rPi software

[last updated: 2025-09-30]
rPi home page
formatting SD cards
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Edit in process......

• Introduction:
  • In general, all software, whether OS, apps, or user files, is stored on the SD card in your rPi.
    Exceptions to this are you use a USB stick for storage, and some rPi's have hardware and drivers for SSD's,
    but for most users, and when you start with a new rPi, everything is on the SD card.

  • The current Operating System on rPi's is a Linux Debian derivative called the "Raspberry Pi OS"
    or RPIOS (previously called "Raspbian").
    • The rPiOS has evolved over the years:
      7 Wheezy
      8 Jessie
      9 Stretch
      10 Buster
      11 Bullseye
      12 Bookworm
    • to find the specific "point release" version that you have, type:
      $ cat /etc/debian_version
      this will output eg. 12.7 or 12.10

    • Not all versions of rPiOS will work on all boards.
    • If you're using Raspbian/rPiOS, then almost any software that will work in Linux will work on your rPi.

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• Install rPiOS on a new SD card:
  In order to boot up an rPi, you must have some OS installed on the SD card.
  (unless you have a USB or SSD, and you have previously done clever things with the boot order configuration ...)
  Use rPi Imager to install your preferred OS onto a blank SD card.
  This procedure can even work on SD cards that have damaged formatting.

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• Once your OS is written to your SD card:
  • Insert your SD card into your rPi and boot and run your rPi.
  • Confirm/verify your SD card:
    open a terminal and type:
    $ cat /etc/os-release

    It will print out current version of your OS.

  • Find "point-release" version:
    open a terminal and type:
    $ cat /etc/debian_version

    It will print out eg. 12.10

  • create an SD tag:
    I have numbered all my SD cards for inventory management. I've inserted a tag in their directory structure to identify them.
    The tag is actually a folder, and the name of the folder identifies the SD card.
    The folder name/tag is eg: " . This is SDxx", where the first char is a space, followed by a period.
    This will ensure the folder is at the top of the directory listing.
    The folder/tag is located in: /home/[userName]
    You may also create a text file in that directory with the point-release version number of your OS software.

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  • SD card issues:

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  • Other stuff...
    • running programs on bootup:
      • the folder: /root/etc/ contains the file: rc.local, which is used to implement running a program on bootup
      • The rc.local file gets executed automatically on every bootup
        • Note usage of rc.local for executing programs on bootup
          is apparently being replaced by systemd. I have no other info at this time...
      • To edit the rc.local file:
        in terminal:
        $ cd /media/jay/root/etc
        $ sudo nano rc.local
      • To implement running a program automatically on bootup:
        Add a line like this to the rc.local file:
        /home/pi/Desktop/myDocs/programs/scriptFiles/autoRunAtStartup.sh

        Note you must add this line above the exit line in rc.local.
        When your rPi boots up, rc.local will execute, and the script file listed ( .sh extension) will also execute.

      • The script file will be something like this:
        #!/bin/bash
        sudo python /home/pi/Desktop/myDocs/programs/python/autoRunAtStartup/autoRunAtStartup.py &
      • The autoRunAtStartup.py file will be ...

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    • Python is a powerful programming language very popular on the rPiOS-rPi.
    • Other Operating Systems are available for the rPi, including media center options, RISC systems, and others. See NOOBS.
    • On a new install:
      the default userName: pi
      and the default password: raspberry
    • Yellow lightning bolt in top left of screen:
      This means you are not supplying enough power to the rPi.
    • Once you have your desired OS installed on the SD, you should periodically update it to ensure you have the most recent software.
      With a working internet connection, open a terminal, and to see how much free space is available, execute:
      $ df -h
      $ sudo apt update
      $ sudo apt full-upgrade

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