Problems with Slackware Installation

I was recommended Slackware on this thread: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...3&goto=newpost
where I detailed my disappointment with a lot of other Linux distros. As far I see it at the moment, you can either install a Linux distro and it works perfectly but for a few minor issues every now and then, or you can be Baryonic Being.

When I say that every Linux distro I touch goes wrong, I mean it. Here's what happened with Slackware:

I partitioned up my disk as I wanted it and then I booted from the first Slackware CD. After meticulously going through all the initial setup procedures, I came to my first problem with the 'selecting installation source' process. It seemed that my CD-ROM drive could not be detected by the installation, despite my having passed specific commands to the kernel when I booted. Eventually, I had to force it to accept that /dev/hdc was my CD drive.

About half-way through CD 1 package installation I received an error that went something like 'a fatal error occurred when trying to install the package autoconf-2.57-noarch-1.tgz. You can press Enter to continue anyway, but this is an essential package and it may mean your Slackware installation does not work properly'. I chose to continue, and then the time came to insert CD 2. I did this, and this was when I discovered that CD 2 - for some strangely inexplicable reason - is invalid, or corrupt, or otherwise inaccessible for whatever reason.

I made these CDs some months ago along with several others, and I swear I checked them at the time. Besides, all the other CDs in the collection were fine; obviously Slackware Disc Two was the only one that didn't work.

Trying to stay calm, I reasoned that I could always install these packages later, so I selected to 'Quit'. Then another dialog box came up asking me to insert my 'installation bootdisk' into drive A. After checking back to the guide that I was recommended to use (http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...?postid=311808) I found that no mention of installation bootdisks was made, and besides, I don't have a working floppy drive in my computer anyway. (Yes, even my floppy drives go wrong). So I pressed Enter anyway, and I waited an waited, and I tried pressing Escape and so on, and nothing happened for a long time, so I had to reboot from another console.

So now I don't know whether my installation is complete, or usable, or anything, and I am thoroughly upset. I would appreciate some words of comfort, and if you can bare to see me fail again, perhaps you would give me some advice on fixing the problem. Thankfully my other operating systems have remained as they were.

Hmm... I see two potential sources of a problem here. Either your CDs are corrupt, or your CD drive is having trouble.

I used to have a CD drive that "hated Linux". It was quite baffling... I could use it normally for almost anything, but whenever I'd try to install Linux, part way through the install it would crap out on me and start giving read errors or making install say the files were corrupt. The problem: it was overheating. In day-to-day usage, it was OK, because I didn't run it that long, but when I tried to install Linux and made it use several whole disks, it would overheat and choke. I replaced it, and haven't had any troubles like that since. But, if I were you, I would check the disks first on another computer, just to make sure they aren't the problem, as that's cheaper than replacing the CD drive.

Well, disk 2 is almost certainly corrupt, but I see nothing wrong with disk 1. I have checked it and browsed it and so it seems OK.

I do have two CD drives in my computer, so perhaps I'll try the installation with the second drive instead and see if that fixes the problem; it would also prove your second theory.

Do you recommend I re-install it, or should I try fixing it some other way?

If you have the time for a complete reinstall, I'd suggest that you do it. You could try to fix the existing one, but that leaves the chance of lingering problems... it would probably be better to start fresh.

Two comments: I would re-download and re-burn both CD images, and make certain that the MD5SUM's match before beginning. In fact, unless or until the MD5SUMS's match, don't even bother trying to start because a corrupt ISO image has zero chance of successfully installing.

Second, given that this comment is an extension of your other thead, you should post any followups to it rather than to start a new thread. -- J.W.

To your first comment, I would say that I agree, but I really can't be bothered to do that at the moment, so I'll give up with Slackware for now.

To your second comment, it's too late.