Linux-Mandrake 8.1 Install problems

alright i got an error when trying to install mandrake 8.1 when it was loading ramdisk heres the error: "could not uncompress second ramdisk. This is probably a hardware error while reading the data. (This may be caused by a hardware failure or a Linux kernel bug)" ??
I am installing off of a boot disk b/c i cant do the autoplay from a cd-rom, i tried removin my 256mb stick and installing with just the 128mb stick only still the same error ... the ISO i burned on the CD is legitimate .. :confused: sorry for posting this here,but i forgot linux-newbie.org password and their register form and forgot password form both dont work :-\