Okay, here it goes...

When I install Mandrake 9.1, the setup freezes when it tries to load 2nd stage setup. This is nothing new. All linux distros do something similar on my pc. To get around that, I do a 'linux noauto' (mandrake) or 'linux nousb' (redhat) depending on the distro, which gets me past that problem (wierd usb implimentation). This, however, causes another very interesting problem.

I have a Linksys Wireless WPC11 v2.0 PCMCIA card, which detects if I leave the 'noauto' out (it powers on during phase 1). Since the 'noauto' is necessary (setup hangs without it), the linksys card doesn't detect.

I let setup complete using the 'noauto' setup parameter. To my surprize, pcmcia support hadn't been installed. After installing it, I found my card still wasn't powering up. During boot, pcmcia starts (or reports as started) but it isn't running when the machine finishes booting. The card never receives power.

So far, I haven't been able to determine what is even happening. The card does work fine (detects) in RH8, but I really prefer Mandrake.

Is there any parameters I can pass to mandrake setup that will help me get past this problem? This problem is driving me crazy.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Machine:
Compaq Presario 1210us notebook
850 MHz AMD Duron
320 MB Ram
ATI Rage Mobility M-1