Well I decided I wanted to try out Linux, and learned that Mandrake 9.1 and Redhat 9.0 were both fairly easy to use, as far as Linux distros go.

So I downloaded the six ISOs I'd need (actually downloaded seven but one was wrong

). I knew better than just to burn them immediately, so I found a Windows program (because I don't have any working Linux boxes) that generated md5sums. I then checked my six ISOs against the ftp site's check file, and they were all right on.
I already have Win98SE on the one I'm trying to install on (and it's not going anywhere, not wholly my computer) and neiter distro will install right. I got Mandrake to work, but made one of the partitions way to small (387 MB for /usr) so I decided to redo it...now it hangs or gives me an error when checking/partitioning the drives every time, whether I try to make new Linux partitions or "use the old ones." I can't get to the package selection part any longer.
So I decided to give up on that and try Redhat. I used the Mandrake program to delete the Linux partitions I'd made first, and then tried booting with the Redhat CD. It looked ok at first, but after a short time loading the Redhat installer, the text became all garbled, but could be read with concentration... It reported this error as well: "error 3 reading header: cpio: bad magic" The garbled check media screen came up and I tried to check the CD....the progress bar got most of the way through before the checker crashed out...Skipping it lets me get past the partitioning, past the package selection, into the install...and gives me a fatal error with one of the packages... I was surprised to see it get past the partitioning, so my thoughts now turn to the installation media: the CDs on which I burned the distros.
Since I don't have a working box with Linux, I can't use the standard md5 linux program. My windows one works, but I don't know the syntax to check an entire cd for one md5.... perhaps i should copy the cd to my hd and do the check then....but i don't know how to copy a cd to an hd as an iso...

I have Windows XP and Nero 5 and Windows 98SE and Easy CD creator at my disposal. I really want to get linux working! As soon as I figure it out, i have big game server/ streaming media server plans!!
Thanks for reading guys.
p.s. I did search the forums first.
