I have a set of CDs with the ISO on for Opensuse10.1, which I used to remove vista off a desktop pc with no issue, when I try to install the same version on a new Lenova Thinkpad Edge I see the Linux start screen for Suse then the menu to select Boot from HD etc.

If I select Installation, the Kernel loads but it says it cant find the disc and activating manual setup program.

I have tried from the manual setup screens to load the modules for IDE drives but nothing seems to help me access the cd, which must have been good to get into the Kernel in the first place. I have 4 identical laptops to configure with this version, and a simple fix would be appreciated.

Should be fairly easy...load the latest version of openSUSE, which is 12. That bug was dealt with back in version 11.x.

Old software will hardly ever work well with new hardware....drives that were 'cutting edge' when the OS was written are common now.

TBOne, thanks for the help, unfortunately I am restricted to 10.x version as they are the highest level that the scripts I need to run are approved for use on. This leaves me with the issue that I now have 4 laptops that I cant make use of unless there is a way to make 10.1 recognise the drive.

I am still puzzled as to how it gets as far as the Kernel but then cant use the drive!

Scripts should run on pretty much ANY version of Linux. But without telling us what kind of scripts, where they came from, and what they do, we can't help. I would be AMAZED if shell scripts wouldn't work from one version of Linux to another, and if they didn't, couldn't be VERY easily modified. You mention 'approved for use on'...by whom?

If these are third-party scripts, and you're their customer, the answer is simple: tell them it's asinine to be running an old (and unsupported) version of Linux that you can't even get patches for anymore, just to support their software. Tell them to update it, since they wrote it.
No need to be puzzled at all...see previous comment about new hardware/old software. The drive boots, because that's essentially a BIOS level thing, providing one interrupt that the bootloader sees. From there, the kernel loads, and has NO IDEA about the hardware, because that hardware didn't exist when the software was written. So, it throws up its hands, and asks you to boot manually, or load a driver manually.

A low-tech solution would be easy: get an external USB CD/DVD drive, and boot from it. Should work fine. I would *STRONGLY* suggest you not do this, though. Again, 10.x is VERY old, and unsupported. You will be more vulnerable to security holes that have long since been patched, and lack support for new hardware, IF you can get it to work at all. All the way around, you're better off going to 12.x.

And another thought is this: if you load 12.x and install your scripts and they DO work, you're in a good spot and can move on easily. If they DON'T work, you can have the error(s) to hand to the developer/support folks, so they can fix it. Or, you can come HERE and post the script and error(s), and we can help you.

To draw an analogy...would you load Windows 2000 to make an old program work, or would you NOT load it, because of the age and support headaches (and security holes), and try to move forward?

Point taken, the shell scripts are designed to create and download minix data partitions on Compact flash cards for safety related applications, hence the 'approved for use' I will however talk to the script expert that creates and updates the scripts to see why the restrictions are placed on the Linux versions that can be used to run them. I suspect it is something to do with the way the scripts are handled by the different versions.

Once the Linux is installed an working there is no intention to use it for anything other then running the scripts, so security issues etc are not a major concern, but I appreciate the assistance, I have found a way to install from Hard Disk which I might try after I have spoken to out Linux experts.

Well, if they are JUST scripts, they shouldn't be handled differently by ANY version. Unless they're doing something very arcane, or checking for a particular version of Linux, they shouldn't know/care.
The USB CD/DVD drive will work, as I've done it before. However, I will again say that you may have troubles...new hardware may mean missing/flaky modules in old software. Be warned...you may have a long road ahead of you.

And how will you get the images on to the laptops?? If they're connected to a network...they're vulnerable.

The laptops are installed with windows, so I could put the isos on that way. Would it not be possible to install modules for any problem hardware later, taken from the later versions? Forgive me if that's a daft question but I know Windows and how drivers generally can be found for previous (but not ancient) OS versions.

I have been using Suse 9 on older laptops for 4 years but have not really had a chance to learn how it is put together so if I seem an utter Newbie... its cos I am.

Which way is that?? The ISO is not bootable by itself...you'd have to boot up, then serve the ISO up in some manner over the network (http, ftp, nfs, etc.) That's a whole lot of effort for something that may not work AT ALL (and is already having problems). Get a USB CD/DVD drive...they're only about $40, and it'll definitely work, and be alot simpler. If you don't know your way around Linux too well, that's the way to go.
No, you have to get the source code for the module, and compile it for the new kernel. SOMETIMES you don't have to, and the driver will be on a website, but going from 12.x to 10.x is a big jump backwards. And if you took a Windows 7 driver, do you think it would work on Windows 2000???
Everyone starts somewhere, but you're making this into something harder than it has to be. You CAN mess about, shoehorn something in that'll sort-of work, and (if you're a newbie), getting to that point will be agonizing, and at the end of that arduous process, you'll have an outdated system that doesn't quite work right.

Again:

• Your scripts will probably work just fine under 12.x openSUSE
• 12.x will 'just work' on your new hardware, no fiddling about needed.
• If your scripts DON'T work, you'll have a working, up-to-date system, along with the information you need to GET your scripts working

Load 12.x, and be done. Move forward.

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