wanted to try Linux so I got the Suse Linux 8.2 LiveEval CD. It boots ok but very early on I get "sorry no partition found your config will not be saved." So now I have to re-configure every time I run the CD. I'm using XP on a single ntfs partition (20 gig free) with 256mb ram. Is there something I should know, couldn't find anything in the readme.txt, any help appreciated, thanks from an absolute beginner.

Have you tried Knoppix? It's another distro of Linux, like the live eval of suse 8.2 - doesn't write itself to your hdd, etc. I used to use xp home myself...but knoppix never gave me an error like that, and I used it like 4 or 5 times.

no I haven't tried that distro. I'm disappointed because Suse have little info or help for the LiveEval CD, only a readme.txt, I would like to get this CD to configure properly, if not I will try the CD you recommend.

I think the SuSE LiveEval can't see ntfs drives.

I think your right, but they could have said so in the readme.txt, I just don't want to install a full version untill I've tried it first, all of these evaluation CD's must write something to the existing hard drive and if Suse Linux and ntfs are incompatible, then I suspect the others will be too. I need to do some more reading, maybe a FAT or FAT32 partition is the answer.

I had the LiveEval version but I decided to take the plunge and got Mandrake v9.1. Still learning but getting to grips with it all. Full versions of Linux can see ntfs (I think coz i installed my Mandrake on the drive that used to be my ntfs drive).

I found the answer on the knoppix site, seems you can't write to ntfs partitions with Linux, so I just created a FAT partition which the Suse LiveEval CD recognised straight away, so the config files have been written to my hard disc. My next problem is that much of my hardware is not recognized, no sound, no video, no internet, I think much more reading is necessary to set this up correctly, oh yeah, and I hate using command line, so not a great start.

How old is your computer. If your stuff is plug n play it should have read it pretty easily. It did so for mine, even my Sounblaster 16 sound card.

I ran SuSE LiveEval 8.2 for a few days before actually buying the package. At first it wouldn't recognize some of the hardware but there are two ways of getting around that.

First is to disable PnP in the bios. I don't know exactly what that does but it hindered SuSE LiveEval from "seeing" some of my hardware.

Second is to select more "generic" devices in YaST2 (hit Control Panel ->YaST2modules->hardware). For instance, my soundcard is a SoundBlaster Live! but the card was only identified as EUK101 or something like that. Now that I have the full SuSE it recognizes the card as C4760 so no problems there.

Hope this helps

It's just over a year old and supports plug 'n play. My problem is that I have only ever used windows, and doing anything in linux requires a re-think, even for the basic stuff, I'm still trying to configure the internet connection, (I had to leave linux to send this reply via windows which is kind of ironic really) these are just teething troubles due to lack of familiarity on my part.

@ loose cannon, thats exactly what I mean, Linux is like a different language, different terminology, different everything. I've only been tinkering with it for a few hours but it's like learning how to read again. This is gonna put alot of people off from making the switch, the windows gui is familar and comfortable, the linux interface is different and unfamiliar, basically a steeper learning curve for windows users, but fun never the less (now where's my email button!!!!)

Hee hee... I'm also new to Linux. I just picked up my SuSE 8.2 last week and have been using it for 5 days now... haven't touched XP since installing Linux. Goin "cold turkey". I figured that as long as I have access to the internet then if I have any questions I can always ask away at all these forums.

... so far so good!

your a brave man, when I've figured things out I will install a full version distro but probably to run alongside windows, I mean I'd be lost without my weekly security update from Bill

SuSE 8.2 is a good distro, however the LiveEval Edition doesn't work very well... I had it working better than knoppix on an acer inspiron laptop today, though.

If you post some of your hardware-related issues, we'll try to help. The problem with LiveEval is that you cannot use some drivers 'cause you cannot have write permissions on a cd... ;-)

For example, I had a USB modem with a GlobeSpan chip, and I hadn't been able to configure it with LiveEval since I had to install a package.

So my advice is to use a dual boot for the first times, if you switch to Linux... you can always re-format your Win NTFS partition in ext2 later, when everything works fine.

thanks to all for the advice.