Here's a suggestion which will get some static, and it's not a direct answer to your question, but indulge me anyway.
The first time you set up Linux, you do lots of things wrong. I ususally recommend that my newbie friends plan on reinstalling several times to get a good feel for what's going on.
Why not dump the whole thing, and start over with a fresh install of Etch instead of Sarge. It will probably be a better fit for you anyway. You can get the
netinstal.iso here.
