For those that have been following my struggles with my second box, I've pretty much figured out the culprit. I had my 2 Maxtors go, so I replaced it with a Seagate 80GB SATA drive. Reinstalled SuSe...then I started having lock ups during the OS loading. Wasn't entirely convinced it was the power supply, but replaced that, still had problems despite a clean reinstall. I popped in Win2k, and no problems so far. I don't follow Linux that much, so I don't know if there was something unique to SuSe 9.1 or if the particular kernel in use was the problem. Anyway, I'm d/l'ing Mandrake Move right now, and will probably snag Kubuntu as well to try out. As it stands, the system I'm gonna install some Linux on is the following: Chaintech VNF3-250 (nForce 3 250) Athlon64 3000+ 2x 256MB PC2700 (Samsung TCB3 chips) Radeon 9600XT 128MB (yes, I know ATi support isn't as good) Seagate 80GB SATA Toshiba 6x DVD-ROM Firewire card with Texas Instruments chipset OCZ Modstream 450 PSU
Kubuntu is a good option. It's extremely stable, no matter what I do with it. One of the best things about the Ubuntu family is the repositories. Every program that I have wanted, I have installed via the apt-get system. It's just awesome. You might want to check out these links: EasyUbuntu - Easy wizard helps to install win32codecs, flash etc Installing nVidia Drivers Mounting Windows partitions in Ubuntu Reverting to traditional SU/Sudo login General Ubuntu FAQ
I'm gonna try the 64-bit Ubuntu. I'm beginning to wonder if there's some sort of issue when attempting to install a 32-bit *nix on a 64-bit CPU. I'm running into a lot of issues with more than just SuSe 9.1.
Well B, good luck with Ubuntu. I hope it works out for you just fine. I have one question though: Why are you even installing SuSe 9.1 as opposed to SuSe 10.0 or 10.1? You may have a lot more luck installing the newer version since it is possible that 9.1 didn't have some modules that it needed for your newer board. Anyway, if you get a chance, you ought to try out at least SuSe 10.0 and I suggest that you give Mandriva 2006 a try as well if you're in the mood for exploring several OS's.
That didn't work either...but I ended up thinking about something that could screw the pooch from step one. My Toshiba 6x DVD-ROM I have in there is at least 6 years old, and I'm wondering if it's starting to go on it's way out or if it's having trouble with DVD-R and CD-R/RW discs given it's age. I picked up a Pioneer DVR-111DBK. Here's hoping this is the last upgrade this thing gets for awhile. I'm attempting another SuSe 10.1 install.
