I have thoroughly verified my downloaded cds with both sha1sum on the iso image file, and mediacheck at the bootup.

The system correctly identifies and loads the SCSI adapter at the boot, confirms language and keypboard, probes and finds the video card and displays the first graphical installation screen.

There are no release notes, which doesn't phase me too much, being a 'test' system, but once I select Next, I get a black screen with the arrow and its animated blue circle - for as long as I let it run. There is no activity on the machine I can see.

Anaconda seems to be functioning fine so I assume there is something wrong at the X level, although Anaconda does not complain ....

Clues, anyone? I am familiar with Linux, but this is my first go with Fedora. I was hoping to avoid the current conflicts in the Mandriva distro and get on with my application work, knowing I have something current and workable beneath me.

are there any errors or debug messages that look intersting on the output screens (alt f2 to f6 or similar) when it's hanging?

Hi, and thanks for getting back.

Thinking that perhaps the problem would be with the 'test' release, I spent some time and downloaded Fedora 5. I get all the way through the program selection and the 'next' screen is unresponsive.

The message log has line after line of "program anaconda is using a deprecated SCSI ioctl, please convert it to SG_IO.

Fine .... how do I accomplish that? I've seen references to this problem on searches going back to 2003 but no solutions I could find.

I have realy enjoyed the organization of the packages and the options over Mandriva. I'm hoping this problem is but a burp ....

CHRIS:
I reloaded Fedora 6 test 2 in order to better respond to you.

<F1> tail reads:
x started successfully
starting graphical installation
install exited abnormally [1/1]

<F3> tail reads:
moving (1) to step welcome
moving (1) to step betanag
moving (1) to step findrootparts

<F4> tail reads:
EIP: [<c0472670>] shrink-dcache_for_umount_subtree + 0x146/0x1d1 SS:ESP 0068:de731eb4

This is the case whether I give boot no args or whether I use noprobe and manually load the AHA-2740 driver, and whether I default the resolution or set it to 1024x768. (The following display is resized as expected, of course.)

So there is obviously some difference in the installation of 5 versus the test version, but what that is I have no idea.

(I'm a shrink by vocation - the human mind is for me much less of a mystery than this. I'm much more comfortable with applications .....)

Again, thanks for your interest in this.

George