At Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:27:08 +0000 Chris Green <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Robert Heller <[email protected]> wrote: > > At Sat, 14 Feb 2026 02:37:50 +0000 [email protected] wrote: > > > > > > > > My Pi is 0 2W[1] and I want to convert "RaspberryPi OS" 64-bit to > > > Debian. > > > > > > I alrrady tried: > > > > > > Live Migrating from Raspberry Pi OS bullseye to Debian bookworm > > > https://www.complete.org/live-migrating-from-raspberry-pi-os-bullseye-to-debian-bookworm/ > > > > > > but my Pi got stucked in boot so I had to restore the backup to SD card > > > using dd command. > > > I already asked about it on RPIi Forum but no useful answer: > > > > > > https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?p#61184&hilit=complete.org&sidÓ8151fb0d5709c32075d448218f8497#p2361184 > > > > > > > > This RPI OS: > > > - already using debian's APT as source (it's RPIOS' default) > > > - is version Debian 13 > > > so I believe it should be easy to migrate into pure Debian 13 without > > > formatting. > > > > You really don't want to do that. All of the Pi-like SBCs, including the > > Raspberry Pis themselves need "special" board-specific kernel builds and > > many > > (esp. the Raspberry Pis) have non-"standard" boot processes (The RPi's need > > a > > VFAT partition to boot from). This means the kernels and the boot > > infrastructure and firmware needs to be pulled from the board-specific > > Raspberry Pi repos. This means it still needs to be a RPi OS (Rasbian) > > system > > and not a "pure" Debian 13. A "pure" Debian 13 aarch64 install is not going > > to > > boot and run on a Raspberry Pi. The necessary boot infrastructure will be > > missing. > > > > RPi OS (Rasbian) IS Debian and just about all user-mode packages are pulled > > from the Debian repository. Only the kernel (Raspberry Pi specific) and > > some > > other Raspberry Pi specific applications and [system] utilities (eg > > rasp-config and the like and the RPi boot infrastructure, including > > firmware, > > like the kernel overlays) are pulled from Raspberry Pi repos. These little > > SBCs need certain drivers compiled into the kernel (not as modules) and need > > their own bits of early start up code (because of the boot logic in the cold > > start boot ROM logic). > > > > Yes, it is possible to upgrade major versions by diddling with the > > /etc/apt/sources.list file and doing apt update / apt full-upgrade. But it > > will still be RPi OS (Rasbian), just a new major release. > > > It may not be easy to **migrate** from Raspbian to Debian but it's > certainly possible to run 'real' Debian on a Pi. I have two doing > exactly that (as well as one running Raspbian). I don't quite know > how I did it though! :-) You probably didn't do anything. > > So, one of the Debian ones shows:- > > Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie) - Kernel: 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-v8 aarch64 This is the Rasbian kernel. My RPi 5 (updated, etc.) from the original sd image from Raspberry Pi Foundation image download has this in /etc/issue: Debian GNU/Linux 12 with kernel 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-2712 /etc/apt/sources.list is: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware # Uncomment deb-src lines below then 'apt-get update' to enable 'apt-get source' deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ contains raspi.list which contains: deb http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/ bookworm main # Uncomment line below then 'apt-get update' to enable 'apt-get source' #deb-src http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/ bookworm main Actuall all of my various Raspberry Pis have much the same pattern, as do my BeagleBoards: they have a sources.list with references to http://deb.debian.org/debian, and a raspi.list which references http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/. The only ARM SBC that does not follow this pattern is the Banana Pi M64, which is running Armbian. Whether they say they are running Debian or Rasbian is somewhat immaterial - I think it might only be where and when they got /etc/issue. I don't think anything else actually makes any difference. Rasp OS / Rasbian is something of a misnomer. Like the similar misnomer that the language the Arduino IDE uses is something other than C++ -- it is truely C++ -- it is just that the Arduino IDE's build process allows for some minor coding "laziness". > > and /etc/sources.list is:- > > deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie main contrib non-free > non-free-firmware > deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib > non-free non-free-firmware > deb http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-updates main contrib non-free > non-free-firmware > > > Whereas the Rasbian one shows:- > > Raspbian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie) - Kernel: 6.12.62+rpt-rpi-v7 armv7l > > and two files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d have:- > > chris@upspi$ more raspbian.sources > Types: deb > URIs: http://raspbian.raspberrypi.com/raspbian/ > Architectures: armhf > Suites: trixie > Components: main contrib non-free rpi > Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/raspbian-archive-keyring.gpg > chris@upspi$ more raspi.sources > Types: deb > URIs: http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/ > Suites: trixie > Components: main > Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/raspberrypi-archive-keyring.pgp > > > I wouldn't like to try migrating from one to the other! :-) > > > > -- Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services [email protected] -- Webhosting Services
