I've recently switched to Debian 12, and to be honest, the Gnome desktop environment is driving me crazy. I can't seem to install any live USB creators. I tried following the steps to install Etcher, but when I try to navigate to my downloads folder in the terminal using 'cd downloads', it says the directory doesn't exist. This is confusing because I know I downloaded the file. Also, when I attempt to run the install command 'sudo dpkg -i balena-etcher_1.19.0_amd64.deb', it doesn't work. I even tried 'sudo apt install .balena-etcher_*_amd64.deb', but I get an error about an unsupported file. Is there anyone who can help me with this? I don't have access to Windows to create another live USB, and I'm hoping someone can guide me through this installation or suggest an alternative since I've also been looking at Gnome Multi Writer, but I'm not sure.
3 Answers
If Gnome isn't your thing, consider switching to another desktop environment like KDE or XFCE. Debian is flexible about that! And about creating USB drives, the Gnome Disks utility can do it! Just download the ISO you want, open Disks, and select the 'Create Disk Image' option to burn to a USB drive. It’s much easier than you might think!
It sounds like you're running into some basic Linux command issues. First off, remember that the Linux filesystem is case-sensitive, so 'Downloads' and 'downloads' are not the same. Double-check that you're using 'cd Downloads' with the capital 'D'. You might also try using tab completion to help with navigating. If you're looking for alternatives to Etcher, the Gnome Disk Utility works great for writing ISO images to USBs. You can check that out!
You really don't need Etcher here. Just use the Disks app that's part of Gnome! After downloading your OS ISO, plug in your USB, open Disks, and find the option to create a disk image or restore an image. It’ll guide you through the process, and you should be set in no time!
Thanks! I’ll give the Disks app another shot. I'm also trying Gnome Multi Writer, but if that fails, this seems like a solid backup plan.
No offense taken! But I've tried both 'Downloads' and 'downloads'. Thanks for the tips!