You might want to try Vector Linux.
www.vectorlinux.com
You can install it by copying files into a Microsoft directory, or onto a linux partition, then booting from a floppy. It then goes and finds the files to install. The linux partition cannot be the one you are going to install to. Works well. You can delete the files after and mount the extra partition as extra space somewhere in your /home directory.
Use the SOHO 3.2 version if you have 1.5 gigs of disk space available. The regular Vector version is very old-hardware friendly, and small.