June 9, 2025
Welcome to the second post as I document my journey with my project Byte Sized Hack—a youtube channel where I share small cybersecurity projects and educational videos in a simple, easy-to-understand format.
With Byte Size Hacks, my goal is to spark interest in fields like cybersecurity without overwhelming people, especially kids, with all the unnecessary complexity modern technology often brings.
Before I can start building a cool hacking device or creating educational content, I need to learn how to use Linux. It’s the main operating system used by cybersecurity specialists and developers because it’s open-source, meaning people can modify and control it however they want (among other things). For this challenge, I decided to replace the default Windows system on a computer with Debian OS, a version of Linux. I used the GMKtec G3 Plus, a popular mini PC.
The first step was downloading Debian and flashing it onto a tiny USB stick so I could install Linux on any computer. That part was easy. The real challenge came with configuring and installing Debian.
I spent about two hours replacing all the wires in my current setup to hook up the GMKtec, relearning how to enter and navigate the BIOS menu, and—most importantly—figuring out what each page in the Debian installer did and what each setting actually controlled.
Then disaster struck when I was at the last step of the installation, my computer shut down and wouldn’t turn back on. To my surprise, when I plugged it in again the next day, Debian had installed correctly after all.
This is just the beginning, and I know I’ll face more challenges ahead. I’m currently working on tutorials for Byte Size Hacks based on this experience, and I’m excited to post them soon.
Table of Contents
- Byte Size Hacks
- Byte Size Hacks: Installing Debian (this post)
Happy hacking!
Code Hobbits 