cant install office
 

ok I had open office on my system and it worked. So one day I did a software update and all of a sudden it would not work so i uninstalled it. using Mandrivas rpmdrake. Now when I try to reinstall it also using rpmdrake it comes up telling me it can not be selected. What gives? do I need to do a complete reinstall of Mandrive to get it to let me install what I want?

No, that's the "Windows trick" - to do a complete uninstallion of something :)

use console and you'll see much more than any "nice" tool tells you (like rpmdrake, I assume). First try to do a "manual" installation of OpenOffice, and see what you get (missing dependencies or something else?) then 1) if you lack some other packages that are needed, grab them first or 2) if there is something wrong, so that another package is "on the way", remove it or do a "force" install or 3) if you have old OO.org packages left, remove them and use "force" if needed. Then reinstall the office software.

Console gives often the best "debug output" for such problems, tools like rpmdrake might hide the valuable info from your eyes (to make it more nice-looking, like Windows does :)

ok Im still new to figuring linux out I know how to get to consel, but have no idea where any packages would be or how to remove them if they are there.

right got open office working what I wound up doing was a new install of linux it than installed open office for me and now works again.:cool: