In my root directory I have a cd directory, which is for my cd-rom drive. I have a cd-rw in the cd drive right now that contains the downloadable SwareT file in *.tgz format. I wish to uncompress it. So I guess I want to copy the file from my cd directory to my /home/ directory so I can uncompress it, I guess, because when I try to uncompress it while it is still on the cd-rw I get an error message. So I am trying to copy it to my home directory, and I still get an error message reading:

bash-2.05b# cp cd/swaret-1.6.3-noarch-2.tgz /home1/
cp: reading 'cd/swaret-1.6.3-noarch-2.tgz': Input/output error
#===========================================End of output

What am I to make of this? What am I doing wrong? What should I do? Thanks.

You need / before cd:
cp /cd/swaret-blabla.tgz /home1/
Directory home1 must be created before.

Are you sure that your cdrom is mounted in cd and not in /mnt/cd?

Don't understand what is being uncompressed. The swaret dl pkg has .tgz.tar at end but developer says to just remove the .tar from end of name and use installpkg to install it from dl directory.1)You should then mkdir /var/swaret. 2)Then cd /etc and mv /swaret.conf.new /swaret.conf and 3)edit that file with VERSION=10.2 or current,DESC=1,DSEARCHM=1,PROGRESS=0,USEPKGDESC=1. Please don't forget the EXCLUDE=alsa and EXCLUDE=_aaa additions to conf file. There should be an EXCLUDE=kernel line already.These additions will make upgrades safer.
4)then su
slocate -u -e /mnt &
swaret --update
swaret --check(checks for latest vesion)
swaret --list -n | less
swaret --install checkinstall(as example from list generated)
man swaret or swaret --help can help you with using swaret to its best. Good luck.

I think I got past the slocate -u -e /mnt & command, but when I tried the swaret --update command I got an error reading:

-bash: swaret: command not found
[1]+ Done slocate -u -e /mnt
#================================================End of Error

I tried to cd to the root directory and run swaret --update again but I got another error reading:

-bash: swaret: command not found
#================================================End of error

What am I doing wrong?

Assuming you have swaret installed then after slocate step when database gets updated(this can take a few minutes) then as root from terminal swaret --update should do it's thing. Won't work as user. Recheck etc/swaret.conf to be sure. Good luck.