I'm in search of a modern Linux distribution that installs using a floppy drive and over the network. I've tried Debian Etch, but ran into problems that I have yet to figure out how to resolve:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=564420

I looked at Ubuntu, but the floppy+network install is a series of hacks and doesn't look promising.

I was getting my hopes up for Slackware, but the most recent version just released (Slackware 12) doesn't appear to have this, although Slackware 11 does.

The target of my install is an older Toshiba laptop which has no CDROM drive, but does have a bootable floppy. It has a 3COM PCMCIA networking card.

Are there are any modern day distributions that support what I'm looking for? Or should I simply give up and buy a CDROM drive for my pathetic laptop?

Thanks, but I've already tried Debian and ran into a problem that I have yet to figure out. I provided a link to that in my original post.

I suppose the complete lack of response either means there doesn't exist any distributions which fit the described criteria, or no one really knows if any such thing exists.

Nevermind, re-read your first post.

Slackware 11.0 supports floppy and network install (but not internet). Slackware 12.0, just released, no longer supports floppy install, but supports usb and network install . I have no idea how they would work with your laptop, though, as I have never done a network install under Slackware.

EDIT: FreeBSD is a possibility for floppy and network install. It is not a Linux distro, of course, but the hardware support is solid.

As I already mentioned in the second sentence of my original post, I've already tried Debian. I provided a link to the problems.