SuSE 8.2 Install Failure from DVD Drive
 

Hi

I am having a problem install SuSE Linux 8.2 on my main workstation.

System Config: Intel brand mother board, 3 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, DVD/ROM, DVD/RW, ATI Radeon 9700 video board, Intel brand network card. USB page scanner, IEEE 1394 Nikon slide scanner.

System boots properly from RedHat 9.0 CD and installs with no hiccups.

When I try to install SuSE I get the usual splash screen and then the system goes throught the initial hardware detection. I then get a black screen. The video is still on- the idiot light on the monitor stays green (would go yellow if video was cut off). Alt-Ctrl-Del works properly and resets system. If I break install and tell it to do a text install I get one more screen asking if I want to install from CD. If I answer yes, the system comes back almost immediately that it can't find the CD to mount - yet is just booted off that CD.

A second problem is that I have an ATI Radeon 9700 video board that is "problematical" according to SuSEs hardware list. I am willing to give up 3D and have found instructions that say to enter VGA=xxx at a point where the prompt says linux 3. The xxx varies by the resolution and color depth that I want. I am happy to try that but where is it? I haven't seen that point, I don't believe.

Advice Please

Harry Lipkind

Easy One first. :) "VGA=XXX" is supposed to go in the very first screen. The one where it asks you if you wanna install or do failsafe or APIC enable disable... the grub menu, just start typing and it'll put it in the boot parameters box...

Less easy one. Which is actually on the Suse help pages and could have been directly asked of them... anyway...
Some systems, including mine, the dvd drive spins down when its not being used, and will not spin up again unless the dvd tray is opened and closed again... Since it only uses the dvd a few times during the startup, I pushed the manual eject with a pin, opening the drive at the "Detecting Devices" area.. closing it once it got to detecting USB. Things then proceeded smoothly right up into the choosing software and timezone menu. At this menu, I opened the drive again. Then went and chose software packages, set the timezone, all other options.. leaving the drive open. When I was ready, I clicked install.. a green.. "ARE YOU SURE" sort of window pops up, and I close the drive and click yes at the same time, and everything installs perfect :) Hope that helps...