Hmmm so VFAT is the same as FAT32 - wish the page I found from google had told me this because my usb stick just happens to be formatted as FAT32 so that I can read and write on both linux and windows systems, oh well..

Anyway I downloaded the cd1 .iso image of debian and burnt it to disk at slow speed as recommended above, and I am pleased to say that it worked. I am assuming that the only difference between the cd and the dvd .iso is the additional software which I can install at any time from the package manager.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Some old 'oem' systems have a backward drive configuration with the CD/DVD drive being set as the primary master and the HDD being the primary slave. This is usually done because windows generally does not care what drive is where, but Linux (older) distros conform more strictly to the ATA specs and will have trouble finding the install DVD after creating the RAM disk and then re-mounting the DVD. Crack open your system and see if this is the case. If it is, try swapping the drive positions (remember to set the drive jumpers appropriately and verify your hardware and boot sequence in your BIOS setup).

Quite correct, you can get the extra packages at any time with the apt-get command, or a front end like synaptic (assuming you have a Internet connection on the PC).

Yes I do have a connection now because I am pleased to say that I was able to install Debian using the CD.iso that I burnt, and I have been using the apt tool to get the extra packages.

Thanks