I've done a net-install using the new Debian 3.1 net-inst cd, and got xwindows, xfree86, fluxbox, firefox and a few other apps up and running ok. It's rather ..er.. basic. But I'm on a slow connection and am tired of apt-getting at 5kb/s, so I have now got hold of a few of the full install cds and want to flesh out my minimal install from those.

I've uncommented the cd line in /etc/sources.list and commented out the online sources. But when i run tasksel and select 'desktop' it does nothing (exits). If I run dselect and select 'access' --> 'cdrom', it sees the cd OK but when I get to the 'enter _main_ binary dir' question *what am I supposed to enter*? Nothing seems to work.

Since this is debian 3.1 cd #1, why the F*ck doesn't it find the deb packages on the cd itself?

What I want to do is install anything from the first two debian cds (all the popular packages) that I haven't already installed (I suppose gnome, kde, etc, all usual admin apps etc etc).

Thanks in advance for any help.

Never mind, I should've read a few more posts.

You have to run apt-cdrom add first, _don't you_ and then use the 'not installed packages' menus on aptitude. Pity they don't bother to put this in the net-install instructions.

Of course this has given me some packages I don't need or can't use, such as devfsd (kernel won't support) and the braille thing. But I can purge a few of those later.

EDIT: Ok I'm getting the hang of this, but it's rather tedious going through all the 'not-installed' menus and picking out things I want to install, isn't it though.

But - to stop my whining - it's also very very cool. Debian's great.

Amen Brother