About the USB problem, maybe this article can help:
1. Troubleshooting Mandrake 9 with USB problem
http://www.mandrakeforum.com/article.php?sid=2459&lang=enAlso there's another new review of Mandrake Linux 9 over here:
2. Mandrake 9.0 First Impressions
http://www.ratedpc.com/review.asp?id=63The author seems to be very well-informed about various desktop configuration issues: including font setup, theme modification and installing drivers. The screenshots he posted look very good and professional; obviously he had done some serious tweaking and customization which (in my opinion) provide such a consistent feel and pleasure outlook.
I am actually even more impressed with his another article:
3. Linux On Desktop (
highly recommended)
http://www.ratedpc.com/article.asp?id=59Beware, it is a long read with 21 pages.
Also, for the absolute Linux beginner, the article linked to a demo walkthru of Mandrake 9 installation process over here:
4. Mandrake 9 Installation online demo
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/demos/Demo/Mandrake9.0/Install/In any case, I hope you guys find the articles useful and helpful in your journey towards Linux.