How to Install Debian 10

This article shows you step-by-step how to install Debian 10 on your server or desktop. I have installed on my VMware workstation. However, the steps are same when you install on any physical machine.

Let's continue without wasting any further time.

Download Debian 10

Step 1. Download the appropriate iso image according to your processor architecture from the following location,

https://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst

Step 2. Burn the iso image on a bootable CD/DVD or write it to an USB stick and insert it into your computer. If you are using a virtual machine like I do it, then you can simply attach the ISO image file to the virtual machine by using the settings menu of your virtualization software.

Install Debian 10

Step 3. Boot your computer from the CD/DVD or USB. (You have to make changes in your BIOS. or you can press a key during the booting process.

Step 4. Choose Graphical Install

 Debian graphical installer

Step 5.  Ignore low memory warning in case you are using a very small VM like I do and continue. On systems with more RAM, no such warning will occur.

IgnoreWarning in case you have very little RAM

Step 6. Choose your continent where you live. Suppose I am residing in Asia.

Choose region

Step 7. Choose the country where you live in. I have chosen Pakistan because I am residing here.

Choose country

Step 8. This is the time you have to configure your keyboard. I have chosen American English to be mapped to my keyboard.

Choose keymap

Step 9. Enter the single word hostname of the system that will identify it on a network. Click Continue.

Set system host name

Step 10. Enter the domain name. It is part of your hostname on its right side (.com, .net, .edu, or .org). If you do not have any domain and you are setting up a home network, you can leave it blank. Click Continue.

Set domain name

Step 11. Type the password of a root account, which is a superuser and have all the administrative privileges. The password should be as secure as possible and be a combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation and should be regularly changed. Click Continue.

Set root password

Step 12. Again, type the same password to verify that you have entered it correctly. Click Continue when you are done.

Confirm root password

Step 13. At this moment, a single user account will be created to be used for non-administrative activities instead of the root account. Type your full name and click Continue.

Create Linux user account

Step 14. Select a user name for your account. It could be anything and it should start with a lower-case letter. Click Continue as soon as you are done.

Set username

Step 15. Type the password for this user account and click Continue.

Set a password

Step 16. Re-enter the password to verify it that it has been entered correctly. Click Continue

Confirm password

Step 17. Configure the partitions and mount points. Choose Guided Partitioning and press Enter from your keyboard.

Partition setup

Step 18. Choose 'use entire disk' from the options and click Enter from the keyboard.

Use entire disk for this Debian 10 installation

Step 19. Choose the disk to partition. I have an only single partition so I have chosen it. Click Enter from the keyboard.

Use single partition layout

Step 20. Choose All files in one partition (recommended for new users). You can also keep /home, /var partitions separately.

All files in one partition

Step 21. Finishing the partitioning and write changes to disk. Press Enter from the keyboard.

Finish partitioning

Step 22. Choose Yes and press Enter from your keyboard so that changes could be written to the disk.

Write changes to disk

Step 23. Choose the location of a mirror of the Debian archive. Choose the nearest location.

Choose nearest Debian mirror

Step 24. Choose deb.debian.org which happens to be the best mirror. Press Enter from the keyboard.

Select mirror server

Step 25. I am not using any proxy so I have left it blank. Click Enter from the keyboard.

No proxy is being used

Step 26. To keep your Debian system secure, choose 'Install security updates automatically' and click Enter from the keyboard.

Install security updates automatically

Step 27. Choose No and press Enter from the keyboard to leave the survey.

Package survey

Step 28. Choose your desired software to install by pressing scape from your keyboard. Debian desktop environment is important otherwise you will have a CLI based system.

Software package selector

Step 29. Choose Yes and press Enter from the keyboard to install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record.

Write GRUB boot loader to MBR

Step 30. Choose /dev/sda and hit enter from the keyboard.

Choose boot partition

Step 31. When the installation is complete. Remove CD/DVD or USB and click Continue to boot into your system.

Debian 10 installation is complete

When you have successfully booted, you can login with root or the user account you had created.