Re: How Do I download Debian from the net

[Kent West <westk@acu.edu>]

> > Kristen Brown wrote:
> >
> > > I am fairly new to Linux and I would like to out
> > > Debian on my new PC. I have been to the installation
> > >     
> > > site but I still can't tell what or how to download.
> > >     
> > > It will be going on a Windows box so is there anything
> > >     
> > > I need to know about how to make it work. Thanx,
> > > Kristen (new to this stuff :P )
> > >  
> > >
> > >     
> >   
Kent wrote:
> > Assuming you want to dual-boot between Linux and
> > windows, there are three major steps:
> >
> > 1) Repartition your drive so that Windows takes up
> > part of the drive (preferably the first part; that's easier for
> > newbies) and so that you have a good chunk left over for Linux (2 GB is
> > plenty for most one-user-at-home type setups, but more is always
> > better, and less can be worked with).
> >
> > 2) Figure out how you're going to install (floppies, CD, CD + network, etc), and acquire the appropriate media/connections.
> >
> > 3) Install Linux, configuring for a dual-boot.
> >
> > It sounds like you're asking about number 2, but we
> > don't know if you plan to install from CD, floppies, an existing hard
> > drive partition, or what. I'd strongly suggest reading the installation
> > manual at http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/install
> > (assuming you are a native English speaker and are installing on an
> > Intel/AMD/-type machine; if not, see
> >
> > http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual).
> >   
> > If you don't want to dual-boot, and only want a
> > Linux setup, life just got easier for you.
> >
> > Before we can give you any more guidance, you'll
> > have to give us some more detail about your situation (do you plan to
> > dual-boot? will your system boot off CD-ROM? how big is your hard drive?
> > do you have a fast internet connection? are you in a metropolis where
> > it might be easier to buy a CD at the store down the street (assuming they
> > have one)?, etc).
> >
> > Kent
> >   

Kristen responded:   
> At this point I am not concerned with the dual boot as
> much as just getting Debian installed. I will be using
> a 6 GB HD, AMD 1.1 GHz CPU, about 380 MB RAM and an
> AGP GeForce 4 video card. I have DSL and so I think
> the most effective way for me to do this would be to
> install from the internet (If that isn't to involved)
> I have CD-ROM support including a CD-Burner on a
> diffrent computer (currently running win XP) I can
> boot from my CD-ROM drive. I can't buy a copy though.
> Not now anyway :). 

(I'm CC'ing the list, so any information that might be useful to others is
archived in the mail list archives.)

(I've rearranged your response so it reads from the top-down, to make it
easier for others to jump in the middle of the conversation and understand
what's going on.)

Good response! Now we know you have an AMD and we don't have to worry about
preserving Windows, and that you have a fast network connection. Probably
the easieast way to get going is to burn a CD from the image at http://markybobdeb.sourceforge.net/elf/files/netinst-2.2r4.iso
or similar (start at www.debian.org, click on "Debian on CD" on the left-hand
side of the screen, and follow the links for a minimal bootable CD).

Once you've got a good burn, boot off it, and away you go. Some bumps to
watch out for:

Partitioning a Hard Drive
---------------------------------
You can go simple, just having a large / (root) partition and a swap partition
(rule of thumb used to be to make it the same size as the amount of your
physical RAM; some folks doubled that). Or you can go more complex, which
can add a level of security and safety. Also, if you plan on installing Windows
later, I'd leave a chunk up front for that. But that adds complexity, so
I wouldn't do it for now. Instead, expect to install Debian three or four
times, just to get the hang of it. On the fourth attempt or so you can get
serious and set up your partitions the way you want. For now, I'd probably
stick with simplicity.

Configuring Modules
----------------------------
This option comes up as the "next step" at some point. As a general rule,
you can skip it, unless you need some piece of hardware working during the
installation itself. About the only time you'll need some piece of hardware
to work during a "normal" installation is your ethernet card. So you will
need to go into this step and insert the module for your network card. You
don't say what network card you have, so I can't tell you which module you'll
need.

Make Disk Bootable
---------------------------
Things may have become more clear with Woody, but last I remember the questions
this step asked were a bit unclear. Basically, you want LILO to be installed
in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of hda. (Hopefully, this statement won't
create more confusion than it solves.)

general
----------
Be prepared to get confused; be prepared to make your best guesses; be prepared
to come back to this list to ask more questions. Don't be afraid to experiment;
as long as you're not worried about losing pre-existing data on your hard
drive, there's very little you can hurt by experimenting.

It's been said that Debian is more difficult to install than other distros,
but that its ongoing maintenance is legendary for its ease-of-use. So you
can have the easy-to-install-but-hard-to-maintain/upgrade other distros (and
it's a good thing they're easy to install, because you *will* be reinstalling
them, every time a new version comes out), or you can have the more-difficult-to-install-but-a-breeze-to-maintain/upgrade
Debian (with which you'll only have to install it once (well, excluding your
practice sessions), because once installed, upgrading is pretty much a no-brainer).

After the reboot, you'll still be asked some configuration questions, and
you'll still have a time getting X installed, but at this point, you have
Debian installed. Granted, it's a minimal install, but it's installed, The
rest is just adding on to the foundation to get the system you want configured.
Some of the remaining configuration will go out to the network and download
50 or 100 or 150MB of stuff, to provide you with such thing as X, Mozilla,
basic utilities like locate and lynx, etc.

Feel free to ask more questions.

Kent