I have an old Toshiba 220CS without a cdrom. I want debian on it. I've loaded the 6 bf24 floppies and have tried to get my network card working. I am not in front of the Toshiba right now but the lights are all flashing on the card dongle (I think it's a Dynalink card ) but there's no way I can configure the network because there's no eth0 present (when following the install menus of debian) ----- actually, maybe I'll come back to this tomorrow when I'm in front of the Toshiba.

You need to load the kernel module for your network card. I'm not sure about this, but I think the "pcnet_cs" module might work for your Dynalink card.

Yes. I agree. I do need to install the correct driver ---- I checked it out and the correct one seems to be "ne" but when I try this --- install fails. I've tried others --- randomly () and failed. I tries "ne" with the correct parameters = io=0x300 ir3=3 but failed. It is a real pity that I have no cdrom drive on my Toshiba -- I would like to try another floppy to network install. Can anyone suggest an alternative ? Something with an up to date kernel and network install? I realise that there are other distros but I'd like to know if anyone has used one to install this way. I know I can't have a fancy 48mb box but I'm sure I can have x and a web browser and a text editor. What do you think???
added comment - I realise that this is a Debian forum

The Sarge installer has proceeded into Test Candidate 1 and it now has also install floppies available. Might be worth a try.

http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

and that is now tomorrow's "waste time at work" project though perhaps that's not true because I've got two desktops to set up and I'd rather use Sarge than Woody. Thanks Dead Parrot.

{fanfare}
{drum roll}
{cheers} - great idea Dead Parrot. Install starting right now ---- card up and running in 3 minutes.

okay --- so Debian is on my Toshiba [I love the installer] but I'm having problems with apt. I suppose I could start a new thread but as it's part of the same install, I'll continue here. I had to abandon the apt setup on first boot because eth0 hadn't started up. When I came back to it, via apt-setup, I chose my mirror and was presented with "Failed to access the Debian archive.....while trying to access the debian archive......" There is a problem resolving the ftp sources. I am advised to run apt-get update to correct these problems "E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used." When I run apt-get update, there is no sources.list. ----- edit : no. I have just run dpkg-reconfigure apt and there is now a sources.list. apt-get update is still unappy and not resolving the debian ftp sources.

My problems with apt seem to have been more related to the network I was on (for some reason I think it was the port on the hub I was plugged in to) because, once home, apt-get was happy. base-config worked again. I am confused though --- I realise that I have never set up a box from scratch like this. I'm happy with apt-get but dselect and aptitude have, so far, pushed me towards my single malt whisky bottles I can't get my head around what I need to install to have X and Fluxbox or icewm or something simple. I want NOTHING KDE related on this old notebook (as if I could <lol>) I think that dselect and tasksel have confused me. The more I google, the more confused I become. The Toshiba itself has got me really excited (oh dear. is that the kind of person I've become??) because its limitations will set me free - ie if I use it I will have to be on task because there'll be no distractions. I can finally *do stuff* ---- so. what do I apt?
Thanks
No more whisky tonight.