SUSE 10.1 - Install skips to the end after first CD
 

Trying to install 10.1 using the install CDs (YAST) and after I set up everything and begin installation, CD 1 finishes installing, but then it skips to the end and doesn't finish installation (i.e. doesn't ask for CD 2, 3, etc). The system performs a reboot and now my BIOS cannot find any OS (was planning on setting up a SUSE/WinME dual boot).

Originally, I thought it was the Add-On CD because when I first tried to install, it loaded CD 1 and then jumped the others and asked for the Add-On CD 1. After it loaded those apps, it again tried to finish the install by rebooting, but it never loaded CDs 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Media check (MD5) passed on all CDs, and I could not find any other posts that even came close to this issue.

Anybody encountered this before? I tried installing normally, installing from Safe Mode, but nothing works - YAST just won't ask the remaining install CDs. Help!

BTW, yes, I'm a Linux install noob.

the reboot is normal after the first cd, it hasn't skipped to the end. leave the cd1 in let it reboot, and choose "boot from hard drive" the next time the installation disc spins up.it will then prompt you for more discs

Ahh... now I gotta troubleshoot why my PC won't boot any operating system. I guess that explains why I didn't get prompted for any of the CDs.

When I set up the install, I took the YAST defaults for the boot loader, and after looking specifically at what it configured, I noticed that it does nothing to the MBR. Instead it loaded GRUB onto dev/hda3, which is the partition where SUSE root is installed. I have Windows ME installed on dev/hda1.

Should I configure the boot loader to update the MBR to boot grub? Basically, I'm stuck and a little hesitant to go playing around with the MBR since I hear that can really gum up things if you don't know what you're doing (that'd be me)

For posterity's sake, I am adding what I did to solve this issue. After the install rebooted my PC, my BIOS was not able to locate an operating system. This occurred because I accepted the defaults during the install setup process. So, I ran CD1 again to get into YAST, and in the System Analysis step, I selected the Other.. button and said Boot Installed System (or something to that effect). It booted the install and I ran through the remaining steps of the installation (i.e. installed the other CDs).

Once I'm loaded and looking at my desktop,
- I opened up YAST (KMenu -> System -> YAST (Control Center)).
- Selected the System tab and clicked Boot Loader
- In Boot Loader, I clicked the Boot Loader Installation tab.
- I clicked Boot Loader Installation Details and under Disk System Area Update
- I checked off Replace MBR with Generic Code so now all three options in that section were selected.
- I clicked OK and Finish and rebooted the computer. It was only then that my PC loaded GRUB and now I have a working dual-boot environment!!

Thank you rshaw for your help!! So far, I'm really liking SUSE and the KDE Desktop Environment.

100 times thanks to your post!!!!
I am completely new to linux and already had hard time to install from dvd iso due to corrupted packages. So I decided to go with 5 cd's but had even harder time. Thanks to you I installed my Suse. I had a problem to boot this bad boy after cd1 and then I rebooted the way you specified. Thanks again. That thing is now running nice and I am able to boot in windows. My question to you is that I wasn't prompt for cd4 and cd5. Do you know how can I add these cd's into my Suse? As I mentioned I am completely new to the linux.

THanks again!!!

I had the same question after I finished my install too - I was expecting to use CD4 and 5, but as I come to find out, those are not necessary for just the regular install. You did everything correctly and you're good to go.

When you use YAST later to install other applications (e.g. Gaim, mplayer, etc.), it'll prompt you then for packages stored on CD4 or CD5.

extra packages
 

Cds 4 and 5 contain extra packages, not part of the standard gnome install.

If you access a program called yast2 either form the comand promt or form the gui menu you will see an option to install extra packages. Their are thousands so spend some time and have a look at them you might find some thing you really like.

CDs 4 and 5 moslty contain extra stuff for servers, and programing so I dont expect that most people will ever use those. At least people who only use the computer for basic productivity work, like text editiing, internet, and the like.