Hi, I don't think I've seen this one yet.  It is SIMILAR to the tracebacks
listed in the gotchas:
http://www.redhat.com/support/docs/gotchas/6.1/gotchas-6.1-4.html#ss4.15
and in bugs:
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=7879
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=9607

I am installing using the official RH CD.  I have updated the boot floppy
image as per the gotchas, and the python update.  I insert the update when
prompted and proceed through all of the questions.  I previously had
the "unsubscriptable object" (or something like that) traceback which seems
to be fixed now.  This traceback occurs prior to installing packages,
immediately after the installer builds the package list or something, after
formatting the swap partition, and after detecting my video card.

Here is the latest traceback:

File "/usr/bin/anaconda", line 227,
in ?
  intf.run(todo, test = test)
File
"/usr/lib/python1.5/site-packages/text.py", line 1009, in run
  rc = apply (step[1](), step [2])
File
"/usr/lib/python1.5/site-packages/text.py", line 572, in __call__
  if todo.doInstall():
File
"/usr/lib/python1.5/site-packages/todo.py", line 1477, in doInstall
  db = rpm.opendb (1, self.instPath)
rpm.error: cannot open

Crash-ola.  There is also another error message which is obscured by the
traceback "window", and it looks like this:
Cannot [THIS PART IS OBSCURED] tsindex.rpm: Invalid argument

If I use the GUI instead, it simply hangs at approximately the same point.
I don't know how to see any error messages it might be producing.

I'm using an AMD K6/200, Award BIOS, generic S3 Trio video, no sound, 2G
Maxtor HDD (primary master) + .5G Fujitsu (primary slave), 96M RAM.  This
machine was running Red Hat 5.2 previously, without any difficulty.

<rant>
I am a computer professional.  I just spent several years in Silicon Valley
working as a system administrator, then as a programmer.  I have spent the
entire weekend staring at various versions of this Red Hat installer.  It
has been a complete waste of time.  I tell you this: if I can't install Red
Hat Linux, then no one else that I know (personally) can do it either.  My
Mom sure can't, which means that Red Hat Linux will never replace MS
Windows on her desktop (if it weren't for Windows 98, I wouldn't be able to
submit this bug report because my Linux machine is now hosed).  I think
that Red Hat is doing the Linux community a disservice by publishing this
installer.  This is poor, poor, sloppy software IMHO.  My brother thinks I
should use Mandrake.  Unfortunately, I must use Red Hat since my employer
insists on it.

I have tried many combinations, including FTP attempts from 3 different
servers, trying RH6.0 and 6.1, hard disk installs of both versions, and
today I finally gave in and bought the "official" Red Hat CD which I can't
seem to use either, officially.

Yesterday, I was trying to find a workaround, and I chose the "Server
Install" by mistake.  Before my fingers could reach CTRL-ALT-DEL the
installer began reformatting my /home filesystem, without prompting me.
Thanks, Red Hat.
</rant>

Please let me know if there is a workaround for this, because I need to use
this machine for work.