[SLUG] Suse 7.1 on a Compaq notebook

[Boris Murphy <tapal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

A newbie, wanting to install Suse 7.1 on a Compaq Armada 110 notebook.

The Suse install process would not shrink the 9.5GB hard disk despite;
running SCANDISK & DEFRAG & no applications installed, just clean WinME.

I tried to create a new smaller partition for msdos but msFDISK would not run.

So I installed Suse 7.1 creating a partition system under "expert" mode 
leaving room - starting cylinder 1 - for winME with success. However when I 
later installed winME, it overwrote the whole 9.5GB.

Repeating the above process, two 400MB partitions were allocated to msdos and 
labelled,  followed by a Linux multi partition system. 
Suse was again installed - OK - but unfortunately, I put lilo on the MBR and 
winME would not reinstall. It hung with the A/:> prompt.

I tried to format drives C & D with msFDISK. 
Drive D: was successfully formated but I could not format drive C: /s and 
winME would not reinstall.  Tried c:\mbr & then lolo -u| but still no.
I found out about the ms command LOCK C: but a drive C is recognised and the 
usual message appeas but will not proceed with the formstting. 

Though I do have Suse installed & running from a boot disk, there are are two 
problems still to solve.

1.  I can only configure the video for 8 bit 640x480 which is unsatisfactory. 
It seems the Armada hardware iis newer than Suse 7.1.  .......and........ If 
I found the website with the necessary newer files, I would not know what I 
was looking for         nor what to do with them.

2.  Though I could now manage without msWin, It seems I might need to 
install same to properly support the Compaq power management system.

and also - 

Compaq tech support might again take me seriously when I there may be other 
reasons to phone them.

I just don't know what to do now and some guidance would be appreciated.

Boris Murphy