Redhat 8.0 problems with Centrino + PartitionMagic
 

Hi all,

I am a complete newbie to Linux and I want to learn it using Redhat 8.0. I know version 9 is out there but I conveniently had the 8.0 disks so I decided to use them. Now on to my problems...

Problem #1:
I have Win XP and 2K installed and successfully installed Redhat. Under Redhat, when trying to configure my wireless devices (for internet purposes), none of my components are listed. My laptop is using an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG and the closest thing in the list is an Intel 1000...something. What should I do to get it configured properly?

Problem #2:
After installing Redhat, I logged on to XP, opened PartitionMagic, and discovered that now my entire drive is marked "bad". Windows Explorer sees the FAT drives and Norton apps see all the drives, so why is PartitionMagic having problems? How do I fix this? ParitionMagic has served me well for years and I don't want to resort to something else.

I am not sure what info you want to know about my system, so I will list everything I know about it.

Hardware:
Asus M6N
Intel Centrino 1.6
1.5 GB DDR333
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600
60 GB Hitachi 7200rpm
DVD/CD Writer

OS's:
Windows XP Pro SP2
Windows 2K Pro SP4
Redhat 8.0

Drive Configuration (in order of apprearance):

Before installing Redhat:
15GB FAT32 Windows XP
10GB free space (unformatted)
10GB FAT32 Windows 2K
5GB FAT32 personal drive
20GB free space (unformatted)

After installing Redhat:
70MB ext2 /boot (Lilo)
15GB FAT32 Windows XP
3GB ext3 /root
2GB Linux Swap
5GB ext3 /home
10GB FAT32 Windows 2K
5GB FAT32 personal drive
20GB free space (unformatted)

Any help is greatly appreciated. Also, when responding, please keep in mind that I am totally new to Linux so the more detail, the better. With explainations relating to Windows, however, point form will do.

Thanks :)

If I were you, I would not use Redhat 9 and below because they are outdated and Redhat has discontinued any updates and support. If you want better hardware support try a newer distro like Fedora Core (a community project sponsored by Redhat which replaced Redhat Linux).

I guess it would make sense to use another distro since no one seems to be using Redhat anymore. I originally chose Redhat because I heard it is a good distro to learn Linux. Is Fedora Core good for learning as well?

Is uninstalling Redhat as simple as deleting the partition?

Well, Fedora Core is essentially what used to be Redhat Linux. It is sponsored by Redhat and Redhat developers are actively involved in its development. Redhat then uses Fedora Core as a testing ground for its enterprise products. You can find out more about Fedora from here. When you get Fedora Core, you can simply install it over your Redhat partitions or delete your old partitions and create new ones.

Great. Thanks reddazz!