Trying to install Mandrake 10 on a PC. This happens:

It was at the start just after Detecting USB devises, (I had none connected by the way), it then said "Loading programs into memory" and after the red bar got about half way across it said "fatal error finishing installation" and it stopped loading. I checked the log as it said at the bottom and it said " fopen(stage1.c:383) failed:i/o error unsetting automatic"

Would anyone have a clue what that means? That happens regardless of whether the USB option is enabled or not.

this most likely has nothing to do with your usb.

The bar: loading in kernel is normal, but for this is your linux kernel not only your usb support!

normally it would load the bar till end, then your system will load.
It is more likely that a memory-depending setting is the source
it failed at (your output I don't know) but it failed at loading the linux kernel in memory.

What amount of memory do you have?
What are your system specifications?
Even a video card can change your amount of memory!

there are also bootable linux versions like knoppix, really nice if you don't know much bout linux, once knoppix is booted it will configure your whole machine itself, et voila

god luck

few post out there if you google
unlikely to be a memory size problem

try to install mandy in expert mode
use an ext3 filesystem not ext2

also at the boot before the install choose bootprompt options linux noapic nousb
(press F1 or F2)

Some user report this problem when using CD-RW (DVD-RW)
Are you?
You can try to boot from the 2d CD, you could also copy to CD-R.

Is it a dvd version?