So I figured out that if you upgrade the Yast 2 modules with YOU (Yast Online update) It overwrites some settings - specifically the USB detect wait -

The OS defaults to 8 seconds on initial install... when I update the module, it set it to 3 - that's not good because it makes a cold boot NOT detect my USB - Searching around, I'm not the only one that has this problem... It can be reset by using the powerconfiguration tool in Yast 2. I use a setting of 5 and it seems to be ample to detect my built in USB on an Intel motherboard...

I also figured out that if you install an update to the kernel through YOU, installation procedures for software are dramatically affected... more specifically - installing the NVIDIA drivers is no longer a matter of using an RPM, you have to install the kernel and glx modules from a TGZ and then have to change the settings manually - ALSO - the NEWEST NVIDIA drivers wouldn't work I had to use the previous version that i was using...

Cheers
Cole