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In this post, we'll be setting the correct resolution on your Debian system to enhance your visual experience. This guide covers everything from installing necessary drivers to configuring your display settings on a minimal Debian testing installation with KDE. Let’s dive right in!

Table of Contents #

1. Prerequisites
2. Step-by-Step Guide
   • 1. Install Debian Testing Minimal
   • 2. Upgrade Your System
   • 3. Configure GRUB
   • 4. Install KDE Minimal
   • 5. Disable Display Manager Temporarily
   • 6. Switch to a Terminal
   • 7. Remove Existing NVIDIA Packages
   • 8. Download and Install NVIDIA Driver
   • 9. Install Necessary Libraries
   • 10. Reboot the System
   • 11. Enable SDDM and Configure NVIDIA Settings
   • 12. Disable KDE's KSCREEN2 Service
   • 13. Create an Autostart Script
3. Additional Software Installations
   • Visual Studio Code
   • Firefox
   • Chromium
4. Conclusion
5. References

Prerequisites #

Before we start, make sure you have:

• A Debian testing installation. You can follow this YouTube guide for a minimal setup.
• Basic knowledge of terminal commands.

Step-by-Step Guide #

1. Install Debian Testing Minimal #

Follow this YouTube guide to install a minimal Debian testing system.

2. Upgrade Your System #

First things first, let’s ensure your system is up to date:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Update /etc/apt/sources.list to use the testing repository:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Upgrade the system with:

sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade

Install necessary headers:

sudo apt install linux-headers-amd64

3. Configure GRUB #

To set the correct resolution at boot, update the GRUB configuration:

Add the line GRUB_GFXMODE=1024x768 to /etc/default/grub:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Add or update the following lines:

GRUB_GFXMODE=1024x768
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX='quiet video=1024x768 nvidia-drm.modeset=1'

Update GRUB:

sudo update-grub2

Reboot your system:

sudo reboot

4. Install KDE Minimal #

Install KDE and related network management packages:

sudo apt install kde-standard plasma-nm

5. Disable Display Manager Temporarily #

To make changes safely, disable the SDDM service:

sudo systemctl disable sddm.service

6. Switch to a Terminal #

Use CTRL+ALT+F1-F7 to switch to a different terminal. Log in with your credentials.

7. Remove Existing NVIDIA Packages #

Clean up any existing NVIDIA packages to avoid conflicts:

sudo apt-get remove *nvidia*

8. Download and Install NVIDIA Driver #

Find the appropriate driver for your GPU from the NVIDIA website. Download and install the proprietary driver:

Download the driver:

wget https://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/550.107.02/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.107.02.run

Make the installer executable and run it:

chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.107.02.run
sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.107.02.run

9. Install Necessary Libraries #

Install the dependencies for the NVIDIA driver:

sudo apt install libvdpau-dev libvulkan-dev libglvnd-dev pkg-config

10. Reboot the System #

Reboot your system to apply changes:

sudo reboot

11. Enable SDDM and Configure NVIDIA Settings #

After reboot, enable SDDM:

sudo systemctl enable sddm.service

Configure your NVIDIA settings using the nvidia-settings command and save the configuration to ~/.nvidia-settings-rc and /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

12. Disable KDE's KSCREEN2 Service #

Prevent auto-loading of RANDR by disabling KSCREEN2 in KDE's "Background Services".

13. Create an Autostart Script #

Create a script to load NVIDIA settings on startup:

mkdir -p ~/.local/state
nano ~/.local/state/nvidia-setting.sh

Add the following content to the script:

#!/bin/bash
nvidia-settings --load-config-only

Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/.local/state/nvidia-setting.sh

Add this script to your KDE Autostart settings.

Additional Software Installations #

Visual Studio Code #

Download and install Visual Studio Code:

wget -qO- https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=760868 | sudo dpkg -i -

Firefox #

Follow these steps to install Firefox via APT repository:

1. Create a directory for APT repository keys:

   sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings

2. Import the Mozilla APT repository signing key:

   wget -q https://packages.mozilla.org/apt/repo-signing-key.gpg -O- | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc > /dev/null

3. Verify the key fingerprint:

   gpg -n -q --import --import-options import-show /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc | awk '/pub/{getline; gsub(/^ +| +$/,""); if($0 == "35BAA0B33E9EB396F59CA838C0BA5CE6DC6315A3") print "\nThe key fingerprint matches ("$0").\n"; else print "\nVerification failed: the fingerprint ("$0") does not match the expected one.\n"}'

4. Add the Mozilla APT repository:

   echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc] https://packages.mozilla.org/apt mozilla main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mozilla.list > /dev/null

5. Prioritize Mozilla repository packages:

   echo '
   Package: *
   Pin: origin packages.mozilla.org
   Pin-Priority: 1000
   ' | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozilla

6. Update package list and install Firefox:

   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install firefox

Chromium #

Install Chromium:

sudo apt install chromium

Neofetch #

Install Neofetch to display system information:

sudo apt install neofetch

Zram Tools #

Install Zram Tools and configure it:

sudo apt install zram-tools

Edit /etc/default/zramswap to add ALGO=zstd and PERCENT=25:

sudo nano /etc/default/zramswap

Add or update the following lines:

ALGO=zstd
PERCENT=25

Console Font #

Increase the console font size using TerminusBold:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

Conclusion #

Following these steps will help you set the correct resolution on your Debian system with KDE. Additionally, you can install essential tools like Visual Studio Code and Firefox to enhance your productivity. For further assistance, refer to the Debian Forums.

References #

1. Debian minimal installation: [YouTube guide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=LU8nHB4Zzj4)
2. NVIDIA driver download: NVIDIA website
3. NVIDIA driver installation guide: NVIDIA README
4. Debian Forums: Forum 1, Forum 2
5. Visual Studio Code installation: VS Code Linux setup
6. Firefox installation: Mozilla support

By following this guide, you can ensure that your system is configured correctly and efficiently for the best visual performance and productivity.

Happy tweaking! 🚀