Install prob - motherboard?

[Darren]

I have just got a fairly new computer and would like to install debian on it.  When I tried Debian 3.0  (it came on a DVD) it works ok until the point where you select the media to install from (network, fd0 and suchlike) there is no cdrom option.  When I attempt to mount the cdrom drive from the command line (ctrl alt F2) I find that Debian is not recognizing ide1 at all.  (Mandrake 9.0 and Knoppix will install ok, but they do not work properly.  I think the chipset needs the 2.4.21 kernel.  Redhat 8.0 won't install)

My specs are:
   AOpen MX46U2 motherboard
   Chipset:  SiS 650GX/962L
   P4 2.4GHz
   NVidia GeForce 4
  

TIA

Darren