The alternative and minimal installation images do not contain drivers for my EeePC 1101HA's network devices. The module required for the ethernet is atl1c (Atheron AR8132), but the discs contain only atl1 and atl1e. What can I do to install it?

I dug the .ko file out of the live CD (which works fine) and tried to modprobe it in the alternative installer's environment (minimal won't let me mount any storage devices), but modprobe wouldn't accept it as a module. So I gather there's a missing step somewhere.

Also, the alternative image is choking on an error, "Debootstrap error: Failed to determine the codename for the release." So I can't even install from a mounted ISO and figure out how to install the driver on the otherwise working system.

How do I make this work? I'd really like to build an Ubuntu system from the ground up instead of relying on the ready-made desktop live CD.

If the module cant be modprobed, it's likely that the kernel version on the live CD differs from that on the minimal CD. Be sure to use install media with the same kernel

The alternate install CD installs exactly the same system as the live CD. It has a few more options than the live CD, such as installing to encrypted LVM, but as far as I know all programs and drivers should be the same as the desktop live CD.
Is this the alternate install CD you downloaded?
http://ubuntu.osuosl.org/releases/10.04/
What version of Ubuntu are you using? According to post #8 of this thread the wired ethernet for the 1101HA has been working since Karmic 9.10:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1255537
The Ubuntu wiki does not list wired ethernet as a problem for the 1101HA. It even says the wireless works out of the box but is "flaky"
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupp...20Eee%201101HA
So are you using Ubuntu 10.04, the current version?
Be sure to run the option "check disc for defects" when you first boot the alternate CD, if you have not run it already. If the CD passes without errors then the CD is good.