Suse 10.3 server install onto Clevo 901c

Hello all,

As a Linux noob I have enrolled myself onto a LPI101 course. With it they have supplied a copy of suse 10.3 server edition. The course's excersise are based around this distro so I would like to be able to install it onto my clevo.
So I boot from the CD and it starts a manual install. I then select start install and it can't find the DVD!?! That it just booted from?
I've had not luck in finding drivers to allow the install programs to see the DVD drive. so I copied the whold shebang onto an external usb drive and after booting from the DVD pointed the install program there.
This got me as far as partitioning the disks etc but once that is done it once again cannot find the install media. It seems to be defaulting back to the dvd instead of staying on the usb drive.

I am stumped. Can anyone offer any pearls of wisdom? Or a place to get drivers from?

Thanks in advance

 

come on, there must be some experts on here who an help me!

 

Sorry, I have never encountered an error of this kind. Is the disc burned? Check the md5 to see if it isn't a corrupt disc.

 

Thanks for answering.
Check the md5? Whats that?
Have actually got the disk here with me so will give it a look. The thing is once it starts the install and I am in the initial settings screen, if I go into the settings and look at devices, the DVD drive is not listed!

 

also checked the disc in windows and on another machine and I can see the contents of the disc. ?

 

Windows MD5 Checker

You should be able to find an MD5 of that disc online (string of characters created by an algorithm by analyzing the disc) If not, get another disc and check them both. See if they differ. You could just try using another disc too.

There are also linux tools, but it'd be easier to use the windows one if you're not real familiar with linux.

 

ah, ok now I understand.

I should have mentioned this from the start, I did not download the distro, it was supplied to me already burned to a DVD.
Would I be better trying to install ubuntu or a more modern version of suse that may hve linux drivers for my dvd drive?

 

Does the D901C use a SATA disk drive?

You may have more luck with a newer version of suse.

 

Yes, a newer version would definitely be better.

 

You could try running this distribution in a VM, if you want. Basically you can use something like Virtualbox and install it inside your existing windows installation, just like a real install but "virtualized".

 

that will definitely work, Wayneski.

 

Thanks chaps,

got vmware player and I think I have got a copy of a suse virtual machine somewhere.
Also in the midst of downloading opensuse 11.1.
Tried ubuntu last night which at least installed and saw the drive etc. Only when it booted into ubuntu I got Error 1 something and it went into command line.