quick questions Powerbase240 Mac clone install

[VincePanero@aol.com]

On the initial power up (install floppy of Debian gives you a small penguin 
icon aftera macintosh icon) to a beige old world mac, what key combo will 
slow down the linux "bios"-esque screen at the start? If no key combo, is 
there a file or log somewhere in the small RAM disk ash shell ( that is 
installed initially) where someone could look at what is being identified by 
the linux?

I got through most of the install and got a(and I quote verbatim):

base instruction error
debootstrap exited with an error(returned value 1)

then it takes me through the install again from the first PPC install CD. and 
this loop repeated adinfinitum

Here is my partition.  I plan this system to be only linux and a basic 
workstation:

/dev/sda 1 apple   31.5k
/dev/sda 2 root 250m
/dev/sda 3 swap 128 m
/dev/sda 4 home 200m
/dev/sda 5 var   200m
/dev/sda 6 tmp 100m
/dev/sda 7 usr 1.2g

the machine: Powercomputing Powerbase240 Mac clone. RAM?  I believe 64M...but 
want to double check that.

any ideas...?

Thanks...

Vince Panero