if you find that everything didn't install, it's no big deal. you can install/remove any pacakge you want after the fact. on the desktop, open a terminal (konsole would be good if you're using KDE). at the login prompt, type su (enter) then your root password (enter) to give yourself root priveleges. now type mcc (enter). that will open the Mandrake Control Center. from there you can configure your whole system as you desire. you can also add/remove packages. first thing you should do, before anything else, is get all available updates. go to software management->updates. click on that, choose a mirror from the list, then get all updates it shows you need. if a mirror is down or not responding, click media manager->highlight the update source->click remove, save it, click updates again & choose a different mirror. you can use the software install section to browse all available software & install what you like. conversely, use remove software to uninstall things.
a good place to visit to set up alternate package sources is
Easy URPMI. go there, follow the instructions to add extra sources. i'd highly recomend adding "contrib", "main", & "plf". stay away from "cooker" sources for now. they are bleeding edge/works in progres apps that can be very unstable at times.
also, in MCC, go to system->services to see what daemons (services) are currently running. use the info buttons next to each one to read what they're for. some are neccessary for the system to run, so be careful not to shut things off that you need.
otis