In foo.debian-user, you wrote: > I think this got lost - apologies if this is its second time around. > > I'm installing Debian gradually; until I get it online I have Windows, > in its own partition, set up for Internet use. I use Windows to download > Debian packages I'm interested in onto my hard drive, creating a partial > mirror of the Debian distribution; I then install those packages by > accessing the Windows partition from Debian. What's the significance of > Packages (or Packages.gz) files in this case? > > 1) Does dpkg/dselect/apt assume that all packages listed in a Packages > file are available on my hard drive? If so, should I manually create a > stripped-down Packages file that describes only the few dozen packages > I've downloaded?
Yes, and yes. Use dpkg-scanpackages to create the new Packages.gz file.
