Translations: [:DebianEeePCGerman/FAQ:German], [:DebianEeePCFrench/FAQ:French], [:DebianEeePCItalian/FAQ:Italiano], [:DebianEeePCPortuguese/FAQ:Portuguese], [:DebianEeePCSpanish/FAQ:Spanish]
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Links to basic knowledge
- See ["DebianEeePC/HowTo/Install"] to learn how to install Debian on your Asus Eee PC.
See ["DebianEeePC/HowTo/Troubleshooting"] for answers to problems arising from the initial install & configuration of Debian on the Eee.
- See ["DebianEeePC/HowTo/Upgrade"] after an upgrade.
- See ["DebianEeePC/TipsAndTricks"] to have many questions answered, before you even ask them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you make another fork of Debian to adapt it to the Asus Eee PC?
We don't. ["DebianEeePC"] is pure Debian. It's a CustomDebian project to make Debian work optimally on the Eee. Our [:DebianEeePC/Repository:repository] keeps just a few packages which cannot (yet) be in mainstream Debian for some reason.
Do I need a swap partition?
No, not really. The system works well without. The installer will try to convince you, that you do need one, but it's on you to decide. Putting more RAM into your Eee is often a better choice than using swap.
What about hibernate if I have no swap?
Hibernate will not work without a swap space. However, it is sufficient to use a swap file created in the following way:
- dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/deletami bs=1024k count=512
- This command creates a 512 MB swap file that can be used to hibernate the system. (Note that you'll need a bigger swap file if you have more RAM).
How much RAM do I need?
- Try it out. You will be surprised how much you can do even with 512MB. But then, RAM is cheap and does not drain too much battery power. So if you can upgrade to 1G or 2G it is certainly worth it.
How much disk space does the installation take?
The aim is to provide a simple basic installation and let the user decide what he wants to add. A test on 2008 april 10 with a [:DebianEeePC/HowTo/Install:base install], [:DebianEeePC/Software/#"Means+to+save+disk+space":then package files cleaned and treated with localepurge] needed 401MB of disk space.
Do I need the EFI partition or is it safe to delete?
It's safe to delete that, debian won't need it. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_System_Partition).
Can I make a test install on removable media without changing the existing OS?
- Yes. See ["DebianEeePC/HowTo/InstallOnSDcardOrUsbStick"].
Can I install *to* a USB harddrive in an external case?
Yes. There are the same confusing device name changes as outlined in [:DebianEeePC/HowTo/InstallOnSDcardOrUsbStick:installing to USB flash media]. You will have to [:DebianEeePC/HowTo/InstallOnSDcardOrUsbStick#"Fixing+GRUB+configuration+and+/etc/fstab":fix the installation before booting] as outlined there. Booting with grub, you can press 'e' and change the disk where the kernel is loaded from.
Can I put the *installer* on an external harddrive and start installation *from there*?
If you want to use your drive in "superfloppy" mode (i.e. without partition table etc.) it should work. But who would like to? Press <esc> on bootup and select your external drive to boot from, if you want to do it.
Can I install from an external CDROM drive?
Yes. Press <esc> on bootup and select your cdrom drive.
My system takes too much space on the flash drive. How can I make it smaller?
- The Debian eeepc system leaves you all the freedom to install/uninstall the software packages you want. Use ["Aptitude"] or ["apt-get"] to do that. For suggestions of lightweight packages see ["DebianEeePC/Software"]. ["DebianEeePC/TipsAndTricks"] gives instructions how to make your system's footprint smaller, like deleting obsolete package files and localepurge.
Where can I get help?
Your questions are welcome on our IRC channel #debian-eeepc at oftc (irc://irc.oftc.net/#debian-eeepc ) or the [http://alioth.debian.org/mail/?group_id=31309 mailing list]. Please do read the information given in our wiki pages first. Feel free to come back later and edit the wiki, if your question was not answered here.
Where is the FAQ?
This is the FAQ! Why didn't you read the FAQ before asking?