From media centers to Kali Linux: How to dual boot on Raspberry Pi

If you own a Raspberry Pi, you can start several operating systems from a single boot medium. All you need is a micro SD card with sufficient room (32GB or more) and a tool called PINN.

This stands for PINN is not NOOBS and gives the Raspberry Pi multiboot functionality.

Multi-booting operating systems can be useful in many cases. For example, if you occasionally need a specialized operating system such as Libre Elec or Kali, or if you’re simply curious and want to try out different operating systems.

PINN provides an installer that you integrate into your Raspberry Pi. This allows you to install as many systems as you want on the SD card, as long as there is enough space.

Each time the Raspberry Pi boots up, PINN greets you with the list of installed operating systems. You select one or wait until PINN automatically starts the last operating system used.

Installing PINN

There are several ways to get PINN onto the SD card. This article recommends the Raspberry Pi Imager program. It’s included in the repositories of many distributions and can be installed with the following:

sudo apt install rpi-imager

After starting the program, the first step is to select the model. From Raspberry Pi 1 and Zero to the current Raspberry Pi 5 model, the entire range is represented.

The selection ensures that the imager only displays images that are compatible with your Raspberry model.

The next step is to install the pin image. To do this, click on Select OS. In the list, search for the entry Misc Utility Images and click on PINN.

In the next window, select PINN again. To select the storage medium, click on the Select SD Card button.

If you want to install several operating systems, the SD card should have a storage capacity of at least 32GB.

Please note that the imager completely deletes the selected drive during the installation process.

Optionally, you can format the SD card beforehand using a tool such as SD Memory Card Formatter for Linux. In most cases, the correct drive is already selected in the imager. Even so, it still makes sense to activate the Exclude System Drives option.

Make sure all the settings are correct before click on the Next button.

The Raspberry Pi Imager will then write PINN to the SD card. Before this happens, a warning appears again to remind you that the storage medium will be erased.

The writing process for PINN does not take long because the image is very small.

The work on the Linux desktop is now complete. Insert the SD card into the card reader on the Raspberry board and start it.

Installing operating systems

When the Raspberry Pi starts with PINN for the first time, you will be taken to the operating system selection screen. If you are connecting via Wi-Fi rather than Ethernet, first enter the access data. Next, tick the checkboxes next to each operating system you want to install.

You can choose from Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, MX-Linux, and Kali. Other tabs contain games, minimalist operating systems, and multimedia systems.

At the bottom of the window, PINN shows you how much memory space is available and how much space the selected operating systems require. Please note that this information refers to the basic configuration (see below).

Once you have selected the desired operating systems, install them by clicking on the Install button in the top left-hand corner.

You will again receive a warning that all data will be lost during the installation of the selected operating systems. Before PINN actually starts installing the operating systems, it will ask you how much storage space you would like to allocate to each one.

The Nominal column shows how much storage space the base operating system requires. The Extra column shows the additional amount that you allocate to each operating system. To divide the total storage space evenly between the operating systems, click on Balance.

Another click on OK starts the installation of the operating systems you want to use in multiboot mode.

How long the installation takes depends on the speed of your internet connection, the write speed of your storage medium, and of course the size of the images.

When everything is complete, you will receive a success message and be taken to the PINN multiboot screen. From now on, this screen will appear every time you start the Raspberry Pi.

Select the operating system you want to boot and click on Start. After a few seconds, the operating system that you last started will automatically boot up on future starts, unless you make a manual selection.

It’s best to boot each operating system once to set it up. Establish an internet connection, bring the system up to date, activate required services such as SSH or VNC, and install additional programs.

PINN also offers a recovery mode to reinstall the operating system if it crashes or if you simply want to start from scratch. To do this, hold down the Shift key during startup.

Interesting operating systems

Beyond the standard options, the Raspberry Pi offers several intriguing, less common operating systems for a multiboot setup.

Libre Elec is a media server operating system. It’s lightweight and designed specifically to run the Kodi media center on the Raspberry Pi. Booting takes just a few seconds, and numerous add-ons are available to extend its functionality.

Lineage-OS by Konstakang is an Android-based system adapted to run on the Raspberry Pi. It uses a recent Android version and allows you to install and run Android apps on the device.

Retro Pie makes it possible to play games from the old days. The theme and emulator can be flexibly customized through a modern user interface. The operating system does not include any copyrighted games, which is why you must install them separately.

Raspberry Pi OS Lite is a minimal system without a graphical user interface. It requires only around 400 MB of storage and can be controlled via SSH. You also have the option of installing a desktop of your choice, such as KDE or MATE, giving you access to programs and functions that standard Raspberry Pi OS does not offer.