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.

Ok, I've been trying things desperately and after several tries I no longer get the "error 3 reading header: cpio: bad magic" or garbled text. Weird. Also, the media tester no longer crashes....but unfortunately it did tell me that my RedHat CD failed...Physically the disk looks ok, nice and shiny, so I guess it must be a bad burn... How does the media checker work? O_O Does it generate and md5sum?

Ok I really need help. I downloaded shrike-i386-disc1.iso from a different FTP server (I deleted the original ISOs after install), did another md5sum check, which went perfectly, burned it at half the medium's rated speed (24x instead of 48x) and got the exact same error. To me the problem obviously isn't the disk, though I can't be sure because Redhat's media checker is not working...again.

I'm thinking it must be hardware config. I just realized I never gave a detailed system spec, so here it goes:

MB: ASUS P3B-F (i440BX AGP)
CPU: Intel P3 550 Katmai
RAM: 512 MB PC133 (@100) SDRAM
IDE Config:
hda: Western Digital WD800JB
hdc: hp cd-writer 9100 plus
hdd: Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1212 (boot drive)
Dispaly Adapter: 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV AGP
Sound Card: Creative Labs SB Live! Value!
NIC: (generic Belkin 10/100)
generic PS/2 keyboard, MS Intellipoint USB Wheel mouse

Windows 98 originally occupied all "80" GB, but I used Mandrake to resize that to about 55, which left 20 at the end for Linux.

I'm still getting the same erros, but I've just checked and I orgininally reported them slightly incorrectly. There were two erros in the garbled text and I kind of combined them:
"error 3 reading header: cpio: bad header"
"error 2 reading header: cpio: bad magic"
The first is repeated a bunch of times, the second only shows up at the end before it launches the graphical installer, from where I can get all the way to the formatting (and sometimes to the package install) before it gives me a "fatal" error.

Don't know what to do. Please help.


*EDIT: DNR: Resolved: Faulty RAM*