Ok I got the error AGAIN! It says
The debootstrap program exited with an error (return value 1)
check target/var/log/bootstrao.log for details

it then says the base system into /target/ failed

it then says an installation step failed you can try to run the falling item again on the menu or skip it and choose somthing else. the falling step is installing hte base system.

It sounds like it is trying to do a network install for some reason. I'm not familiar with the Ubuntu install process.
The screen shots mean nothing. If you are referring to the gui desktop, it is the same as any other. All linux distros will load a 3rd party X server and desktop manager. The most popular is KDE. KDE will look the same in slackware as it will in any other distro. The difference is the core system that it runs on. Slackware has been designed to stick to the traditional linux format and therefore is very stable. I like it because it allows you to have control over your system, it is very well supported, and it is not reliant on software from Slackware itself. A lot of other distros make it hard for you to install software unless it is their own. But most importantly, it is very fixable when things go wrong. Whenever I have had a problem, it tells me specifically what it is and how to fix it, unlike your Ubuntu CD which leaves you guessing. Just give it a try is all I ask. I will help you as much as you need to get Slackware working. My knowledge of Ubuntu is limited so I can't guarantee I will be able to help you as much.

regards,
...drkstr

so firefox and openoffice work on it right?
and if I exit now can I still install it?

Most definatly. Get the latest iso's for DISK 1 & 2 and give it a whirl. Let me know if I could be of help in any way.

regards,
...drkstr

I started the setup but I can't figure it out, how do I do the partioning

for some reason slackware can't find the cd, how do I fix this?

WHen does it say that it can't find the CD? If you can boot from CD 1 then it should be able to install from it also. Do you have a hardware problem maybe? Try replacing your cdrom with one from another computer. as far as the partitioning goes, since you already created your partition, just type setup at the prompt. It will ask you to pick a partition as the root drive. Pick the one you created for linux. It will then ask if you want to format this partition, select yes and format it as ext3.

when it says pick source, it doesnt find my CDrom drive even though it is running on the CD

When I pick auto it cant find it

You have a hardware problem. Replace your CD drive. I had a simmilar issue where my CD drive would work part of the time and then fail. This is probably why Ubuntu did not work either. I would still suggest using slackware once you get a working CD drive though.

regards,
...drkstr

will anything work on this cd drive? I cant replace it...

is there anyway to boot of USB?

why cant you replace it? you can get a cd drive for under $25.
I don't understand what your asking. Do you mean an external USB CD drive? yes you can but it requires a little finnes.

...drkstr

I don't suggest Slackware - it requires everything to be done manually, and the package management utility doesn't check dependencies like Ubuntu does. Ubuntu is much more newbie friendly than Slackware.

Where are you downloading the images from - the official Ubuntu website or somewhere else. It is unusual to get bad downloads. I suggest that you burn the image at a lower speed - about 8x. I have had better success at lower speeds than higher speeds.

I hope this helps
--Ian

I'm pretty sure it's a hardware problem. I had the exact same thing happen duing slackware installation when my CD drive was starting to die out. Replacing the hardware fixed the problem. It's unlikly that all 3 distro's he tried failing to install was the result of a bad download. And yes, I agree with you, Ubuntu is better for newbies. But then again, so is windows

regards,
...drkstr