Another n00b question I know
Being a n00b, I keep breaking things and reinstalling. Seems like a waste of someone else's bandwidth.

So I booted to Debian 7 Wheezy full DVD ISO and used boot: install url=mintppc.org

Seemed to work pulling the bulk from the ISO and the rest from the net. Will I create problems doing it this way? Only annoyance so far is it will ask me for the Debian disk when I add some packages, but I suspect there is a config setting to change that.

There is nothing wrong about doing it this way. Look at /etc/apt/sources.list, you can take out the CD. Or from the GUI tool (Software Sources).

str8bs: Since I'm probably going to have to try a fourth, possibly fifth, or conceivably sixth or possibly even many many more . . . installations of Mint11/Debian at some point, and I also have the Deb Wheezy DVD iso waiting in the wings . . . the question is does going this direction/method cut down the installation time to less than using the mini.iso of 3.5 - 4 hours? That would make a big difference in being able to do the many re-installations to try different commands out, etc . . . .

e.e.p.

@linuxopjemac Thanks

@eep - It saves a lot on download time. Keep in mind I'm new and don't really know what I am doing. I would look to the more experienced people given the trouble you've had installing.

eep: If I would have your machine here, i could have a look at how to install 11 on your machine. I really don't know what the problem is. If you can raise some money so I could buy a second hand one I could try it myself. I don't want such a machine forever, so I would sell it again later, so not all money is lost then....

@str8: Thanks for the reply and the info, considering that you managed to figure out your problems you certainly have more knowledge than I have or have the time to get, so I need to spend a couple hours going through your posts about this "nouveau" vs "nv" and again look more closely at omeluuk's posts as well before I try again. I selected the "choose drivers for this system" instead of the "all drivers" but didn't have a way to check what omeluuk picked. For instance omeluuk went with "expert url=mint.org" and then must have logged into ssh to finish?? but you seemed to say just go for the "install url=mint.org" . . . . But all of this requires time; it would be great to first figure out exactly what is going wrong--and as always it could be something "minor" . . . in the case of the "expert" install one question that came up has to do with the system clock--and how to choose it--since I'm installing mint next to OSX there MAY be some issue there? or as Omeluuk seemed to be pointing at the "initrd" file . . . and I went with almost all the "default" selections except this time I added "rescue;" so I don't know if I can "rescue" this installation or not . . . . ojordan posted some instruction on my thread and that may help out to find what is going wrong. Anyway, perhaps next time I'll try out the Deb Wheezy PPC method and try to add the mintppc.org on to pick up the packages that JD has selected and see what happens that way.

@JD: well . . . I guess that's always an option, I'm doing a little better than I was when I made my first cash donation in the fall of last year . . . that was a rough time, buttttt still not a lot of splashy cash to throw around for a computer--how much is a 800MHz G4 iMac going for these days? . . . to me right now there isn't too much disposable income that isn't already spoken for. : - )) Otherwise I'd want to wait until the OSX browser isn't working for anything, then I would have a "need" to get it going--meanwhile I'll keep playing with it; especially if I can get the install down to 1 hour or two . . . .

e.e.p.

I will have a look at the prices of these machines...

can you give the exact specifications of the imac? link in everymac.com

You can also edit the sources list to only include the first disk in the set. Then, it will pull only from the first disk and the net and not ask for other disks.

theos911: I might by now have some clue as to what the sources list is, but as to how and when folks might be doing that might be helpful. If this method is the shorter, faster, more direct, and therefore more effective way to install Mint11 . . . perhaps some thought into the how to details would help???? Is this editing done pre-burning of the CD/DVD? Details plz, thanks.

e.e.p.