On the computer you have
The app.
Runs Novastart in a window on your Windows or Intel Mac computer. It is a whole computer running inside yours, so expect a little lag. The quickest way to try it.
Best for a first look.
Install
Two ways to run Novastart.
Try it as an app on the computer you have, or install Novastart OS on a PC of its own for the full experience.
The app
A whole computer, in a window.
The app runs the full Novastart OS inside a window on your Windows or Intel Mac computer. Your desktop stays as it is. Close the window and you are back.
Open it like an app.
Download it, open it, and Novastart starts in its window. The first start takes longer than the ones after.
Expect a little lag.
It is a computer running inside your computer, so windows answer a beat later than on the OS. Plenty for a look around.
What it needs.
Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac with an Intel chip. 8 GB of RAM, about 32 GB of disk and hardware virtualization turned on.
Want the full speed? Read about Novastart OS.
Novastart OS
The full experience, on its own PC.
Novastart OS installs on a PC as its operating system. Nothing sits between the canvas and the screen, so everything is quicker than in the app.
One download, everything in it.
The full package, drivers included, and the instructions to put it on a PC.
It takes the whole machine.
The install replaces what is on the PC, so use one you can give over to Novastart. Already on Ubuntu? A package adds Novastart to the desktop you have and leaves it in place.
Keeps itself current.
Updates install on their own.
How to install.
Four steps from the download to a PC running Novastart.
- 01
Download the ISO.
One file, drivers included. Novastart OS works on Intel and other x86 PCs.
- 02
Write to USB.
Use Rufus (recommended) or Balena Etcher to flash the ISO to your USB drive. Both are free, take under a minute and work on Windows, macOS and Linux.
- 03
Boot from USB.
Insert the USB drive and restart your machine. Hold the boot key to open the boot menu and select the Novastart USB drive.
Common boot keys: Dell F12 · HP F9 · Lenovo F12 · ASUS F8 · Apple, hold Option.
- 04
Install Novastart.
Follow the on-screen installer to set up Novastart on your drive.
Installation takes about 8 to 15 minutes depending on your hardware.
Not sure yet? Start with the app.
Quick answers
Questions people ask first.
Short answers. For anything else, ask us below.
Which one should I pick?
Start with the app if you want to look around on the computer you have. Pick Novastart OS when you want the full speed and the whole experience on a PC of its own.
Will it slow my laptop down?
It draws the screen itself, so forty windows zoom like one.
What does the app need?
Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac with an Intel chip. 8 GB of RAM, about 32 GB of disk and hardware virtualization turned on.
What does Novastart OS need?
A PC with an Intel or other x86 chip that you can give over to Novastart, a USB drive to install from, and about 8 to 15 minutes.
Do I have to wipe my computer?
Not for the app. It runs in a window beside everything else. Novastart OS replaces what is on the PC you install it on.
Can I go back to my old desktop?
Yes. The Windows and Mac app sits alongside it, and the Ubuntu package leaves your desktop in place.
Can I use the apps I already have?
Gmail, Excel, WhatsApp, Notion and thirty more open as real windows, signed in as you. Any site opens in bundled Chrome.
Where does my data live?
On your machine. Sharing streams window to window, with no server in the middle.
What if I close something by mistake?
Undo it. A hundred steps per canvas, even closing an app.
How do updates work?
Novastart OS updates itself in the background.
Questions
Ask us anything.
Anything about Novastart, the app or the install. We reply by email.
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