How to install a .deb from floppy???

[DTi4565459]

Until newbie can connect to net under linux, he
is stuck with having to use win3.1 machine to download
.deb's from debian.org.  But then, when puts floppy
with .deb in linux machine, apt-get can't seem to 
understand simple directions.  Migrate to floppy,
type apt-get install filename.deb and NOTHING 
happens.  There must be some way to do something
this simple...  TIA  dave