Mandrake 10. 1 installation problem: black screen + freeze when installation starts

[asutic]

Hi!

I started using Linux recently and I installed Mandrake 10.1 on a Dell machine I have (Dell OptiPlex GX270 - http://www.dell.com/downloads/us/pro...gx270_spec.pdf). The installation went perfectly and it is running OK.

However, when I tried to install Mandrake (from the same CDs) on my home computer (AMD Athlon Thunderbird 950MHz, Asus A7V266A, 128MB RAM), I faced serious troubles. After passing pre-installation stuff (setting language, choosing packets to install, etc.), when installation starts, the computer freezes and all I see is a black screen. I tried the same thing several times, but nothing changes.

Does anybody know what could be the problem?

In my configuration I also have 2 CD-ROM drives and 2 HDDs (on the master, where I also have Win2K, I'm installing Linux).

I tried to install RedHat 9.0 (old one) on my machine and I succeeded, although when I started installation for the first time, I had the same problem like with Mandrake. Second attempt was OK, though I was not able to install all the packages I wanted (there was an error message stating that there was not enough space to install a gclib package, after which computer reboots). Still, I can't install gnu tools I need (I'll see for that today).

So, I'm planning to try with a minimal Mandrake configuration. I've heard that there might be a problem with lack of memory - I have only 128MB. Is that true? Maybe to get more RAM and try again? I will also try to update my BIOS.

Any help would be appreciated.

Best regards!

P.S. The same problem with installation exists when I go into text-mode.

[asutic]

Here is an update of the situation:

I finally succeeded to install GNU toolchain on RedHat, but every few seconds, X was crushing or something. I had the same beep from the motherboard and a black screen like when I was installing Mandrake. After I've updated BIOS, these problems just disappeared!

I didn't try to install Mandrake 10.1 yet, but I'll do that ASAP. Maybe it was the problem or same settings in BIOS were not OK.

[asutic]

Conclusion: the problem was definitely with BIOS of my board. When I've updated BIOS, MAndrake installation went smoothly.