Problems using mke2fs and installing RH

[bbb at it.net.au]

After defining four partitions and selecting packages, the format
partitions section of the installation process hangs with a kernel panic
Bad EIP value message. (amoungst many many messages, with the very first
starting with OOPS!)

Investigating this has led me to playing with mke2fs. This gives exactly
the same error messages when used to assign a file system to each
partition. Interestingly, it is only the last (commencing at around 4.5
Mbytes) partition that is the problem.

I suspect the hard disk. However, the disk can be formatted up to 40GB (its
capacity) using seagates Disk Wizard.

I am totally at a loss.

All suggestions gratefully accepted.

B