Hey,
i recently tried to install linux slackware but ultimately failed.
I got the iso from www.linuxiso.org
if someone could please give me a hand.
I first created a linux partition as Native (83) then started the isntalation, the problem was that reaching the end it showed loads of errors (all the same)
saying soemthing like ext2fs cannot read inode or something liek that.
I tried isntalling on a 2 gig about 4 years old to test it before using it.
Would this be the problem? or am i doing something wrong with the partition issue.
Thank you for answering.

It would really help if you post the exact error message...
doesn't help much...

One idea, though... The Slackware installer allows tweaking with the ext2 filesystem settings (number of inodes is one of them). Did you change any of them, or leave them at default values?

Could be a a bad hard drive.. when you formatted the partitions, did you do a quick format or a check for bad blocks format ??

This isn't an answer but an additional question. When installing slackware, if everything goes OK during the install up to thetime of running the X server, would the version of X that comes with X be the same as say Mandrake? I can run Mandrake 8.2 ok on this laptop, but when i tried with slackware, the x server couldn't work.

Did you configure X after the install, after your first bootup ?? Slack doesn't configure X during the install.

Slack seems to be like LFS+... It includes a lot of software, etc, but doesn't auto configure anything. You have to learn/know your system and configure Linux around it. It makes for a well running system though, I am sure. I have had a few problems installling slack, so I gave into the dark side and reverted back to my favorite distro, Mandy.

If you don't know the command to configure X, on mine its XF86config

Good Luck