[SOLVED] Is my minimalist CD enough to install Debian 9
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I have recently installed a Gygabite AB350 in a desktop but this board does not have WiFi (my only means of accessing Internet), so I have installed a WiFi card Asus PCE-AC55BT but the board is running Debian 7 which has no driver/firmware for the card.
I have a minimalist CD of a Debian 9 install (about 340MB if my recollection is correct).
My question is: is this CD sufficient to install enough software to enable the WiFi card to work and install the remaining software from the Internet? (It is supposed to have good Linux support and need firmware-iwlwifi as I understand)
I found this CD is enough for the installer to identify and ask for the non-free firmware for the card but I had it on a ext4-formatted stick and the installer can only deal with FAT filesystem at that stage, so I had to abort. I guess that is an indication that if I supplied the firmware, the installer is then able to use the card to download from the Internet.
I now have to install on 3 machines and will download the first DVD to do the job.
Distribution: Debian /Jessie/Stretch/Sid, Linux Mint DE
Posts: 5,195
Rep:
Try to find a Debian installer version with the non-free firmware included. Usually there is a link on the Debian installer page. Debian cannot provide non-free firmware in the standard installer because of their policy. If the link is not on the installer page google for it: "Debian Stretch installer non-free firmware included". It is not illegal or so.
Having the non-free firmware on the installer is much easier. I have never seen it working to provide the firmware during installation on a different media.
These are the installation ISOs that I use. The unofficial iso has firmware included for your WiFi card so that you'll be able to do a net installation of 9.2.
Thank you for the latest answers.
Since the desktop was unstable under Debian 7 (the subject of another threat), I took the plunge, downloaded and burned the first Debian 9.2 DVD on the laptop (without non-free) inserted it in the CD drive of the desktop and rebooted it. At the appropriate time, the installer advised that non-free firmware was required to use its WiFi card (my only means of access to the Internet from the desktop) and asked to insert it if available, I had it on a 4GB FAT32 USB stick (it seems it wont work if the capacity of the stick is greater than what FAT32 can handle) which I plugged in and the installer was happy to continue with the card able to successfully download the remaining software from the Internet (its very first use). I send this post from the desktop.
I hope this can help someone.
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