I think we need a comprehensive list of stuff that needs to be fixed in the next version. Not only what’s wrong, but why it’s wrong and how it should be fixed.
I will start with the bootloader. I have an OEM version of Windows XP Media Center on my laptop that installs with a Gateway restore disc. I do not have an internal disc drive, so it is critical that I keep this installation since I can’t re-install Windows using this disc with an external drive since I can’t boot from an external drive and the internal drive works for about 5 minutes before shutting down.
My preferred install method was to boot into Windows, and install the Suse installer and then reboot and continue the install with an external drive.
When I installed 11.1 it somehow destroyed my master boot record, and when I did my first reboot, I got a message saying “No Operating System Found”. Running a DOS rescue disc with the command “fdisk/mbr” used to wipe out the Suse MBR and allow me to at least boot into Windows, but this no longer works to fix the problem in 11.1.
Running the OpenSuse disc, I tried every possible non-command line repair option, which kept giving me error messages and did nothing to fix the problem. I typed “help” at the command line and got no useful information, just a lot of command extensions which with my level of knowledge I found worthless.
So with no way to boot up, I wound up having to format a Windows installation with tons of data on it that I have been using for almost 3 years and survived countless installs of 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 11.
My suggestions: 1.) Please go back to the old way of installing the boot loader so I can get rid of it with an “fdisk/mbr” command, 2.) Fix the rescue options so they actually do something in my situation, 3.) Give me an option when booting from the install disc to “boot installed system” which used to be there in previous versions, and 4.) Put some useful info on the screen when you type “help” from the command line.
Thanks, devs, for an otherwise great job.