There are several ways to begin the installation of Debian. This section will focus primarily on the CD-ROM method. While using one of the other installation techniques may require different medium the basic process will be the same for each installation method.
If the CD-ROM will not boot in the target machine, take a look at the installation instructions in:
debian/dists/stable/main/disks-i386/install.en.txt
Here you will find instruction on how to construct boot floppies, or install files on a DOS-bootable partition that can be used to boot the installation process with a DOS command. Once you have an installation kernel booted using one of these alternative techniques, and the drivers are installed for you CD-ROM drive, you can continue the rest of the installation from the CD-ROM.
The Quick Start section that follows is an outline view of the installation process. The next section will cover the preparation information you will need to begin the installation. The remainder of this chapter is delivered in two major sections: the First Stage, or the Base installation; and the Second Stage, complete package installation. When these two stages are accomplished there will be a complete Debian GNU/Linux system installed on your PC.