major install problems please help

[perpetuallynumb]

Hi,
I'm relatively new to linux and i have no idea what to do about these problems i am having.

I tried to install Mandrake 10.1 and it would always hang while formatting my HDD, thus not allowing my install to complete. What is odd is that i have already had mandrake installed on that HDD once before and everything was fine, i got bored so i went to do a fresh install and it keeps hanging, i tried a different HDD (one that i am positive works fine) and same problem. So i downloaded a free dist. of Mandriva and tried that, and now it hangs on the first splash screen where setup is loading. So i tried a text install, and right after it finished sending the program to memory and the new screen popped up saying "proceeding, please wait..." i got an "Exited abonormally received signal 11" error and it sent out kill signals. I updated to bios to the latest version, still same problems

My setup is
aopen icoo265
ax6bc mobo.
320 mb ram
western digital 13 gig hdd

any help, greatly appreciated

[fingal]

This may seem a bit controversial, but Mandriva is not exactly free from bugs! Installation problems like this are often due to lack of compatability with hardware. Having said that, I use Mandriva LE 2005 (also has a few bugs) with few problems.

You might like to try booting Knoppix from a CD/DVD and running QTParted (runs as root quite well). That would allow you to check out existing partitions (and maybe delete them). That would give you an idea about what's happening with your hard drive.

Also, your hdd is tiny by today's standards! This could cause a couple of issues, but that's just an idea.