Please be aware that CrunchBang Statler is currently an alpha release, for the current stable release please see VARIOUS CrunchBang 9.04 (unsupported!) Installation Guide.
Please check the Statler Development Forums for issues before installing and the quick reference page for howtos.
Make sure you have backed up all your data before attempting to install CrunchBang.
First you need to download the iso, you can download CrunchBang here.
Then you need the check that the iso downloaded correctly, to do this you need to compare the md5 checksum for the iso against the checksum given on the download page, (link above).
First open up a terminal and go to the correct directory:
cd your_download_directory
Then you need to run Md5sum to generate a checksum:
md5sum crunchbang_download.iso
Md5sum should then return output looking something like this:
8ca9553235a18a691dcddf1f6f1dadae crunchbang_download.iso
This should match the corresponding checksum given on the download page.
Windows doesn't come with an md5 checksum tool so you will need to obtain a third-party utility, you'll find a selection here: portablefreeware.com.
Most utilities, for example Igorware Hasher, allow you to run the program and then browse to your downloaded iso and then calculate the checksum. Compare the result with the one obtained from the download page. Note that most third-party checksum utilities work from the 'Send To' menu in Windows Explorer.
If the checksums don't match, the file has been corrupted during download and you will need download the iso again.
Once you have a good iso you need to transfer it to CD or a USB stick ready for installation, please be aware that your computer needs to be capable of booting from your chosen media, often older PCs aren't capable of booting from USB.
To burn an iso you can't simply copy the files to the CD, your CD authoring software should have an option to burn an iso, if you do it correctly the disk should be full of different files, if you do it incorrectly you will just see the iso file on the disk. When burning, choose a low speed to minimise the chance of errors.
Follow these instructions.
(Can also be used under Linux)
Unetbootin versions 408-1 and later have the option to create a 'Debian Testing_HdMedia' USB stick that can then have any Debian based .iso dropped into the root folder for install.
This instructs the installer to search for a usb during install rather than a cdrom.
Before booting from your chosen media, you need to ensure that the BIOS is enabled to boot it, to access the BIOS you will need to press a certain key / key combination immediately after boot, a message on screen will often show saying press 'X' to enter set up/settings. Common keys are F1 or F11.
Layouts for the BIOS screen vary but you need to find where the boot order is controlled and make sure your chosen media is booted before your hard drives.
When that's done save exit and shut down, then turn on your computer making sure your disc is in the drive or USB is plugged in.
If successful you should be presented with a CrunchBang menu. This will contain a list of options. If you just want to see what CrunchBang is like, or to see if it works without installing it, select the first option, 'Live', This will allow you to run CrunchBang from the CD, without making any permanent changes to your computer, but be patient, CrunchBang will be significantly slower to load, then when booting from a hard drive. If you have decided that you would like to install CrunchBang, select 'Text Install', this will begin the installation process.
It isn't currently possible to start installation from the live cd environment, the only way to initiate installation is from the live cd boot menu.
After you have selected 'Text Install' from the live cd menu, you will be presented with a series of screens to set up your system:
(machinebacon) Written when Statler was still in alpha.[OSBOLETE] It should actually work on recent releases [NEEDS EDITING?], just needs some link-fixing. [OK?]