Don't have a clue about this Linux thing

Rainbow_Brite · 10-21-2009, 05:41 PM

Hi there

I just installed Fedora 5 on my Hp Pavillion N3295.I want to install wireless internet from KDE,but I don't know how to do it?does anybody have any suggestions for this Linux beginner?Also My CD-Rom wont play.It says unavailable media.And one more thing,I want to update from Fedora 5 to 11 but I cant because the cd-rom drive won't recognize the Fedora 11 cd to boot.How can I upgrade to Fedora 11 that my cd-rom drive will work.Does anybody understand and know what I am talking about?

fedoralinuxjunkie · 10-21-2009, 06:10 PM

Hey Rainbow_Brite.

run this command in a terminal:

Code:

lspci

and post the results. If your wireless adapter is USB, run

Code:

lsusb

in a terminal and post the results here.

As for the CD problem, have you checked your BIOS to be sure it's coming up in there, and that it's set as the main boot device?

FlGator81 · 10-21-2009, 06:16 PM

My suggestion for the wireless is to make sure you have the proper driver installed. You will need to know what specific type of wireless card you have. First try the manufacturer's website to see if they make Linux drivers available. If they don't you will probably have to look around Fedora's website, and maybe other free/open source sites, to see if they have a driver(s) available for it.

About the CD-ROM, what exactly is it? Is it the Fedora 11 CD? Or is it supposed to install something else? "Unavailable media" is too ambiguous to be able to tell what's wrong without more information. And if the CD drive isn't working in the first place, well, that would definitely prevent you from running any type of CD.

However, to get the Fedora 11 CD to boot in order to install that OS, you might need to go into the BIOS right as your pc is starting up and force it to load the CD instead of the resident operating system. This primarily depends on what type of BIOS you have and how it has been configured already. For example, I have my system set to boot from a CD automatically if it detects one and can load it.

But in any case, I would need more information before I can tell what's going on with the CD drive.

FlGator81 · 10-21-2009, 06:16 PM

Sorry for the double post... My bad.

yancek · 10-21-2009, 06:24 PM

It also would likely be helpful to post some information about your computer; its age, motherboard, processor speed, number of hard drives and whether the Fedora will be the only operating system on the computer. Check the cables on the CDRom drive.

fedoralinuxjunkie · 10-21-2009, 06:30 PM

@Yancek: Just a heads up: Rainbow_Brite has a laptop (I looked up the model #)

hoodooman · 10-21-2009, 07:29 PM

Hey.I know you dont have much experience.None of us did when we started.I would suggest trying a few distros before you settle on one.You might find that you have better hardware support with others.My kids are using Linux Mint and it "just worked" on their Dell notebooks.All the hardware including wireless worked without fault.Although I have used Slackware for a few years now,I did try many others first including Mandrake,Debian,and JamdD.I finally settled with Slackware cos it works for me.Welcome to Linux and try out the many distros available too you.

chrism01 · 10-21-2009, 07:35 PM

How did you get the F11 CD? Is it a CD or DVD?
If you burned it yourself, be sure to run the burner at a slow speed and brun as image, not file.
You can't upgrade in place; do a fresh install of F11. FC5 hasn't been updated in yrs.

bobthebaritone · 10-21-2009, 09:42 PM

A great piece of advice is to work from the ground up with Linux. BTW welcome to a really fun part of computing. You would be better to go with a more friendly distro if you are just starting.

As the thread says - you will need to look at how your laptop is booting before we can help with how the software will or will not work with wireless ....