Pre-install Compatibility Check

Check CPU, graphics, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, storage, suspend, and firmware risk before buying hardware, reinstalling, or moving to Debian.

The goal is not to prove that a machine has zero risk. The goal is to know whether it depends on extra firmware, proprietary drivers, a newer kernel, or vendor BIOS updates before you commit.

Who This Is For

You are buying a laptop, mini PC, workstation, or server
You are moving a Windows machine to Debian
You need stable hardware for family, team, or production use
The installer boots, but graphics, networking, or suspend behavior is uncertain

Prepare First

Item	Recommendation
Installer	Use the current stable official installer or live image
Network	Keep Ethernet, a USB network adapter, or USB phone tethering available
Firmware	Ensure APT sources include `non-free-firmware`; NVIDIA and other proprietary drivers also need `contrib non-free`
Backup	Save BitLocker keys, recovery partitions, and important data before dual booting or reinstalling
BIOS / UEFI	Record Secure Boot, SATA mode, TPM, virtualization, and graphics mode settings

Live Environment Check

Collect a hardware report from the live environment:

lspci -nnk
lsusb
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,FSTYPE,MODEL
uname -a

For each device, check Kernel driver in use. If graphics, Wi-Fi, or storage has no driver in the live session, expect extra work after installation.

Risk Matrix

Hardware	Low risk	Medium risk	High risk
CPU / chipset	Mainstream Intel / AMD platform, available for a year or more	Very new mobile platform	Vendor-specific SoC or very new laptop platform
Graphics	Intel / AMD iGPU reaches the desktop	NVIDIA hybrid graphics	Display output depends entirely on a proprietary dGPU driver
Wi-Fi	Intel wireless adapter	Realtek / Broadcom adapter that needs firmware	New adapter with no mainline driver or only vendor source code
Bluetooth	Shares an Intel / Realtek chipset with available firmware	Bluetooth audio profile problems	Device does not enumerate or drops constantly
Storage	NVMe / SATA is visible	RAID / RST mode needs adjustment	Vendor-only storage driver
Suspend	S3 / s2idle resumes reliably	Occasional resume failure	Lid, display, and power button resume paths are unreliable

APT Component Check

Debian 12 and newer official installer images can include firmware from non-free-firmware, but still check the installed APT components:

grep -R "^Components:" /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.sources 2>/dev/null

A common full component line on Debian 12/13 is:

Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

If you only need wireless or graphics firmware, main non-free-firmware is often enough. If you need NVIDIA proprietary drivers, Steam dependencies, or other non-free software, add contrib non-free as well.

Pre-install Test Checklist

Test	Command or action	Pass criteria
Graphics	Reach desktop, change brightness, attach external display	Correct resolution, no flicker or black screen
Wi-Fi	Join 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks	Gets an IP address and reconnects after network restart
Bluetooth	Pair a headset or mouse	Connects, reconnects, and does not break Wi-Fi
Audio	Play audio and test microphone	Inputs and outputs can be selected
Webcam	Open Cheese, browser, or meeting app	Image appears and permissions work
Suspend	Close lid, suspend manually, resume	No dead screen, no lost network, no freeze
Storage	Check NVMe SMART and installer partition view	Disk is visible and partition table is sane

When To Pause

The main network adapter is unusable and you have no wired or USB fallback
An NVIDIA-only machine cannot reach a TTY and BIOS cannot switch to hybrid or integrated mode
The installer cannot see the target disk, especially with RAID / RST / VMD setups
Work-critical webcam, fingerprint, pen, or dock hardware is completely unavailable
A company device has unmanaged Secure Boot, disk encryption, or remote management policy

Next Steps

Wireless issues: Wi-Fi & Wireless Firmware
NVIDIA / CUDA / black screen: NVIDIA & Optimus
AMD / Intel acceleration: AMD / Intel Graphics
Suspend, touchpad, and Fn keys: Laptop Compatibility