Writing ISO to USB with funny cp command from official Debian tutorial didn't make bootable usb...
But format / write in dear old XP with usb_format_HPU_v2.2.3 and win32imagewriter - gave satisfactory result.
Installation:
Boot your USB and - if so inclined - pick advanced options / expert GUI install. That's what I did. Put priority to LOW. It's a bit bizarre that this gives you maximum interaction with installer options... Yes, not high ... but low.
Install is quite peachy - if using your reading ability, everything should be OK and clear. If you plan to use smxi script - you have to install bootloader (in my case, because of multiboot, into new root partition), as opposed to skipping it. Or afterwards, when you try to use smxi, then it whines about lack of grub and doesn't want to run.
At the near-end of installation - do NOT choose/mark desktop package - that is, if you are not Gnome fan, because that's what installer defaults to.
Oh, and small different choices really give you different install-results.
For example - if you install root with login permitted, then your user does not get sudo installed... When you do not put priority to low, you simply can't pick non-free option in mirrors... Well, so you can fix those things afterwards - but why not to let installer sweat, right? So I did bloody process twice to get it correct and sweated definitely more than installer. Fancy that.
I did minimal install - standard system was my only checkmarked package. And I was quite surprised afterwards how many essential things were really missing because of missing desktop. Installing distros makes you think that a lot is granted... Everything is installable afterwards, of course.
After first reboot I ended up to console login prompt, like some ardent arch-fiend.
What I did:
Login as a root.
apt-get install xorgapt-get install openbox obconfapt-get install lightdmThen I installed
xdg-user-dirs, python-xdg, apt-show-versions, xfce4-terminal, xarchiver. First two are must if you want your home dirs to be automatically created. Third can be installed later - it's not vital. Terminal is - if you are not happy with crap-looking xterm. And the last one is essential for unpacking - first, for smxi you download next.Reboot.
Now there should be Lightdm greeter seen hanging on screen, waiting for login... I didn't. I installed smxi (the same way as already written in Crunchbang post).
In there, I installed some non-free stuff, some utilities, threw out 30 useless xorg video drivers (silly thing installs them ALL, including 20 years old legacy). Left kernel untouched, but let smxi to download and install Nvidia drivers ...
During that I got some bonus things - hddtemp, lmsensors, whole pile of python and other libraries etc etc. Less to install afterwards. Though, when using normal desktop, there isn't any need to observe hdd temps - it can be purged with no problems.
Desktop was
an empty screen, of course. Right-click menu helps to open terminal.
First thing, I installed Iceweasel with apt-get for inevitable booty-hunt and help-search.
Got 'weasel going and downloaded Spacefm file manager and udevil for mounting disks (debs both), dowloaded probably 12-13 piles of dependencies, but ultimately did successful
dpkg -i packagename.So I had comfortable working arena almost ready then. Just a couple of more things:
Installed sudo, did
adduser myusername sudo, logout/login(!). Check,groups myusername - output has to have sudo listed there. sudo apt-get install medit sudo apt-get install menuFirst is text editor I happen to like. Second installs debian menu which can be base for building Openbox menu, or also - you can open at least some apps without terminals. If you already have customized menu.xml to use - skip debian menu.
I copy/pasted all conf files (including menu.xml), and themes, icons etc from my other openbox distros. Otherways, two base-files are located in /etc/xdg/openbox. They go to ~/.config/openbox/. Where they should be filled with relevant content - which is mostly available in web (First place to search in is Crunchbang forum, which is full of good info. And it's friendly forum - there are NO kill-the-noob tendencies). OB files to look are:
menu.xml, rc.xml, autostart;additionally, you may want:
tint2rc, conkyrc, compton.conf .After fixing menus and confs according to new situation, I did final
openbox --reconfigure, installed lxappearance, opened it (and also obconf) and gave my fresh 'desktop' a fast facelift. Then logout/login to see my Tint2 and Conky also finally appear (confs were copied earlier, as I said). Wallpaper was provided by Nitrogen. Compositor Compton was still uninstalled (but will be. And is now, too.).
Now couple of less essential things:
sudo apt-get install synaptic and then also the same to apt-xapian-index. I meant to use Synaptic for installing numerous parts of alsa... but found this tutorial and installed from terminal. But - Synaptic will be useful anyway.
As it happened, after I also had installed mplayer+smplayer, I still had no sound - player was definitely playing, but nothing was heard. After some searching I found something that worked - for me at least. In terminal, type:
alsactl initAnd that was that - there was text that my card was found and blah-blah. And it was and it worked.
Voila! Simple Openbox 'desktop' on Wheezy installed and functioning. No crashes and broken bits... yet. Error-logs are virtually empty (which is quite mind-boggling).
And now it will take only thrice as much - or more - time to conf, clean, pimp and rearrange various bits and parts...
And moral here, children, is: It's easier to build your own custom install than, like bastard, try to rebuild readymade distro (sorry, Crunchbang). As an apology - After Vsido, Crunchbang is the ... well... now third - the second-best distro I have yet tried is now Slackware.
Edit (July 2013): I was quite perplexed of Iceweasel suddenly being 'upgradable' but upgrade was actually not possible... My solution: 'remove' icewesel' and install again. Did a trick, and conf remained. Edit ends
See also Jessie to Sid, Openboxed
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