diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 8e2587c..8549f40 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -119,10 +119,24 @@
 
       # Same installer environment, built as netboot (kernel + initrd +
       # iPXE script) instead of an ISO — this is what packages.pxe bundles.
+      #
+      # Deliberately imports common.nix directly, NOT ./modules/installer/iso.nix
+      # (which pulls in nixpkgs' installation-cd-minimal.nix) -- confirmed live
+      # that composing the ISO module together with netboot-minimal.nix hangs
+      # every boot waiting for a device that can never exist on a netboot
+      # client ("A start job is running for /dev/disk/by-label/nixos-minimal-...").
+      # Both installation-cd-base.nix and netboot.nix set fileSystems."/" via
+      # the identical lib.mkImageMediaOverride (mkOverride 60) priority --
+      # genuinely conflicting root-filesystem strategies (ISO-by-label vs.
+      # netboot-tmpfs) at the same priority, and the ISO one was winning.
+      # netboot-minimal.nix's own chain (netboot-base.nix) already imports
+      # profiles/installation-device.nix independently, so common.nix's
+      # initialHashedPassword override (which assumes that profile is
+      # present) still applies correctly without iso.nix in the mix.
       netbootSystem = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
         inherit system;
         modules = [
-          ./modules/installer/iso.nix
+          ./modules/installer/common.nix
           ({ modulesPath, ... }: {
             imports = [
               (modulesPath + "/installer/netboot/netboot-minimal.nix")