Downloading Fedora Core 6

[Persian342]

I was in the process of getting Fedora Core 6 until I got here http://redhat.download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/core/6/ where do I go next? Also do I need to back up my data if I am putting Fedora on a 2nd hard drive?

[boxxertrumps]

go into here: (i386 then iso from your location...)
http://redhat.download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/core/6/i386/iso/
As for backing up your data, back up all the data on the 2nd drive.

[Persian342]

Thanks that helps a lot all the files were sort of confusing.

[boxxertrumps]

you should also make sure your hardware has drivers for it, as som companies dont beleive in releaseing instructions on how to make drivers for their software to the general public.
you'll have trouble with ati stuff, i have to get new vid card because ati wont release driver info to linux...

[Twey]

Not trouble exactly... there are ATI drivers (see fglrx), but they're widely heralded as being a bit pants. nVIDIA, the other leading graphics card provider, also doesn't provide information to Linux driver developers, releasing their drivers as a proprietary binary, but the drivers are of better quality, so people don't complain as much. :p

[Persian342]

I have got another question, now I am past the download and i have the files on hard drive and on CD's. I am now on the Disc one download I started by going to the file that said Fedora because it has the largest file size and then I went to RPMS. Now I am faced with a large amount of files how do I install or open them? Sorry for all the questions.

[Twey]

You don't install or open them, you boot the disk.

[Persian342]

How do you do this?

Edit: you can disregard this question I found a help page :)

[Persian342]

Here is yet another question I have, I have just installed Fedora and I have rebooted but it comes up saying boot failure what do I do? I have installed it twice, though I took it off before I did it the second time.

[Twey]

When does it say "boot failure?" What else does it say?

[Persian342]

I'll try installing it again after school, so I'll get back to you on that. I think my problem might be that I still have my Nintendo Wi-Fi thing in a USB port. It might count as media(but I'm not really sure). Oh yeah when I got to the part where I say whether I want Fedora to go to Hard Drive a or b I choose b and set it to ext3 and / I tried /home but it didn't work.

[Twey]

Should be fine, but I really hope there's nothing important on hdb.

[Persian342]

There's nothing on hdb I just got it this monday, good price too $15 for 40Gb.

[Twey]

OK, set hdb up as / then. ext3 is fine (I'm not sure if the Fedora installer handles other filesystems, actually... used to be that you had to hack it a bit to get it to work even with reiserfs).

[Persian342]

Ok, I found out what the screen said it was boot failure:system halted.

[Persian342]

I have found a program called GRUB on the Fedora website is this why it won't boot when I do the reboot?

[Twey]

Ok, I found out what the screen said it was boot failure:system halted.What screen? Is that all it says?

Try installing grub manually -- I've seen the FC6 installer fail to install it properly before.

[Persian342]

Sorry when I reboot the computer I get a Black Screen that says Boot Failed:System halted and that is all it says. Ok I'll try downloading GRUB then.

[Twey]

No, you don't want to download grub: it's already been installed onto your boot partition, but I suspect the installer hasn't installed it into the MBR correctly. This is a known problem with the FC6 installer. Boot up the CD/DVD in rescue mode ("linux rescue" at the prompt), then follow the prompts, mounting your system under /mnt/sysimage when asked. When you get to a shell, do the following:
bash# chroot /mnt/sysimage
bash# grub-install /dev/hdb
bash# rebootRemove the disk and boot normally.

[Persian342]

Ok I will try it, I had a feeling GRUB may already be part of it.

[Persian342]

Hello again, ok I have gotten through the install of GRUB(note: I installed it on hdb and called it GRUB) and I rebooted it now says


Booting Cammand-list
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

Is this what it is supposed to say?

[Twey]

Nope, that's what it should say when booting Windows. You want the other menu item.

[Persian342]

OK, I have a big problem now Windows will not boot all the screen says is GRUB.

[Persian342]

Is it possible I got the boot switched?

[Twey]

Does Linux boot?

I'd suspect you've overwritten the Windows NTLDR boot loader with grub. You don't want to do this. Install NTLDR somewhere else, then point grub at it.

[Persian342]

wow this seems sorta complicated, but linux won't boot either.

[Persian342]

Where do I go to get the NTLDR bootloader? and how do I point GRUB?

[Twey]

You can reinstall NTLDR by running the FIXMBR program from the Recovery Console found on the Windows install CD. Make sure it goes onto the right hard drive and doesn't overwrite grub again. It is also possible to have NTLDR chainload grub rather than the other way around, but I have no experience with this.

Once it's installed correctly, point grub to it by modifying the rootnoverify command.

[Persian342]

Ok, I don't think I have the Windows install CD, but there are a few people I can ask for one. Do you have any suggestions for GRUB with Linux?

[Twey]

Suggestions for what?

[boxxertrumps]

backup a working grub.conf somewhere.

[Twey]

Er, OK, my grub.conf:
timeout 5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title 2.6.21-gentoo
root (hd0,0)
kernel /kernel-2.6.21-gentoo root=/dev/sda3

[boxxertrumps]

I was suggesting to persian to back up his grub.conf file, its a pain in the but to fix if something breaks it.
I couldn't boot 2 nights ago, some program inserted a random "xen" in the kernal and modual arguments.

[Twey]

Ah, I see.

That's not really a big problem, though... grub even provides a command-line mode for just such an emergency, so you can write your boot instructions manually.

[Persian342]

Ok I'll try some of these though probly not till thursday very busy right now

[Persian342]

Ok Fedora is now up and running, Windows still isn't, but I think I will just take it in and let a professional do it thanks for all the help. I do have a question though I try to install Opera and after I press apply I get "Another application is running which is accessing software information." what application does it mean? I have tried it with no other windows open, but it won't work.

[mrmoonshineman]

Hiya, i tried installing ubuntu because i was told it was supremely easy, but after a few tries of getting nvidia drivers to work, i decided to try fedora, as a friend told me his nvidia driver update was a piece o' cake. but after installing fc6, when i reboot i get "grub loading, please wait... error 15" i've tried the suggestions for going into rescue, then on the command line i type:

"chroot /mnt/sysimage"
"/sbin/grub-install /dev/hdb"

and i get as a response:
"/dev/hdb does not have any corresponding BIOS drive"

thanks for any help you guys can give me.

btw, i have win xp on my master 200gb, and i've been trying to get a nice linux os on a slave 30 gb. thanks

[Twey]

Try:
bash# grub-install --recheck /dev/hdb