SuSE Linux 9.1 Personal ISO

Hey, I'm new to linux, so I downloaded the SuSE 9.1 Personal Edition ISO from www.suse.com, and burnt it to a CD. When I rebooted and tried to install it, YasT came up and everything went well...except when I get to the screen showing me the options (Like do I want to use grub or lilo, how to partition my hard drive(s), etc.). One of the categories was Software, which had a red error message: something like "Error, no software package defined". So I click on the word Software, and it shows me the types of software packages I can install. This is the strange part...there were none. I click on detailed listing, and I see no software packages to install at all. No KDE, no OpenOffice, GNOME, nothing. YaST won't let me continue the installation until I pick a software package, yet there are none. Can you help me?

You should have ran the md5 checksum on the iso before you turned that blank cd into a coaster. Oh well, just download another copy and do the checksum next time.

How do I find the md5 checksum? Also, while downloading various other linux's (or linuces?), I found Debian...I've had this curse with linux...I tried Red Hat, SuSe, and two live CD versions (Morphix and PHLAK)...none worked...but I just got Debian to install with only one problem...I didn't have the information for, and so I couldn't install, the cable internet I use in the beginning...do you think I could go back to install that, or do I have to reinstall the entire distro? Also, I use LILO right now, but what if I want to use a different boot manager...what would I have to do to switch?

The md5 checksum is usually right in the ftp space that the iso is in.
For live cd's I recommend Knoppix, as for your bad luck with linux, it could be that the hardware in your computer just isn't supported by linux yet. However mandrake 10 and suse 9.1 (and prob fedora core 2) support most of the latest hardware.
I've never played with debian so I don't know how easy it is to install a driver with it, but usually you have to compile it against the source of the kernel you're running and load that module at startup.

I'd stick with LILO personally because GRUB is in an everlasting beta stage which I really don't like (I actually had GRUB screw a partition table up on me). But, if you wanted to use GRUB or any other loader you generally just have to make/compile it, make the config, then run the program to overwrite the boot loader. It's generally painless. But I would try to download suse again, and if that doesn't work, try mandrake 10. There's a lot I like about the both of those.

Just a quick question, what is a "md5 checksum", and why is it needed? what does it do? and why do you need to install it before the rest of the OS?

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Originally Posted by Finchie_88

Just a quick question, what is a "md5 checksum", and why is it needed? what does it do? and why do you need to install it before the rest of the OS?

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IIRC....
its a number obtained by XOR division of a key into the bits that make up a program. If any of the bits change (ie. the program is modified) than the remainder after division (the checksum) will also change. Its a way to verify the program you downloaded is not tainted in anyway.

oh yer, i remember reading bout that, when I was learning bout internet protocols, and how some basic network applications like "tracert" in command prompt...

yer, im with now, sorry, temporary memory lost, now i get what your saying...

:)