If you're CD-ROM is working with the rescue floppy, then there shouldn't be a hardware problem. Hmmm. I think that there is a way to get a command prompt after booting to the rescue floppy. Alt-F2 or Alt-F1? Try them, then see if you can use 'cd' (change directory) and 'ls' (list) to figure out where you are and see if you can get to the CD. If you can, you can use 'cp' to copy the .deb files onto your hard drive. Don't put them in /tmp, because if you reboot with the boot floppy, /tmp will get erased (it is only temporary, after all).
Alternately, you can download packages to your Windows partition and access them via linux. Typically, the DOS partition is mounted under /dos. Have you installed the base system with a set of floppies? Has the machine asked for a name and a root password? Where did you get the CD and floppies, because I would think that anyone selling a Debian Installation CD would put together a working product? Maybe someone else has some better advice . . . I'm going to sleep, so good luck! Richard Hall Network Services University of Tennessee
