keeage
Please read the following and see if this answers any questions and helps in your download. If it doesn't work after reading and following the instructions given here, let me know and I will be happy to burn you all 5 images and mail them to you for an install.
Setting up the FTP installation process
Some preparation is needed in those cases where you won't have an access to another Internet-connected computer during the installation. First get to the SuSE mirrors page and choose one that is nearest you. Click on it to make sure it's active and that it contains the SuSE 8.0 directory. You will need to write down the exact path, for example:
ftp://ftp.suselinux.hu/pub/suse/i386/8.0/. You will also need to find out the IP address of this mirror. This you can do from either a Windows or a Linux machine by typing "ping ftp.suselinux.hu" on the command line. The command will give you the IP information -- in case of ftp.suselinux.hu, the IP address is 195.38.96.124. Write it down.
Now you are ready to start the installation. Insert the SuSE boot CD and reboot your computer. You will be presented with what looks like a standard SuSE boot menu, except that there are some extra options for more advanced installation settings. Simply select the appropriate screen resolution by pressing one of the corresponding F-keys, then press Enter to proceed. If you don't make any decisions here, the installation process will begin automatically in about 10 seconds with the default settings and the screen resolution of 800x600. It is worth noting that a text mode installation option is also provided.
Next you will have the pleasure of meeting with a warning dialog box in strong red colour, which is SuSE's way of saying that something has gone terribly wrong. Don't panic -- everything is still exactly as it should be. The reason for the red warning is that the system could not find the full SuSE installation CD and, after dismissing the warning, the installation will continue.
Now is the time to select your installation language and keyboard (many European languages are supported) before you will finally get to the "Main Menu". This is about the only place where you need to do some extra work, notably loading your network card modules. Select the "Kernel modules (hardware drivers)" item from the menu, then "Load network card modules" from the next menu. You will be very unlucky if yours is not one of the many items listed. Once your network module is loaded, press the back button to return to the main menu.
You've probably learnt the SuSE menu drill by now, so we can go a bit faster. Select "Start installation/update", "Network" and "FTP". The next decision you need to make is the type of network you are on - basically you can either be on a network with a DHCP server (in which case you have a dynamically configured IP address) or you are on a network with a manually assigned IP address. Unfortunately, if you are using an ADSL service with a PPPoE type of connection, you are out of luck here as the installation does not provide for dialling your ISP. My solution to the problem was to buy a broadband router with a built-in DHCP server - this US$80 D-Link router is a gem, even if you aren't on a network, because you'll never need to dial your ADSL connection again!
But let's get back to the installation. With the broadband router configured and active, I went with the DHCP option. The next task is to provide the IP address, followed by the correct directory, of the mirror site which you will be using as the system installation source. If you have been taking notes, you know what to type, but here is an example anyway: based on my earlier selection, the IP would be 195.38.96.124 and the directory would be /pub/suse/i386/8.0.
Was it tough? If so, now is the time to take a break as no user interaction will be required for some time. The system will connect to the specified mirror site and start getting all the goodies...
