If you want to customize packages during the install process, the most configurable options are distros where the install process is not automated - Gentoo, Arch, etc. You can pacstrap additional packages from the Arch install CD, and you can just chroot and emerge with Gentoo. You'll probably want to write a shell script if you need more than a few extra packages.
Also, openSUSE Express may be of interest.

Information on Mate in Slackware HERE. However, I do NOT have personal experience with this site or its methods regarding installing Mate in Slack.

Please research and do your homework before attempting to utilize the information on the above linked site.

Luck!

Since this is opening up a whole other issue and since hard drive diagnostics are a new thing for me and Linux, what are some good command line and/or graphical hard drive utilities I can download to continue checking on the health of my hard drive? I'm not sure with this reallocated sectors count message if this means my drive is starting to fail, if it's going to last a few days/months/years, or what the case might be. But I'm going to at least do some reading on it and continue to keep an eye on my drive. Going to also keep most mission critical data off of it until I kinda have an idea about what's going on or at least have it backed up so I won't lose it. And if it comes down to it, I'll get a replacement drive.

Basslord1124,

For drive diagnostics use smartmontools and gsmartcontrol:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Smartmontools

https://www.lifewire.com/gsmartcontrol-review-2624560

https://www.smartmontools.org/

As a rough guide, if you have anything other than zero in SMART 5 or SMART 197, you could well have a problematic drive.

SMART 5 ....... Reallocated Sectors Count
SMART 187 ... Reported Uncorrectable Errors
SMART 188 ... Command Timeout
SMART 197 ... Current Pending Sector Count
SMART 198 ... Uncorrectable Sector Count

Thanks for the info beachboy2. I installed the smartmontools and GSmartcontrol last night. At this moment, I am actually running the extended test to see what it finds. I'll post the results once it finishes.

It actually managed to pass the extended 3 hour test. I am going to mark this thread as solved since it was about trying out different distros and the hard drive thing is a whole new can of worms. I have posted a new thread on the hard drive situation at the following link:

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...se-4175668371/

1 members found this post helpful.

Glad you got it squared away, Basslord1124!

Running: sudo apt install msttcorefonts in terminal will add Microsoft Windows fonts to LibreOffice so you can copy MS Word documents in LO Writer.
Use TAB and ENTER to pan thru the Microsoft EULA.