My notebook (HP Compaq nx9000) is currently running Mandrake 10. While I’ve been happy with it, I thought I would give Debian a bash (excuse the pun), since it’s apparently one of those perpetually updated distros (and also one of the oldest), kinda like Gentoo, and I hate having to upgrade distros.

I burn the 2x ISO’s to DVDs, pop it into the notebook, and boot. It starts the installer, and eventually drops me into a menu.

“Right, what now?” I think to myself. I consult various forms of documentation, but all of them refer to menu options that just aren’t on this menu. Weird. Eventually, after a lot of swearing, I realise that it must be my DVD rom drive in the notebook.

To test this theory, I popped the DVD into my PC, and installed Debian. No mess, no fuss.

It’s weird how the drive my notebook reads the disc, but only in a half-assed kind of way.

–update

I finally found updated firmware for my QSI SBW-241 Combo drive here. It’s version VY02-3 (near the bottom). Be sure to grab the flasher executable too.

After upgrading the firmware, my notebook drive can finally read the DVD’s my PC has no problem with. Go figure.

• A side note:

Although the installer gets alot further along than it did before, it’s still not 100%. Oh well. Guess I’ll figure out a network install or something. Piece of shit.