Thanks for all your advice,
I tried running DSL in Qemu with 60 MB of RAM with no trouble, so I
am going to try using the DSL syslinux ISO, because I read on the DSL
wiki (this page to be exact: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/
index.php/Which_File_do_I_download%3F_%28long_version%29 ) that you
should try that if the other ISO doesn't boot properly, and you're
using a machine older than 6 years.
If that doesn't work, I'll TRY Debian-etch, and if THAT doesn't
work, then I'll try a distro that was new in 1998. That's a good
point Christopher made about old distros not having the security and
speed advantages of newer software, but for what I would do with it,
that's not an really issue. What I had in mind was get a sound card
and use it as a juke box, or a video player. Not very imaginative,
but the real fun is in getting it running.
Thanks again,
Aidan
