Framebuffer console - chrooted Debian install

[cga <cga9999@softhome.net>]

I followed the directions in the Debian installation manual (section
3.7) to install woody from an existing RedHat system and everything went
very smoothly. The only annoyance is that the graphical console was not
enabled by default. This is a major problem in my case since I do not
plan to install 'X' as this point. So I need to get this to work before
I can further configure the system (I don't feel too comfortable with
chroot..). I tried to check whether the framebuffer console was enabled
in the kernel (builtin or module) but I cannot find where the kernel's
source is located so I'm unable to run "make menuconfig". I understand I
need to do this the Debian way. I don't remember being prompted for any
information regarding the video chip on this laptop (ATI Mach64
Rage/Pro) when I ran "base-config". Is there a utility that I need to
run at this point that takes care of configuring my display? Where
should I look for more information on how to proceed?

Thanks.