Installing the Operating System is a simple matter of downloading an image, preparing the SD card, copying that image to the SD card, instructing the recovery console to install Raspbian, and then booting for the first time.
Download SD Formatter
The SD card needs to be prepared before it can be imaged with the operating system.
Head over to the SD Association downloads page.
Download SD Formatter. Run the executable file to install the program.
Downloading the NOOBS Image
For this install, we’re going to be working with NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software).
Head over to the official Raspberry Pi downloads page.
Under the “offline and network install” section, download the latest image in ZIP format. If you know how to download torrents files, that method will provide faster downloads.
Prepare the SD Card
While NOOBS in downloading, insert the SD card into the SD card reader, then plug the reader into an available USB slot.
Open a ‘My Computer’ window and look for the SD card. Note the drive letter associated with it.
Run ‘SDFormatter’ from the Start Menu. Click the ‘Option’ button, select ‘Format Size Adjustment: On,’ then click ‘Ok’ to return to the main window. Drop down the ‘Drive:’ menu and select the letter you noted earlier. The ‘Size’ box should show a capacity slightly smaller than what the sticker on the front of the card itself. Click ‘Format’ to format the card. When the process completes, you can close SDFormatter.
Copy the NOOBS Image to the SD Card
Once NOOBS finishes downloading, open a ‘My Computer’ window and navigate to the location you downloaded to. Right click the ZIP file, then select ‘Extract All’. Copy all of the extracted files to the SD card.
Boot to the NOOBS Recovery Console
Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi. Connect the power source. The Pi will boot itself automatically into the NOOBS recovery console.
At the bottom of the window, select your location/language.
Select the first option ‘Raspbian’ and click ‘Install’.
Once the install has completed, Raspbian will automatically boot to the desktop. That’s all there is to it!
Continue to Step 3: Operating System Configuration.
