How to install Debian on a computer

What is Debian?

Debian was created in 1993 by Ian Murdock. Murdock wanted an open Linux distribution and committed to being free software under the GNU project. Although there have been changes since then, Debian is still "a popular operating system".

Known for its commitment to stability and support for many processor architectures beyond Intel, Debian is the foundation for other popular Linux distributions, especially Ubuntu.

What do you need to run Debian?

Debian's system requirements are very simple. You just need to have a supported hardware architecture (almost all current processors are supported). The amount of RAM and hard drive space you need will depend on the type of system you have installed.

The Debian project itself recommends at least 780MB of RAM and 920MB of hard drive space for a minimal installation. A full desktop system will need at least 1GB of RAM with 2GB (recommended) and 10GB of disk space.

How to install Debian on a computer

Step 1: Download the installation file

The first step to installing Debian is to download the installation image for your machine. By default, clicking the download link will download the "netinstall" image for the Intel x86-64 architecture. This means this is the minimal image that will boot the installer and load the rest of the system on demand from the repository.

Download Debian here

If you are on a different architecture or need a more complete image, there are links to other installation images. You will then need to extract the image to the media that you will use to install Debian on your machine.

Step 2: Install Debian

When booting the installation media, you will see the boot menu. You can choose from graphical settings, text-based settings, advanced options, dark contrast settings menu, help and settings with speech synthesis.

The first setting option is the language. You should choose your native language. Next, choose your location. First, choose the country you live in. Then choose a keyboard layout.

The installation image will scan your hardware and install other components.

Now choose a hostname for the machine or the name it will be called by default. The default value will be "debian". Next, select the domain. For a local machine, you can just create something, such as ".local".

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The installer will then ask you to create a root password. This password is important, as it is how you perform administrative tasks.

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If you skip this step, the first username you choose will be the admin user and you will use the sudo command with your password at the command line. This is better than the root password, as you will only have to remember one of them.

You will be prompted to enter the full name of the first user. The next screen will allow you to choose a short name that you will use to log into the system. For the root password, you will have to enter it twice so that they match.

Next, select the time zone. The options will vary depending on the geographical location of the machine you selected in the previous steps. Choose the one that's right for you.

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The next screen is to set up the partitions. Since the entire drive will be used, the automatic partitioning scheme recommended by the installer with the "Guided - use entire disk" option is selected.

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On the next screen, accept the partition scheme with a primary (root) partition and a swap partition. The installer will ask you for confirmation as this may destroy any existing data on the drive, but since there isn't any data on this image we will continue.

The installer will now install the minimal base system. It will then ask you to provide any additional facilities. Select "No" when prompted.

Next, choose a mirror. Again, choose the location closest to you.

Then, the system will ask you to choose a proxy server. Since you don't have to use it, you can skip this step.

The installer will now configure the package manager. You have the option to have your usage counted as part of a "popularity contest". Skip this if you want.

Now you can configure the type of system you want to install. The default selected is the desktop system with GNOME and standard system utilities. You can use this software for your desktop, but if you are installing Debian to use as a web server, you can install it at your convenience. Since there are a large number of packages to download and install, the process will take some time.

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Once the software is installed, the final step is to install the GRUB bootloader. Since this system is installed on the entire drive, it is safe to do so. If you have a dual-boot system set up, this will also allow you to select the system at boot time.

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You should now be able to boot into your Debian system. When the system reboots, you will see another boot menu, then the system will boot. Next, you will see the login menu. Select username and enter the password you chose during installation. You will be greeted with the Debian screen.

Step 3: Install more software with APT

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No operating system is complete. You will certainly want to install more software on your new Debian system. There are two ways to do this. The first is the graphics with the Software application.

In GNOME , click Activities > Show Applications , and then select Software. This will bring up the graphical package installer.

You can browse the categories or click the search icon for the apps you want. When you click the "Install" button , the system will prompt you for the password and then it will start installing the program.

You can also install software using the command line. But first, make sure your system is up to date. To do that, enter the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This will check for any updated packages and then install them. For the Software application , the system will prompt you for the password because you are using the sudo command.

If you want to install Chromium, open a Terminal and enter the following command:

sudo apt install chromium

You have now set up your Debian system. Let's start exploring it. If you want to learn more about Debian and why so many Linux users choose it as their work distribution, check out the following article: 12 Reasons Why You Should Choose Debian Linux.

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Micah Soto

Update 02 March 2022