Need Help With Mandrake Install!!!!!!!

[EdwardTeac]

Hey,

I downloaded the Mandriva 10.1 DVD from a public FTP listed on the Mandriva site.

The DVD boots from the Bios and I get to the "Press Enter to Install" GUI.

After that, the progress bar gets almost all the way to the end and the screen goes black and the computer reboots back to the Bios initialization.

I press enter again and it reboots again. Around and around and around.............

It is driving me crazy!

I tried two different download sites and ran a checksum on both iso's - they were fine. I burned both of the iso's and had the same problem with both DVD's.

I'm using Roxio to burn and I have never had a problem with it before...I don't think it is the DVD that is the problem.

Oh, BTW I'm trying to install Mandriva as a second OS to WinXP on a Compaq Pressario Desktop 2.4 GHz Celeron w/512 SDRAM plus other factory installed junk.

Please Help Me!

[AlexK]

I remember someone who had a similar problem to yours, but i don't think he got linux to work on his machine.

Besides pressing enter, i think you can press F2 or something to enter an advanced mode. When here, try pass parameters such as acpi=off and noapic and then boot. type "help" when in the advanced mode to get more options. If these dont work, try booting with the earlier kernel available on the cd (I don't know the exact command to do this, so you will have to see the help menu).

Another thing you could do is try and make a Mandrake boot floppy in windows and boot from that. The steps for making a boot floppy are:

insert a blank floppy into the drive, insert the Mandrake CD 1 into the CD-Rom drive.
Then goto Windows Explorer, Select CD-ROM drive From Memory I think it goes like this:
Goto the dosutils folder,
Double click rawrite or rawwrite (It doesn't matter which one)
When It loads, select the image source as D:\Install\Images\cdrom.img (Where D is your CD-ROM drive)
Let the program write the image.
Leave Floppy and CD's in the Drive
Restart
Press Del or F1 (Depending on System) to get into Setup
Make Sure Floppy is 1st boot Device, and CD-ROM is 2nd Boot device
Save and Exit
Mandrake should hopefully start the installation process.

[EdwardTeac]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll try them out and update

[EdwardTeac]

Hey,

I tried the suggested solutions...no dice. The installer begins to load the kernel elements and then reboots.

I tried installing Fedora as well, it does the exact same thing.

I am going to try installing using the CD's instead of the DVD, maybe that will make a difference

Keep those suggestions comming