Can someone give me a workable option?

I've searched this forum for the busybox error and tried all options I've read about, even using the alternate CD for 8.04 Ubuntu. Nothing works. Best I can achieve is a never-ending blinking cursor at install.

My toshiba portege 3500 has opensuse 10.3 installed on it already. Is there a "linux" version of wubi that might work around?

Also on a DIFFERENT, modern laptop (HP Pavilion dv8000), where I once had gutsy installed without problems, I now have opensuse 11.0 and want to switch back to ubuntu. My /home directories is a separate partition, WILL all these files be untouched by the ubuntu installer? I assume I'll have to re-install any software that had required a root password to install on opensuse (ie, not installed on my home directory)?

Thanks,
Brian