Computers FIPs...why won't you work?!

OK, so I recently got a 'Red Hat Linux 9 for Dummies'('cause I'm a Dummy) book since I don't like Windoze that much. The book gives you two discs to allow you to install said OS, and part of that is a program for repartitioning your hard drive, named FIPs. It tells you to create a bootable floppy disc, put the fips.exe program on it, and then boot from the disc. My problem is, whenever I attempt to do this, I get an error with something like 'Disc I/O Error' or something like that. Even when I get by that, it claims that I am missing some file or other, called 'COMMAND.COM', and tells me to specify where it is, and I have no clue what that is. The computer I'm going to install this on doesn't have an internet connection, which rules out me downloading anything to help me....at the moment....just wondering if anyone can help.