Linux messed up MS DOS

polo5 · 03-06-2006, 04:49 PM

I installed Linux Fedora and go to the part where I make an admin password. It said to reboot so I did. The computer started and everything was fine until it started MS DOS. All it says is starting MS DOS and then stops and stays like this until I have to turn the computer off.

Thank you for any help

The computer is a Compaq Deskpro

233 MHZ
2 Gb
64 Mb Ram

Gethyn · 03-06-2006, 06:38 PM

Did you install a bootloader? We may need more information to figure out what went wrong...

polo5 · 03-06-2006, 06:43 PM

yes I think it was. Now my computer won't boot and I can't run any windows bot CD's or the Fedora boot CD.

Gethyn · 03-06-2006, 06:48 PM

So, you can't boot into DOS, you can't boot Fedora, and you can't boot from CD? If you can't boot from CD, the only reason I can think of is that you must have changed your BIOS, since you must have booted from the CD to set up Fedora in the first place. Either that or something in your computer has broken. Incidentally, what version of Fedora are you trying to install? For a computer of that age I would be trying a different distro like Slackware. In fact, as far as I know 2GB isn't enough space to install Fedora!

polo5 · 03-06-2006, 08:50 PM

I fixed it. There was something wrong with the bios. I couldn't install Fedora but now I can boot from a cD.

Thanks for the help

chrism01 · 03-14-2006, 07:23 PM

The CPU speed should be fine, but the disk and RAM are very tight for a full-on modern distro. You can try a custom install (ie choose min num of pkgs, one by one) or try a small distro eg Damn Small Linux.
Or, upgrade RAM & disk.