ewsmith, you probably missed something. TC could not do your advices (a) and (d), because:
For (a): run before SETUP. we need /var/log/messages as much cleaner as possible, in order to determine why kernel cannot detect DVD-ROM
For (d):
1. TC have not installed linux yet, only booted installer. And so doing something with /mnt is direct violation of instruction "not to mount anything into /mnt"
2. TC is real newbie and does not knows at all what is fstab, mount, and any concepts of its functionality.(i.e. there are must be more precise instructions).

sonnystarks, it is better for you find help closer to you(a friend, teacher), because unfortunately remote assistance is not so effective. The problem is: default bootup configuration cannot detect you DVD-ROM, and you should add additional boot parameters(try to search Internet for additional information, probably somebody already had problems booting the same model DVD-ROM you have or/and other hardware and already have proper boot parameters)

about a) I don't know what I was thinking there. :/
Thanks.

about d) I had no idea about that instruction. Must read the book again...

I have this serious social issue in that I subconsciously assume that people know what I know. Doesn't help that I think in pictures...
So... sorry, sonnystarks. I was no help there.

do you need lilo?
yes and no
lilo is a program called a 'boot loader', it is the first bit of code executed on the hard drive after the bios finishes with POST and transfers control to the hard drive, the boot loader then loads the primary file system and transfers control of the hardware to the operating system kernel.

Every operating system, be it ms-dos, windows, mac os, and so on has SOME sort of boot loader, whether it provides any output or interactivity or not it's there.

does this boot loader have to be lilo?
no, there are other open source boot loader programs capable of loading a linux kernel, like grub or syslinux available as well

you do, however, need a boot loader otherwise you won't get into ANY operating system, and for a dual boot windows/linux setup you need one capable of loading a linux kernel, otherwise the computer is not capable on it's own of loacating the root file system and kernel on the drive

edit, when booting from a live cd or install cd the boot loader is called 'isolinux', from a live usb install 'syslinux' althoug i believe syslinux can be used on a harddrive based install as well