#if 0 Input file for docs in multiple different directories. Process with cpp. #endif

What's in this directory?

#ifdef STYLElist

These are list files.

How do I use these files?

The list files here simply describe what files are contained in each Debian ISO image, in order to help users find which images they might want to download. They are simply text files, compressed to save space and download time.

#else # ifdef ARCHsource

These are files containing source code for the Debian operating system.

# else

These are files containing the installer and other software for the Debian GNU/KERNEL operating system. # ifdef ARCHmulti The files in this directory are designed to work on both 32-bit and 64-bit PCs (i386 and amd64). # else The files in this directory are specifically for the ARCH architecture.

# endif # endif

How do I use these files?

# ifdef STYLEjigdo

The files here are in "jigdo" format. Use jigdo tools to download the contents of the complete ISO image files from what's here and a normal Debian mirror. You should end up with an exact copy of each ISO image as though you'd downloaded it directly via HTTP or FTP.

# elif defined(STYLEbt)

The files here are bittorrent files. Use a bittorrent client program to download the contents of the complete ISO image files in a peer-to-peer manner. You should end up with an exact copy of each ISO image as though you'd downloaded it directly via HTTP or FTP.

# elif defined(STYLEiso)

The files here are complete ISO images, ready to use.

# endif

Once you have downloaded all the ISO images you want, you will typically need to write them to installation media.

What size and type of media will I need?

The images described here are sized to be written to # ifdef TYPEcd writeable CD media # elif TYPEdvd writeable DVD media # elif TYPEbd writeable Blu-Ray media # elif TYPEdlbd writeable dual-layer Blu-Ray media # endif at a minimum, but may be written to larger media if needed. # ifdef ISOHYBRID For extra convenience, these images may also be written directly to a USB stick. So long as your computer will boot directly from that USB stick, it should start the Debian installer that way. # if defined(TYPEdvd) The first DVD in this set is also deliberately limited in size so it should fit on a standard-sized 4GB USB stick. # endif # endif

# if !defined(ONEonly) && !defined(ARCHsource)

There are lots of files here! Do I need all of them?

In most cases it is not necessary to download and use all of these images to be able to install Debian on your computer. Debian comes with a massive set of software packages, hence why it takes so many disks for a complete set. Most typical users only need a small subset of those software packages.

Initially, you will only need to download and use the first image of a set (labelled as debian-something-1 to be able to start the Debian installer and set up Debian on your computer. If there are more images available here (labelled debian-something-2, debian-something-3, etc.), they contain the extra packages that can be installed on a Debian system (as mentioned previously). They will not be bootable and are entirely optional. If you have a fast Internet connection, you're most likely better off installing any desired extra packages directly from the Debian mirrors on the Internet instead of by using these extra images.

# endif # if defined(TYPEcd) && !defined(ARCHsource) && !defined(STYLElist) # if !defined(ONEonly)

There are different versions of CD #1 here to allow for a choice of default desktop on installation, e.g. debian-something-kde-CD-1 contains the core pieces of the KDE desktop and will default to installing that desktop when used. The default desktop installed using debian-something-CD-1 is Gnome.

# endif

The netinst CD here is a small CD image that contains just the core Debian installer code and a small core set of text-mode programs (known as "standard" in Debian). To install a desktop or other common software, you'll also need either an Internet connection or some other Debian CD/DVD images.

# endif # ifdef UPDATES

The update files here are extra convenience files for people updating from previous versions of Debian. If you are installing fresh, you may safely ignore them. More details...

# endif

How can I verify my download is correct and exactly what has been created by Debian?

There are files here (MD5SUMS, SHA1SUMS, etc.) which contain checksums of the images. These checksum files are also signed - see MD5SUMS.sign, SHA1SUMS.sign, etc. Once you've downloaded an image, you can check:

For more information about how to do these steps, read the verification guide. #endif

Other questions?

See the Debian CD FAQ for lots more information about Debian CDs and installation.