This page is to keep a lists of things you need to do in order to install a basic debian-desktop. For more details see the subpages of ["DebianDesktop"].


Booting from a sarge install CD, provide "linux26" at the bootprompt to get a 2.6 kernel and udev installed. Install the base-system to your needs.

When prompted by "tasksel" choose following task:

 * desktop-environment

(adduser #240855) Add additional user accounts you may need (with "adduser <NAME>"). Put yourself and other users you want in appropriate groups by iterating: "adduser <NAME> <GROUP>". You probably want to add users to the following groups: audio, floppy and maybe dip (connect to internet) or dialout (see /usr/share/doc/base-passwd/users-and-groups).

Users that should be allowed to use usbsticks etc. need to be a member of the plugdev group. In gnome the devices will then pop up automaticly. KDE 3.3 shiped with sarge unfortunately does not let the devices show up automaticly, but users will be able to handle them with pmount/pumount, you can create a button for that.

To create new groups use "addgroup <GROUPNAME>". For example on your home PC you could create a group "family" and add the appropriate users to it. You can then make a family group directory: Do "mkdir /home/family" as root, give it to the group with "chown :family /home/family" and change its permissions "chmod 2770 /home/family" to make it a shared set-group-id directory. Finally change the default umask to 002 (unless libpam-umask is installed, this has to be set in /etc/profile and /etc/login.defs). This way groupmembers can work with each other's files in there.

(default package selection) Install and configure the CUPS printing system packages as described on ["DebianCUPS"].

Start /usr/lib/openoffice/spadmin as root "add printer" and import your printers setup from /etc/foomatic/cups.

(default package selection) "apt-get install libgnome2-perl" if you want the Gnome debconf frontend to actually work when you install packages. You may need to configure debconf to use "Gnome" frontend with "dpkg-reconfigure debconf".

(default package selection) Then start up synaptic and find, select and install the following packages:


Now some configuring:

Set "umask 002" in /etc/profile AND /etc/login.defs to actually make use of the private user groups in debian. (KDE will need an additionall "umask 002" in startkde, check http://bugs.debian.org/250645)

The central settings for KDE in /etc/kde3 could also need some tweaking:

  (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeprintrc)
  ["General"]
  PrintSystem=cups

   (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeglobals)
   ["Paths"]
   Desktop=$HOME
   Trash=$HOME/Trash/

...have fun! And if you encounter bugs search the net, if the bug is not already filed, find the appropriate package and the file a bug against it, if it concerns debian simply use the "reportbug" utility for that.

--- Troubleshooting

For manual setup of the graphic you can use dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86.

An alternative automatic configuration of the x-server is to install xdebconfigurator, run it, and then dexconf to generate a valid ["XF86config"].