MD5 Checksum
 

I have just finished downloading ISO images of Debian. I have run a check on all the MD5 sums and one of them failed. So I re-downloaded it from another mirror - but upon re-checking it, it failed again.

Is there any other way to verify that the ISO is OK or should I just ignore it???

Don't ignore it. The MD5 sum is (AFAIK) the only way to check (apart from a failed installation!).

Which disk is failing? You only need the first 3 (if you are on dial up) or if you have cable or DSL, just use`disk 1 and do the rest online via ftp.

I downloaded the ISO images along with the MD5 sums from - ftp://ftp.ticklers.org/debian-cd/images/3.0_r1/i386/

7 altogether. I'm not sure which ones I need but I prefer to have a hard copy on CD rather than downloading while installing. The checksum that is failing is for disk 4- debian-30r1-i386-binary-4.iso. I have now downloaded the images from 3 mirrors and all of them have failed.

You only need the first 3 disks for a full install. Have you tried www.linuxiso.org - I always found the isos to be reliable.

Thanks for the help. I'll see how I get on with the first three ISO's. It isn't really a big deal if I need to download the otherrs as I have a DSL connection.

On the subject of Debian. I am going to reinstall my Linux box which I currently have Red Hat 9 on and will be replacing it with Debian. I've heard that it isn't that user friendly though. So is it a good idea for a novice like me to give it a try?

I have always found Debian to be a pain to start with - it may just be me though. After the install, I have always had to manually configure graphics and things, but I normally install blind - no docs or readmes. Kind of an "Installation Roulette" - wheee, I live on the wild side :D

If you follow the instructions, you should be alright.

Once installed, you get to use apt-get which is an excellent program.