Problem # 1

1) Inserted Mandrake 9.0 in DVD drive and booted up to opening screen and clicked on "Install Mandrake Linux".

2) Second screen shows REBOOT window with message "Your machine will be rebooted now and Mandrake Linux will be installed ........."

3) Clicked "OK" and nothing happens, screen "blinks" like it's trying to do "something" BUT no reboot.

4) Advice/tips on what to do next.

Problem # 2

1) Inserted Red Hat 8.0 in DVD drive and it will not "auto-load".

2) BIOS sequence is "OK" because Mandrake at least starts running.

3) MORE advice/tips on what to do next.

NOTE: Thinkpad is already running Win98SE, which keeps "crashing Windows Explorer" with every Linux boo-boo !!

Did you burn an image of the iso download? Did you hit f12 at bootup to "boot from alternate source"? I've installed probably 10 versions of Linux on my T22 with no problems. It sounds like you're not booting from an ISO "image" file. The CD will not autoload. You need to BOOT FROM THE CD. Try Fedora or MEPIS. I know these worked nicely for me. One will get you a good feel of Gnome (Fedora) and one will let you try out KDE.

Did you burn an image of the iso download? Did you hit f12 at bootup to "boot from alternate source"? I've installed probably 10 versions of Linux on my T22 with no problems. It sounds like you're not booting from an ISO "image" file. The CD will not autoload. You need to BOOT FROM THE CD. Try Fedora or MEPIS. I know these worked nicely for me. One will get you a good feel of Gnome (Fedora) and one will let you try out KDE (MEPIS).

craigl,

Thanks for response.

All my CDs are from Edmunds Enterprises,

http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/linux/

"OldBob" [the retiree] has dial-up, and the CDs Mandrake 9.0 and Red Hat 8.0 work perfectly on my desktop machine.

I am starting to suspect this "refurbished" Thinkpad which came with Win98SE installed has its own "problems" and it "crashes" [BSOD] all the time !!!

The ultimate "solution" may be to Fdisk & format and install my own copy of Win98SE.

I have two copies of Win98SE on two different hard drives on my desktop machine with "no problems at all !!"

So far I have tried to keep the present version of Win98SE because it "appears to have notebook only files" that are not on my desktop machine.