Is there some reason that my internet connection would hang in runelevel 1?
If I run at runlevel 5 (in KDE, for example), I can do dist-update and dist-upgrade with no problem. But I've read that dist-upgrade is best done from runlevel 1, and so I use init 1 to get there, and I type apt-get dist-upgrade. Apt starts downloading, then after a few minutes it just hangs. It says it can't connect. If I reboot my router, sometimes I can get another few minutes, but then it hangs again. This happens no matter what sources I enter in the sources.list.

Now, if I go back into KDE and type into a console: apt-get -ub dist-upgrade, and get apt to download the files without installing them, everything works fine. No hanging.

Also, once apt hangs from init 1 on either of the 2 systems on my home network (one Sid, one Sarge), it prevents the other system from accessing the internet. In order to get reconnected, I have to restart both systems and the router (which connects to a cable modem).

Here's my ifconfig on one of the systems (they're the same, basically):

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0C:76:4B:56:89
inet addr:192.168.1.10 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:222568 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:115250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:334838768 (319.3 MiB) TX bytes:7642892 (7.2 MiB)
Interrupt:20 Base address:0x1000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:1221 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:1221 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:118720 (115.9 KiB) TX bytes:118720 (115.9 KiB)

What's going on?

I have forgotten the exact Debian runlevel heirarchy (2-5 are often not specified clearly), but with most distros, runlevel 1 doesn't even have networking. I think that if you have a box that only you connect to, you don't need to use runlevel 1 (single user). You could use runlevel 3 instead. That kills your GUI but still has you at multi-user with networking. I've never done a dist-upgrade from runlevel 1, but I often do runlevel 3. If nobody connects to your box but you, don't worry about it.

You are in single user mode as has already been mentioned. Just logout out of KDE and from the Menu option in the Greeter/Login screen choose Console Login then login to the console and do your upgrade you almost never have to dist-upgrade if any packages are leftover (held back) after an upgrade then try to install them individually and they will bring in the new packages that are holding them up or use the -u option when upgrading that should get them as well.

They are identical unless you change the configuration manually.

Well, I don't have kde at the moment (I got halfway through a dist-upgrade from Sarge to Sid and then the connection crashed, and all hell broke loose: nothing worked).

I have been wrestling with a crippled system. I downloaded the Debian Sarge network install package on my working system, burned it to CD, booted from the CD on the crippled system, reinstalled Sarge, tried to get KDE -- and no dice. Every time I try to get online it crashes after a short time.

I've just burned a Knoppix CD and that's my next try.

All I want is to be able to get the darned thing to stay online long enough to get the packages!

I'm beginning to think it's my router (LinkSys, about a year old).

I have a linksys router. They are porpular, but they suck! Bittorrent fans will agree with me.