The guide walks readers through installing Devuan, a systemd‑free Debian derivative, from scratch on a new computer. It begins by downloading the correct ISO and creating a bootable USB in DD mode with tools such as Rufus or the dd command, then adjusting BIOS/UEFI settings to disable Secure Boot and enable USB booting. During installation you can choose language, locale, partition scheme—guided or manual—select either a minimal or standard image, set up users, pick a lightweight desktop like XFCE, and let the installer install GRUB onto the target disk. After rebooting the article advises updating packages, checking that init is running instead of systemd, installing drivers as needed, tweaking the environment for speed, and highlights common pitfalls such as wrong USB creation or misconfigured UEFI that can be quickly resolved.

How to Install Devuan on a New Machine

If you’re fed up with systemd’s endless busyness and want a pure Debian experience, this guide will walk you through how to install Devuan on your computer from scratch. We’ll cover everything from creating the bootable USB to picking the right kernel, so you can get back to tinkering without the extra fuss.

Preparing the USB Drive for Install Devuan

1. Download the ISO – Grab the latest stable Devuan release from the official site. Make sure you pick the correct architecture (i386 or amd64) for your hardware; I once tried a 32‑bit image on a laptop that only had an 8‑year‑old BIOS and it wouldn’t boot at all.

2. Create a bootable USB – Use Rufus, balenaEtcher, or the dd command if you’re comfortable with the terminal. The key is to write the ISO in “DD mode” so that the USB boots reliably on both UEFI and legacy machines.

   sudo dd if=devuan.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync

Replace /dev/sdX with your actual device; double‑check it because one wrong letter deletes everything on that drive.

3. Set the BIOS/UEFI to boot from USB – Restart and hit F2, Del, or whatever key your board uses. Turn off Secure Boot if you’re using UEFI; Devuan doesn’t support it yet.

Installing Devuan and Choosing Your Settings

1. Boot into the installer – You’ll see a menu with “Try Devuan” and “Install Devuan.” Pick the latter. The live session is handy for testing hardware but you’ll still need to install to keep the system fast.

2. Select your language, location, and keyboard layout – These affect locale settings; pick something you actually use so you don’t have to edit locale.gen later.

3. Partitioning – I like the “Guided - use entire disk” option for beginners because it keeps things simple. If you need separate /home or a custom setup, go manual. Remember: Devuan uses GPT by default on UEFI systems; if your drive is MBR and you’re stuck in legacy mode, you’ll need to convert with gdisk before installing.

4. Choose the installer type – The “Standard installation” gives you the base system plus a few common utilities. If you want minimalism, pick “Minimal installation.” I found that the minimal install left me room for only the packages I actually need and kept the boot time down.

5. Set up users and passwords – Create a non‑root user first; Devuan’s installer will ask for a root password as well. This is where you decide whether to use sudo or direct root access later.

6. Select software – The default “Desktop environment” list includes XFCE, LXDE, MATE, etc. I went with XFCE because it strikes a good balance between lightweight and featureful. If you’re running on an older machine, consider LXDE or even just the console.

7. Install GRUB bootloader – Devuan will automatically install GRUB to your chosen drive. Make sure “Boot loader installation” points to the same device where you installed the OS (e.g., /dev/sda). If you’re dual‑booting, double‑check that the BIOS is set to boot from that disk first.

Finishing Up and First Steps After Installation

1. Reboot – Remove the USB and let the system start up with your fresh Devuan install. You should land on the login screen of whatever desktop you chose.

2. Update the system – Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This pulls in the latest security patches and software updates, which is especially important on a freshly installed machine.

3. Check that systemd isn’t running – Devuan purposely avoids systemd, so you can verify with:

   ps 1

If the output shows init or systemd, something went wrong in the install.

4. Install any hardware drivers you need – For GPUs, Wi‑Fi cards, or other peripherals, use apt or the Debian repository. The official Devuan documentation has a handy list of common driver packages.

5. Tweak your desktop environment – Move panels, add shortcuts, or install additional tools like GNOME Tweak Tool if you chose Gnome. Remember: fewer bloatware services mean less RAM usage and faster boot times—exactly why I switched to Devuan.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

• Wrong USB creation method – Using a tool that only copies the ISO file (not the image) results in a non‑bootable stick. Stick with DD mode or Rufus’s “DD” option.
• BIOS/UEFI settings misconfigured – Forgetting to disable Secure Boot on UEFI machines will block Devuan from booting. Turn it off before you start.
• Choosing the wrong partition scheme – If you’re dual‑booting with Windows, use GPT and set up a separate EFI partition so both systems can coexist.

I’ve seen users hit these snags after a bad driver update or a careless BIOS tweak, but they’re all fixable once you know what to look for. A quick check of the BIOS settings or re‑creating the USB usually does the trick.

Enjoy the clean, systemd‑free experience that Devuan offers. Once you get past the initial install, you’ll find it’s easier to keep your machine lean and mean—exactly what you wanted in the first place.