Delete me: Installing RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi 4 (Rev #5)

Overview

This is the procedure to use if you want to run RISC OS 5.27 on the Pi 4B but need to construct the SD card image from Windows/macOS/Linux (i.e. you haven’t got another RISC OS machine).

Getting started

You will need the following items:

• A 2GB (or larger) MicroSD card
• The RISC OS Pi RC16 image from the Downloads page
• The latest Beta RPi ROM (BCM2835Dev), also from the from the Downloads page just mentioned.

Preparing the SD card

• Unpack the RISC OS Pi RC16 archive and use a utility such as Win32DiskImager (Windows) or Etcher (Linux/macOS) to copy the image to the MicroSD card. This will create an SD card in a suitable format, but only the first 2GB of the card will be usable by RISC OS.

• Unpack the BCM2835Dev archive. This will give you a file called RISCOS.IMG.

• Open the first (or only) partition on the MicroSD card. This should show the contents of the boot partition, including RISCOS.IMG. Delete this file, and replace it with the RISCOS.IMG file from the BCM2835Dev archive.

Card preparation is now complete. Remember to dismount the SD card before unplugging it.

Using the SD card in the Pi 4

1. Connect a suitable power supply to the USB-C (power entry) port of the Pi 4.
2. Connect a keyboard and mouse to the USB ports.
3. Connect the HDMI cable to the left-hand HDMI port.
4. Optional – Connect the Ethernet port to your broadband router (or equivalent network port with Internet access).
5. Insert the SD card into the Pi 4 and power on. If all is well, the system will boot¹ to the RISC OS desktop at the monitor’s native resolution (e.g. 1920×1080).

With some monitors (particularly 4K monitors) you may find that the desktop is displayed at a low resolution (e.g. 640×480). You can increase this to 1920×1080 via Configure > Screen in the usual way².

¹ It can take 30-40 seconds for the boot-up progress screen to appear. You should be at the RISC OS desktop some 50 seconds after powering-on (roughly twice as long as it takes on a Pi 3).

² If you are still experiencing problems with low screen resolution, have a look at the Video options page on the Raspberry Pi website.

Further information

See Using RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi for information applicable to all models of Raspberry Pi, including the Pi 4.