Can I install an OS with 128mb memory stick and card reader.

Do you mean install an OS onto the removable storage, or install it using the removable storage instead of installation CDs/DVD?

yea this one.

Which one? a thing mentioned two different possibilities.

So, do you want to
[ ] install from CD onto the memory-stick/cardreader?
or
[ ] install from the memory-stick/cardreader onto your harddisc?

Please check one.

Look at the title of his reply .

The answer is as follows:
1 install on the memory stick / card
2 boot from the stick / card
3 install to harddisk from there

It seems puppy linux can do it

Oh yes. Sorry.
Well, usually I don't read the titles, maybe I should change that.

1. If the computer's so old that it doesn't have a CD drive (which it sounds like yours doesn't), its BIOS probably doesn't support booting from USB.

2. The only distro that would fit on 128MB is DSL.

still, it seams unlikely that your machine can book from USB to me, though laptopscan be special cases.

Not true. Puppy would also fit easily (the iso is about 85 MB)

but i dont have easy ways to burn discs and i do have media sticks around. I try to use removable media thats non-moving i.e. memory sticks, compact flash. I find this media easier to handle and is natively rewritable.

dsl and puppy i had a feeling that would be the case. I was hoping for fedora or suse as well. Is there a way to take a minimal install less than or equal 128mb?

I think your only choices are:
1. Install from floppies.
2. Get a CD and/or DVD drive.
3. Get a whole new computer.

how does that work? any issues with dualbooting.

If you booted from a floppy, you might be able to do that, depending if the floppy had drivers for whatever you use to connect to a network.