SuSE 10.2 x64 Freeze during install

[trench]

Hi, I tried researching this and other sites to find a solution for over a week before registering and posting. Hopefully, someone will reply in ten minutes and flame me for being a foolish noob; but I will take it if I can get this box running.

I am building a new file/print server for a client that did not want expense or overhead of Windows. I have played with Linux distros and tools for over a year comfortably but still consider myself very much a newbie. Here is what I have:

MSI RX480 Neo2-F ATI Socket 939 ATX Motherboard
AMD Sempron 3000+ Socket 939 CPU
Ultra 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL3 (x2 for 1GB RAM)
NEC ND-3550 Beige 16X DVD Burner OEM
Maxtor 40GB EIDE HD 5400/2MB/ATA-100
Hitachi 160GB Serial ATA w/NCQ 7200/8MB/SATA-3G (x2 in a Mirrior Set)

Originally purchased SuSE 10.1 x386 DVD from linuxcd.org, Install freezes at Freeing unused Kernel Memory 188k Freed - that happened with regular install, no acpi, no apic, and safe settings
Also have disabled acpi in Bios
For all following distros discussed, this applies to all: Downloaded with BitTorrent, md5 checked, burned at slowest rate (usually only one offered) by DeepBurner on Sony DVD+Rs

Tried Centos DVD and froze at Freeing unused Kernel Memory 156k Freed
Tried SuSE 9.1 CD, and dialog asked me why I was installing 32 bit software on 64 bit machine. Duh. Got SuSE 10.2 x64 DVD, froze at Freeing unused Kernel Memory 188k Freed; all options as previously mentioned and also adding boot option brokenmodules=atiixp

MEPIS Live CD fully boots, internet funtional, only recognized IDE drive. GPARTED Live CD fully boots, recognized all three drives.
Went back to SuSE 9.1 CD and screen goes black and machine locks up
(Can't find my INSERT CD, usually handy in troubleshooting hardware)

Also tried disabling SATA drives in BIOS and even physically unplugged them thinking that the kernel was having trouble detected them.
Put GPARTED CD back in and formatted hard drives as I had intended to as ext3, hoping that they would be recognizable to the installer. Still no luck.

Any and all fixes/suggestions would be appreciated.

[techieMoe]

Tried SuSE 9.1 CD, and dialog asked me why I was installing 32 bit software on 64 bit machine. Duh.

Actually, this probably didn't make any difference. You can run 32-bit OSes and software just fine on an AMD64; I do it all the time. I would say more likely you're having issues with your RAID setup. RAID is pretty hairy to get going in Linux right now.

I'm sorry, but I can't really offer much other help as I just work with desktop boxes most of the time, not servers. However sometimes it helps just to know what isn't causing the problem, and in this case it's not 32-bit versus 64-bit.