There are two excellent places to check for detailed information: the Debian System Requirements[1] list and the Linux Documentation Project Hardware Compatibility HOWTO[2]. For information on video card support, you may also want to look at the XFree86[3] Project web site.
[1] http://www.debian.org/releases/slink/i386/ch-hardware-req.en.html
[2] http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO.html
You must have at least 4MB of memory and 35MB of available hard disk space. If you want to install a reasonable amount of software, including the X Window system, and some development programs and libraries, you’ll need at least 300MB. For an essentially full installation, you’ll need around 800MB. To install _everything_ available in Debian, you’ll probably need around 2GB. Actually, installing everything doesn’t make sense because some packages provide the same services.
Before you start, make sure to back up every file that is now on your system. The installation procedure can wipe out all of the data on a hard disk! The programs used in installation are quite reliable and most have seen years of use; still, a false move can cost you. Even after backing up, be careful and think about your answers and actions. Two minutes of thinking can save hours of unnecessary work.
Debian makes it possible to have both Debian GNU/Linux and another operating system installed on the same system. If you plan to use this option, make sure that you have on hand the original CD-ROM or floppies of the other installed operating systems. If you repartition your boot drive, you may find that you have to reinstall your existing operating system’s boot loader[4] or the entire operating system itself.
[4] A boot loader is responsible starting an operating system’s boot procedure.
If your computer is connected to a network 24 hours a day (i.e., an Ethernet or similar LAN connection—not a PPP connection), you should ask your network’s system administrator for the following information:
◼ Your host name (you may be able to decide this on your own) ◼ Your domain name ◼ Your computer’s IP address ◼ The IP address of your network ◼ The netmask to use with your network ◼ The broadcast address to use on your network ◼ The IP address of the default gateway system you should route to, if your network _has_ a gateway ◼ The system on your network that you should use as a DNS server ◼ Whether you connect to the network using Ethernet ◼ Whether your Ethernet interface is a PCMCIA card, and if so, the type of PCMCIA controller you have If your only network connection is a telephone line using PPP or an equivalent dialup connection, you don’t need to worry about getting your network set up until your system is already installed. See section 11.1 on page 99 for information on setting up PPP under Debian.