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Debian Linux 3 is particularly suitable for old computers. They may be so old that they only have a floppy disk drive or less than 64Mb RAM. Unlike most Linux distributions, Debian 3 still offers floppy disk images to boot into a network installation which will download files from the internet to install Debian.

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Steps

  1. 1
    Download the floppy disk images (netcard1 is for Ethernet or wifi, netcard2 is for usb or pcmcia network cards)
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  2. 2
    Write your floppy disk images. In Linux use the command dd if=image of=/dev/fd0 (you may need to be root).
    • In DOS use rawrite.
    • In Windows use something else.
  3. 3
    Reboot.
  4. 4
    Usually just hit enter at the boot prompt although you may have to mount your floppy disk drive.
    • mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
  5. 5
    Configure network.
  6. 6
    Install.
  7. Snapshot51_155.png
    7
    Optionally install a lightweight graphical user interface such as Fluxbox or IceWM.
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Tips

  • The method may be slightly different for using a floppy only to boot from a CD drive that would not otherwise boot.
  • The method may be slightly different for subsequent versions of Debian.

Warnings

  • This risks erasing all data on your hard disk drive so back it up first.
  • You'll need at least 32Mb RAM.

Related wikiHows

How to
Use Enlightenment

How to
Configure Fluxbox

How to
Revive an old PC with Linux

How to
Boot a Floppy Image Using the Grub Bootloader

Sources and Citations

Article Info

Categories: Debian

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