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Debian Linux, aka The Universal Operating System, is a Linux distribution created by Ian Murdoch in 1993 that has since become one of the most widely deployed Linux distro’s in the world, and for good reason. Debian has a massive repository of 50,000+ software packages, supports a range of CPU architectures including x86, x64, ARM, mips, PowerPC, and has become extremely popular in web server environments using the standard LAMP stack. Debian is also the engine behind more well-known Linux distro’s like Ubuntu, Knoppix and 126 others.

Today I will show you how to download and install Debian, just follow the steps below and remember that further below, there is a slide show with all the screenshots for each step.

Download and Burn Debian

Before we download Debian, you need to figure out if your target machine is x86 or x64 architecture, if you’re unsure, download the x86 (i386) version, otherwise download the x64 version if your hardware supports it because it will perform far better. Also, please remember that by installing Debian you will lose all data on the target machine’s hard drive, that includes personal files, music, video, everything unless you have previously backed up to an external device. Once you’re sure you’ve backed up your data (if necessary) follow the steps below:

Download via BitTorrent
If you don’t already have a BitTorrent client, download qBittorrent and install
We’ll only need to download the first CD/DVD as Debian will download any other software as it installs
For server installations (no desktop), download either i368 (x86) or amd64 (x64)
- For x64, choose the CD-1 .torrent file, ie debian-X.X.X-amd64-xfce-CD-1.iso.torrent
- For x86, choose the CD-1 .torrent file, ie debian-X.X.X-i386-xfce-CD-1.iso.torrent
For full desktop installations, download either i386 (x86) or amd64 (x64)
- For x64, choose the DVD-1 .torrent file, ie debian-X.X.X-amd64-DVD-1.iso.torrent
- For x86, choose the DVD-1 .torrent file, ie debian-X.X.X-i386-DVD-1.iso.torrent
Take note of the download location (most of the time it will default to your Downloads folder)
You will need a disc image burner app to burn the ISO to CD/DVD, I recommend Free ISO Burner, IMGBurn or ISO Recorder
Open your burner app and burn the ISO image to a blank CD or DVD (see instructions here)

Install Debian

Now it’s time to install Debian on your target machine.

Turn the target machine on and insert the CD/DVD, then reboot
Hit the F12 key to bring up the boot menu and choose your DVD drive, or enter BIOS to set boot options
Debian will boot into the main menu screen, you can now follow the screenshots and captions below:

Configure your keyboard (most of you should leave this at default American English)

Debian will now load components... — Debian will now load components…

Choose a Hostname for your machine, best to make it descriptive so you can recognize it on your network

Choose a network name, this can be anything you like, ie. debian.network or deb.net

Enter a name for the main user, most likely your own first name

Best to leave the suggestion the Debian provides

Enter a strong password for your new user account

Choose your state or province to setup the clock

Leave at the default Guided - Use entire disk option — Leave at the default Guided – Use entire disk option

Leave at the default highlighted option sda

Leave at default All files in one partition option

Select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk option

Select Yes to the Write changes to disk? question

Debian will now install the base system, which should take about 5 to 15 minutes

Select No to the Scan another CD or DVD? question

Select Yes to the Use a network mirror? question

Now select a mirror, if you're unsure, select the first result — Now select a mirror, if you’re unsure, select the first result

Debian will now download apt package manager files

This option is entirely optional, if you want to send anonymous stats then select Yes otherwise select No

I suggest you select only Debian desktop environment and Standard system utilities and leave all other options unchecked

Debian will now download required software packages and install them

It maye take some time to install software depending on your Internet connection speed and machine hardware

Select Yes to Install the GRUB boot loader option

Select /dev/sda/ for Device for boot loader installation question

Debian will now install the GRUB boot loader

Installation is now complte, remove the disc from your DVD drive and click Continue to reboot

The first Debian bootup screen, jst leave at default and Debian will continue to boot after 5 seconds

Enter your user password (not root password)

Summary

So now you should now how to install Debian, congrats! If you ran into any trouble, just leave a comment and I’ll answer you asap.

Debian really is the Universal Operating System and is by far my favorite Linux distro. Linux is funny like that, the different flavors tend to suit different personality types (I’m not a big fan of Fedora type distro’s). I have used Debian for so many projects and it’s incredibly versatile, runs solid as a rock. Hope you enjoyed the guide.

Cheers, Richie

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS5tvawtB2c]

Today I would like to show you how to do a clean install of Ubuntu Linux on your PC desktop or laptop.

