I have a SUSE 10 sp2 server that I am using for hosting VMware and virtual machines. I have installed the basic host machine with only file server enabled (no dns, dhcp, print services or anything else). This is the fifth time I have had to reinstall because after I applied all the updates the system downloaded, it would not boot with a cd/dvdrom mounted. I tried everything I knew hot to do, which I admit isn't much (edited the fstab, tried to mount through command line) but nothing brought it back. this all started because I had the entire machine loaded with VMware, two virtual machines, and all was well until I decided to update the OES2 sp1 virtual machines. All manor of issues cropped up like corn in the summer. So I reloaded after a week because I couldn't fix the problems and decided in my limited knowledge the updates probably caused the issues, and there was no undoing the updates.
I assume (dangerous as that may be) that I applied too many updates to my bare system, but I would like a more experienced opinion. And by experienced, I mean definitely more than my six months!
What bare minimum of patches should I apply for this bare bones type of install before I put VMware 2.1 on it.
All help and insight is appreciated by this distraught Kansas girl.

Thanks.

Faith