Don't think of it as a whole but as distinct steps.Between choosing the right OS, the first setup, using the terminal, SSH, and common beginner issues (power supply, SD card quality, HDMI display problems…), it’s not always obvious what the best approach is.
What advice would you give to a complete beginner?
1 - Choose your hardware - If it's your first Pi get the latest or next-latest Raspberry Pi; Pi 5 4GB or 8GB, Pi 500 or Pi 500+, or Pi 4B 4GB or 8GB or Pi 400. 4 GB is likely enough for most people. If wanting to regularly use it as a desktop PC then the Pi 5 range and/or 8GB may be advisable. All those will require a micro-HDMI lead. I don't recommend any in the Pi Zero range as a first ever Pi.
2 - Choose a power supply - Get the Raspberry Pi Official PSU recommended for the hardware - USB-C PD 27.5W for the Pi 5 range, USB-C 15W for the Pi 4B range, and USB 5V at 2.5A for the rest.
3 - Choose your operating system - Always choose the latest; currently Trixie 64-bit, or 32-bit if if that's all your hardware supports. Choose the Desktop version rather than "LIte" or Full".
4 - Choose your SD Card - Initially boot from an SD Card even if planning on ultimately using SSD/NVMe. Official Raspberry Pi cards are recommended. Buy the largest you are happy to pay for. 32GB is probably considered a minimum these days.
5 - Burning your SD Card - The latest Pi Imager would be recommended for that but any version should do as you don't need to customise the image.
6 - Pre-booting the Pi - Power the Pi with just an HDMI monitor or TV connected, no SD Card inserted and nothing else connected. Check a diagnostic display appears and, when it does, power off if there is nothing which suggests a problem other than no card inserted.
7 - Booting the Pi for the first time - Don't do that headless. Wait for the disk to be expanded then just follow the instructions. Use a HDMI monitor or TV rather than any LCD panel. If you have problems with the display you will have to search for the solution - But most people won't.
8 - Once the login prompt or desktop appears - Other guides will help with using the Pi and how to proceed from there. Make a note of what you do and any important data you create, why you did it, what it is and where to find it.
9 - Accept that you may mess up during the first few days of using the Pi or you wanted something different to what you have. The easiest thing to do then is to re-burn the SD Card and start again from there. Backup any important data before doing that. You can follow your notes to get back to where you previously were.
Statistics: Posted by hippy — Thu Jan 01, 2026 5:23 pm