEFI firmware, an 8 GB or larger USB stick whose contents you can destroy, the Kylin Desktop V11 ISO image and its checksum file from the vendor& x27;s official download channel, sudo/root access on the installer, and a working backup of the target disk Scope warning: the exact ISO file name, checksum value, hardware minimums, partition sizes and the list of pre-installed AI components are published per-edition by Kylinsoft.
- They are not reproduced here — verify them against the download page and the release notes before you start.
- Requirements and setup Illustration: Requirements and setup Kylin Desktop V11 is a Linux desktop distribution published by Kylinsoft.
- Everything below uses standard Linux tooling, so the procedure stays valid even if a menu label differs slightly between editions.
- Target machine: x86_64 (Intel/AMD), UEFI boot mode enabled.
- Confirm the architecture before downloading anything.