[ale] SuSE installation, XF86-3.x, Laptop problems

[Rafos701 at aol.com]

I am a semi-luddite unable to get YaST1 to mount anything to which I've copied SuSE's rpm's. I was able to once, but didn't take adequate notes and can't replicate. I tried copying the setup directories files to top-level, touching a serial number, even changing filesystems. The partition had to be used for something else, and no sooner was the tree gone than my display couldn't be recovered, after plugging a monitor into the thinkpad and running SaX. The screen hence was pale, as if overlit, or 640x480 when fiddling with the video-out toggle. Here's the stuff I (mis)used.
server link OK
tpctl (a bios tampering tool, probably helped)
xauth
backup XF86Configs w-w/o aliases in two directories
different wm's

I will be trying to learn how to use the YaST2 tools for adding stuff to their initialization files; it doesn't like e.g. duplicating entries with missing modules pasted in. 

Before I moved myself and my bicycle to this town I needed to start my car maybe 5 times in a month. I'd like if they'd Aspenize one (well, OK, four) road into Olympic park.