This section will help you determine which different media types you can use to install Debian. For example, if you have a floppy disk drive on your machine, it can be used to install Debian. There is a whole chapter devoted to media, 章 4, 取得系統安裝媒介, which lists the advantages and disadvantages of each media type. You may want to refer back to this page once you reach that section.
每當在本手冊中看到“光碟”，它泛指 CD-ROM 和 DVD-ROM。因為從作業系統的角度來看，它們所用的技術是相同的。這套論屏除那些既不屬於 SCSI 也不屬於 IDE/ATAPI 的老式非標準 CD-ROM 光碟機。
一些架構支援透過光碟機的安裝方式。在支援光碟機開機的機器上，您可以完成無軟碟 (floppy-less) 的安裝。即使您的系統不支援從 CD-ROM 開機，您也可以結合其他技術在開機後使用光碟機來安裝系統，請參閱 章 5, 啟動安裝系統。
SCSI, SATA and IDE/ATAPI CD-ROMs are supported. The Linux CD-ROM HOWTO contains in-depth information on using CD-ROMs with Linux.
USB光碟機也是被支援的。而 FireWire 設備則是透過 ohci1394 和 sbp2 驅動程式來支援。
許多 Debian 機器只在設定系統和急救用途時才需要軟碟機和光碟機。如果您使用過伺服器，您也許已經想過如何省掉這些設備，改用 USB 隨身碟來安裝和 (在必需時) 恢復系統。這對那些沒有足夠空間容納不必要設備的小型系統非常有用。
The network can be used during the installation to retrieve files needed for the installation. Whether the network is used or not depends on the installation method you choose and your answers to certain questions that will be asked during the installation. The installation system supports most types of network connections (including PPPoE, but not ISDN or PPP), via either HTTP or FTP. After the installation is completed, you can also configure your system to use ISDN and PPP.
You can also boot the installation system over the network.
無磁碟安裝；使用網路從區域網路開機，並使用 NFS 掛載所有的本地檔案系統是另一種選擇。
If you are running another Unix-like system, you could use it to install Debian GNU/Linux without using the debian-installer described in the rest of this manual. This kind of install may be useful for users with otherwise unsupported hardware or on hosts which can't afford downtime. If you are interested in this technique, skip to the 節 D.3, “透過 Unix/Linux 系統來安裝 Debian GNU/Linux”.
Debian 開機磁碟包括一個最可能在所有支援的系統上運作的核心。不幸的是，這將產生一個龐大的核心，其中包括許多您的機器不需要的驅動程式 (參考節 8.6, “編譯新核心” 學習如何編譯自己的核心)。在一般狀況下，支援最大範圍內的設備是被期許的，這將使得 Debian 可以在盡可能多的硬體上安裝。
Generally, the Debian installation system includes support for floppies, IDE (also known as PATA) drives, IDE floppies, parallel port IDE devices, SATA and SCSI controllers and drives, USB, and FireWire. The supported file systems include FAT, Win-32 FAT extensions (VFAT) and NTFS.
Disk interfaces that emulate the “AT” hard disk interface — often called MFM, RLL, IDE, or PATA — are supported. SATA and SCSI disk controllers from many different manufacturers are supported. See the Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO for more details.