I've been trying to install Mandrake 7.2 for a couple of weeks now...not successfully. Several problems are occuring.

1) The installation does not recognize the NIC I'm using (Linksys LNE100TX card). The Mandrake website instructs the installer to create a patch floppy with a fix for the problem. Using this approach you have to select "F1" at the first install screen bringing up the boot prompt and then enter "patch" on the prompt line. When I do this the install goes on its merry way never looking at the floppy, thus never installing the patch.

2) When the installation is complete and I logon as root, the floppy and CDROM are locked. I've tried everything I can think of to access these devices with no success.

I'm a novice with Linux so I'm not sure if I am doing something or not doing somethig during the installation. Saying thanks for any help.

Well, you should just bypass the nic install or letting it detect it and install it after everything else is working. Then you should be able to get the drivers off the Linksys floppy disks provided. http://www.linksys.com has instructions in compiling it as well.
About the Floppy and CDROM, are there any specific errors it gives? How are you trying to mount to them when you insert any type of media?

Any other problems along the way, let us know.

Good Luck.

With regards to the floppy and CDrom being locked what are the contents of your /etc/fstab file?

I know that during the Mandrake install it gives you the option of being able to automount the floppy and cdrom drives, and this could be your problem. Can you remember if you agreed to this during the install?

CragStar, trickykid

In response to installing the nic after everything else. I've tried that and using the software provided with the card get an error executing the makefile. It halts looking for a 8390.h file which is nowhere on my installation. I've tried to install from the file available on the linksys site using the rpm tool in linux, but that failed. I tried manually installing following their instruction for compiling to the 't', but... I haven't tried lately, since I can't access the floppy or cdrom.

I did agree to automount during the install. When I look at the devices it shows the cdrom and floppy with a "supermount" designator. The only error I get when trying to access them is "input/output error".