dave wrote:
> so i presume this means having downloaded the iso image for
> e-smith 4.1.1 (using good old win98) that i am wasting my
> time and should have used a linux box to rsync the file?
>
> not that i'm being a pessimist

it's just only going to
> take me 18 hours to download it u c

If your image is correct, there is no need to rsync, or if you rsync, it will only quickly verify that your image is already correct. Use md5sum to verify that your image is correct.
If your image is not correct, but almost correct, then rsync will relatively quickly correct the image. So if your image is not correct, copy it to Linux then use rsync to "syncrhonise" it.
Note that many users have reported problems with CDRs burnt by Nero.
Charlie