Workaround for Error: Your computer does not have enough memory to run YaST

Novell Cool Solutions: Tip
By Miroslaw Dzieciatek

Digg This - Slashdot This Posted: 10 Apr 2007

Problem:

When installing openSUSE on an empty disk with a small amount of RAM you might see following information: "Your computer does not have enough memory to run YaST." The Installator let's you choose swap partition but you don't have any...

Solution:

Press Ctrl+Alt+F9 (if does not work try other F's) to go to a console.

To see what partitions you have enter:

cat /proc/partitions

To create the swap partition enter:

fdisk /dev/hda

And then (assuming you have empty disk) click:

• n for new partition
• p for primary partition type
• 1 for starting sector
• +512M for 512M partition size
• t to change partition type
• 82 to choose linux swap partition type
• w to write this information to disk and exit fdisk

Now all you have to do is to "format" this new partition:

mkswap /dev/hda1

Go back to the installator:

Ctrl+Alt+F1

and give him what he needs
(you can restart computer and now installator will show you this partition as a choice to use).

Environment:

Low memory notebook, eg. with 256MB RAM + shared memory for Video Card.

OpenSuSE 10.2 installation

Reader Comments

• exactly the problem I was having and exactly the solution!!
• Very useful, short and easy to read.
• Worked like a charm, thanks
• Now, the stuff even works on my 128 MB RAM-Sony X18, greetings from germany
• thanks! great solution, good explanation

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