I have been using RH since 5.0. I have at times had difficulty loading the upgrades. I have done raw loads on a blank disk area, also. I am not sure if some of your problems could be associated with the hardware. Most of the situations I have had were precipitated by a missed item or name (i.e. PS/2 mouse instead of the Targus mini mouse) in the hardware. The screen is critical, especially with the new packages. I always try to load in text mode as there are fewer problems based on the hardware. It is easier to fix the hardware after the system is loaded than try to fix it when it blows up on you. You can try different settings as the load process walks through if you use the manual and confirm the critical hardware ID's and names. Sometimes the associated name or manufacturer is the one to use if it is a 'side bar' or 'made by' vender. ( some cards use a general package and it is better than the named vender package, chip, etc. ) It is also easier to change the boot and package items after the load. The RH9 likes to put in the grub or other boot package. I put it to boot to the regular login and then use the startx for this. If there are problems, the grub will lock you into the gui screen which can be the root of many problems and you can't break out of it. _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota Help beta test TCLUG's potential new home: http://plone.mn-linux.org Got pictures for TCLUG? Beta test http://plone.mn-linux.org/gallery tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list