Ubuntu is probably the easiest Linux distro to install and comes packed with fantastic free (Open Source) software, rock-solid stability, support and excellent documentation.

Important!

1: Remember that a clean install will overwrite your current operating system (ie. Windows) and your data (photos, video, music etc) unless you backup to another storage device before installing (and in a Linux compatible format). Windows Backup & Restore or System Recovery Discs are NOT compatible with Linux, you need to manually copy or move your files and data to the external storage device, like a USB flash drive or external hard drive (see below) before you begin the installation.

3.5 inch external hard drive — USB3.0 external hard drive 3.5 inch 500GB capacity

2: You will also need a DVD burner to (1) burn the ISO image to a blank DVD optical disc and then (2) to install Ubuntu. If your PC or laptop is no more than about 5 years old you should already have one, but if not you can buy a DVD burner for around $40-$50 dollars on eBay.

5.25 inch DVDRW optical disc drive — A full size DVDRW+_ optical disc drive for desktop computers

Blank DVDRW optical disc — Typical writable DVDRW+- optical disc

How to clean install Ubuntu (desktop release)

1: Download Ubuntu

First thing you need to do is download the ISO image from the official Ubuntu website, but before you do, we need to go through some important download options first…

Ubuntu offer two versions: LTS or Latest Features, I recommend downloading the LTS (Long Term Support) version for obvious reasons (support!).
64-bit or 32-bit? To keep things simple and safe, if your desktop or laptop was built on or after 2012, download the 64-bit release, otherwise download the 32-bit release. You will need a minimum of 2GB RAM for the 64-bit release. If you don’t know how much RAM your computer has, download the 32-bit release.

The best way to download Ubuntu is via BitTorrent client, but you can also download directly using your web browser…

Recommended BitTorrent clients…

Bittorrent (Win, MAC, Android)
uTorrent (Win, MAC, Android, Linux)
You can also compare BitTorrent clients on Wikipedia

2: Burn Ubuntu ISO to DVD disc

Once downloaded, you will need to burn the Ubuntu ISO image to DVD optical disc. Please note that burning an ISO image is not the same as burning regular data files or music, you will need to burn it as an image using one of the apps below, or you may already have software that came with your computer or DVDRW drive (ie. LG Burning Tool, Nero etc)

ISO Recorder (Win, recommended)
Free ISO Burner (Win)
Windows Disc Image Burner (Built into Windows, link is also ISO burning guide)
For Linux use k3b, cdrecord, growisofs etc
For MAC use built-in disc burner Disk Utility

Visit my guide how to burn an ISO image to optical disc.

3: Backup your files and data

As I stated earlier, the Windows built-in backup systems are not satisfactory in that they are only compatible with Windows (Linux and MAC are not able to read them easily). To backup your files and data in a format that can be read by almost any operating system, you will need a USB flash drive or external hard drive that has the capacity to hold all your data, and formatted in FAT32.

Visit my guide on manual data & file backup (Windows).

4: Clean install Ubuntu

Ok now on to the clean installation of Ubuntu…

Open your DVD drive and insert the newly burnt Ubuntu ISO disc. If your computer is off, turn it on and open the DVD drive, insert the disc, close the drive, then press and hold the power button until your PC turns off (ignore any on-screen instructions).
Reboot or turn on your computer. Most computers will automatically detect the disc in your DVD drive and boot from it, but if you keep booting into your existing operating system (ie. Windows) you will need to access and change the boot menu in your BIOS to make the first boot device your DVD optical drive, hard drive second.
Once you have your computer booting from the DVD drive, Ubuntu will load basic services and bring you to the main install screen (see below) which can take a while to show up so allow up to 5 minutes for lower spec computers.

From this point, follow the screenshots and written steps below to finish installing Ubuntu (click on first image to launch full-screen slideshow)…

1. Click Install Ubuntu — 1. Click the Install Ubuntu button on the right hand side

2. Select Install third-party software option, then click Continue

3. Select Erase disk and install Ubuntu now option, then click Install Now button

4. Choose your timezone, then click Continue

5. Choose your keyboard layout and language

6. Enter a username and password, leave the other options at default

8. Ubuntu will now be installing, this can take up to 1 hour

10. After reboot, enter your username and password to log in

11. You should now be on your new Ubuntu Unity Desktop, congratulations!

Once you have rebooted you should now be on the Ubuntu desktop, congratulations!

Now you can explore the free and Open Source software available using the built-in Software Center (icon on left-pane) and customize the Ubuntu Unity Desktop.

If you have any questions or comments, be sure to leave them below as I answer all queries.

How to install Debian Linux – Complete guide