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Old 07-09-2010, 02:41 PM   #1
baxzius
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how can i convert Ubuntu to Debian.


I am using Ubuntu 9.10
i just like to use Debian Linux
but i will give you chance to install Debian Linux through Internet.
because my usb and cdrom is not working.
so what i must do inorder to convert ubuntu 9.10 into Debain
 
Old 07-09-2010, 02:51 PM   #2
paulsm4
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In the U.S., CD/DVD ROM drives are dirt cheap.

Most modern motherboards have multiple USB ports and one or more USB controllers. For many modern systems, USB is the *only* way to connect a mouse, keyboard and/or a printer.

I would strongly argue that your PC is severely crippled and more trouble than it's worth to consider updating if you don't have USB and you can't get the CD/DVD drive working.

HOWEVER ...

1. You can always download the Debian .iso, then install and run it in a VM on your Ubuntu physical host

2. You can also do a PXE network install from another host on your LAN

'Hope that helps .. PSM
 
Old 07-09-2010, 04:15 PM   #3
snowday
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Ubuntu is a Debian-based distro. If you are using Ubuntu, you are basically using Debian. Relax and enjoy.
 
Old 07-09-2010, 04:23 PM   #4
craigevil
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Quote:
Originally Posted by baxzius View Post
I am using Ubuntu 9.10
i just like to use Debian Linux
but i will give you chance to install Debian Linux through Internet.
because my usb and cdrom is not working.
so what i must do inorder to convert ubuntu 9.10 into Debain
You don't 'convert' you install Debian.
 
Old 11-16-2011, 04:00 AM   #5
jobsworth
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Quote:
Originally Posted by craigevil View Post
You don't 'convert' you install Debian.
No you don't you just get rid of Ubuntu and you will be left with a pure Debian
and hopefully a Gnome desktop. This is what I want to do. The problem s that it s easy to destroy your complete Linux system and lose all of your /home files.
Ubuntu has really gone downhill since 11.05 and now is a problem.
 
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Old 11-16-2011, 10:25 AM   #6
TobiSGD
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jobsworth View Post
No you don't you just get rid of Ubuntu and you will be left with a pure Debian
Nope, you don't just do that. While Debian is the base for Ubuntu they are not compatible.
Your best bet would be to actually repair your computer (well, if you wouldn't live in India I just would send you a CD-drive, you can find one in almost any old computer).
Or you take out the harddisk and use a different computer to install Debian.

Quote:
The problem s that it s easy to destroy your complete Linux system and lose all of your /home files.
That can anytime be your problem, regardless if you try to install something or not. Making backups is essential, but that can be hard on machines without CD or USB, if you don't have access to a server. Another point for actually repairing that machine.

Quote:
Ubuntu has really gone downhill since 11.05 and now is a problem.
I basically think the last somewhat usable version was 9.10, but that is a different story.
 
Old 11-17-2011, 12:05 AM   #7
jobsworth
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my problems with ubuntu continue

I have a 1TB drive with everything on it and a few old HD's with backup.
So far using 11.05 :
1) I lost everything.
2) I could not boot after booting off a USB
Then after using 11.10:
1) I had to reinstall 11.10 twice
2) I am running gparted to make a partition on which to install Debian.
3) I may have lost everything or not - we shall see.

I first tried Linux 5 years ago with Red Hat but could not understand "mount point".
So it was so nice to run Linux under Ubuntu 8 and then 9 but now not.
I run Debian on my laptop and can do everything.
Sorry Mark Shuttleworth. Thank you for a great past but what is happening now.
 
Old 11-17-2011, 11:48 AM   #8
mard0
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If your usb isn't working you would still be able to install debian via debootstrap. Simply install debootstrap and mount the debian partition as /mnt.
Next you can install the minimal debian to /mnt with
Code:
debootstrap squeeze /mnt http://ftp.debian.org/debian/
Now you can chroot into the new install to configure it (because this will be a bare minimal install) with
Code:
sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash.
Now where gonna run the second stage of debootstrap with /debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage this will install some more package like apt-get that you still have configure so thats next. Type in nano /etc/apt/sources.list and insert the right mirrors something like this will do:
Code:
# main system
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free

# updates
deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free
Now you can begin installing some aditional package like a desktop and the kernel
Code:
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get install gnome gdm synaptic sudo linux-image-2.6-*ARCH linux-headers-2.6-*ARCH
where *ARCH is you put your cpu architecture, 686 for new 32 bit amd64 for 64 bit and 486 for older 32 bit pc's
If you install the 64bit kernel it would be smart to install the 32bit libraries to
Code:
apt-get install ia32-libs ia32-libs-gtk
Next you'll have to configure /etc/fstab to make sure all the partitions are mounted correctly on boot.
For this you will have to look up the right uuid's for the disks with gparted or blkid in the ubuntu install. Your fstab will probably look something like this:
Code:
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    defaults        0       0
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=471aeebf-914c-4a5b-b376-3f254c6cffa9 /               ext4    noatime,user_xattr,errors=remount-ro,barrier=0 0       1
# /home was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=efac19df-63eb-4c4c-8470-0af09b9d6384 /home           ext4    noatime,user_xattr,barrier=0 0       2
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=28faae3c-c01e-45cb-8c25-9a49b22450c2 none            swap    sw              0       0
/dev/scd0       /media/cdrom1   udf,iso9660 user,noauto     0       0
Now you can make a new user for your new install with
Code:
 adduser NAMEOFUSER
Now you can exit the chrooted environment and run sudo update-grub in your ubuntu install to tell grub that there is a new install. Now your ready to boot into your new debian system!

Last edited by mard0; 11-17-2011 at 11:56 AM. Reason: Forgot to make a user ;-)
 
Old 11-17-2011, 12:17 PM   #9
k3lt01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snowpine View Post
Ubuntu is a Debian-based distro. If you are using Ubuntu, you are basically using Debian. Relax and enjoy.
That's not entirely accurate, Ubuntu has alot of additional stuff that has, over time (I actually think the last usable one was 10.04) made Ubuntu more difficult to setup than Debian. Not to mention the constant updates which Debian doesn't have, the resource hogging that Debian doesn't have and the slower boot times which Debian doesn't have.

@mard0, I've never chrooted, never had the need to fortunately, but I'm gonna give your post a whirl.
 
Old 11-17-2011, 12:29 PM   #10
inoculos
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I think we should also figure out why your usb and cdrom isnt working, that may be just an issue of a module install. You may want to start another thread in hard ware. This way you can try to back up your data to the external before messing with your reinstall. You can also do backups to online storage like dropbox.

Can you boot from the cdrom or is it completely dead? have you looked in bios to make sure the cdrom and usb is enabled?

Last edited by inoculos; 11-17-2011 at 12:40 PM.
 
Old 11-17-2011, 01:48 PM   #11
mard0
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Distribution: Debian Squeeze
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k3lt01 View Post
@mard0, I've never chrooted, never had the need to fortunately, but I'm gonna give your post a whirl.
Give me a PM if it doesn't work. I kind of typed this pretty fast i might have forgotten something.
 
Old 11-17-2011, 01:55 PM   #12
yooy
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here are some tips to speed up ubuntu (to similar speed level like debian)
 
  


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