copy config files to home, or mount home if partition already present
run apt update and apt full-upgrade, then install the desktop...
for LXDE
add if you like: synaptic apt-xapian-index gdebi
I go without lxde and lightdm now, and add here: openbox lxpanel lxtask geany
and you may need firmware such as firmware-amd-graphics firmware-linux firmware-linux-nonfree firmware-iwlwifi
for plain openbox
necessary packages and may be missing after a Netinstall without internet:
Install Gtk themes...
Possible error with Xorg without installing a display manager, when you run startx:
parse_vt_settings Cannot open /dev/tty0 (Permission Denied)
or xf86OpenConsole: Cannot open virtual console 7 (Permission Denied)
fix with:
change "allowed_users=console"
to
or the other way is to install elogind with,
6. Install packages
Thunar file manager..
Ranger, file-system utils, printing, bluetooth
media player/encoder/desktop apps..
no longer with me, but could be useful: marble pinta cheese catfish pyrenamer xfburn xpad
Just add/remove what you like from this.
7. Install the build dependencies (as on the Netinstall page)
with a fast connection you can get this done in an hour, but then setting up takes time - of course, days!
You can always cancel apt downloading of packages and resume it later on, just use Ctrl-C to cancel. Press up arrow and Enter in the terminal to hit the same apt command again and apt will continue with downloading.
Which leaves Ranger, compton, Libre Office, video editors, ffmpeg, XnViewMP, Vivaldi, Viking, Qgis, Refractasnapshot ......to install from downloaded packages.
Last set up things
power options in Xfce-power-manager
edit ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs to change which dir's get the "Documents", "Music", "Video" icons in Thunar, if installed.
If you install Synaptic and you want a launcher: copy the .desktop file from /usr/share/app's to ~/.local/share/applications/ and change "Exec=synaptic" to: Exec=gksu /usr/sbin/synaptic, or use the command in openbox menu (see configuring lxde)
Post netinstall scripts
These are pretty basic but they help to automate some work and help me not to forget anything at the time. Adapt them to your needs.
1. system files setup script
the system files that I rsync to the new system are contained in a heap of folders in a dir called netinstall_1910, that are named with the location the files are normally found at, e.g. etc-xdg-menus folder contains files found at /etc/xdg/menus.