Hello All,

This is my first true experience with linux, and boy am i a little overwhelmed. I am having a slue of problems that i dont even have the foggiest where to start. so i guess i will just start with the above since it seems to be the most important!

1. After installing Fedora Core 2(and spending an ENTIRE sunday formatting and reformatting my hdd to get the dual boot with winxp correct) the update manager said i had 160 updates to install. So i allowed it to download all of them at once, including a new kernel, and a kernel update. It took me the entire night, and morning to get it to FINALLY download, and attempt to install them all. Basically, every 3 hours it would hang, i would force quit the program, restart it, and it would catch up with itself and keep on truckin. When it got to the install portion, it only hung twice, and i followed the same steps to solve it as i had with the download portion. When it was all complete, it recomended that i restarted to test the new kernel. (cant remember the entire version number, but the last 3 digits where 538 or something like that. i will post it when i boot back into fedora) So i followed the advice of the updater, restarted, and when GRUB loaded, there where two entries, for both kernel versions: one with just the version number, and second with the letters smp behind it. i have tried to boot both entries, and after it loads the host address it hangs. i left it for about an hour or so and it never moved nor loaded the next entry. I cant use the keyboard or mouse at this time either. Any Suggestions as to what i should do next, research next, or where to go from here?

2. My second issue is with the the internet connection. We have a t1 connection at my apartment complex, and even though i have my own complaints about the speed of this connection on my windows install, it seems that in Linux, it absolutely CRAWLS. It takes probably a good 45-75 seconds for the preinstalled mozilla to resolve the first adress i type in, and after that at least 30 seconds each address afterwards. Also, the updating process, for the download alone i started last night at around 10:30, and i finally finished this morning around 6am. Where can i go to verify that my NIC drivers are installed correctly, or what options can i check to make sure i am getting the best connection i possibly can? could it be the server here at my apartment complex having troubles with linux?

3. My third issue is my sound. I have two sound cards installed, (one onboard, and a soundblaster live! value that is installed for digital surround) I have pretty much abandoned the SB Live! card, and plan on uninstalling it when i get a chance. In both windows and in linux, i have chosen the onboard sound, as it has proven to be better than previously believed. Linux appeared to have found a driver for both, and recognizes what they are. During the intial setup however, when it asked if i could hear sound i said no, because i couldnt, and it said that i would not have sound. I cannot find any options or places where i can verify a driver or setting to try to get it to play sound. at least something, lol.

4. I promise this is my last one for this thread.... I am running a P4 3ghz with HT and a gig of ram. I would have expected Linux to blow the doors off of my XP installation, but fedora seems to take forever to startup (around 2 minutes) and when trying to run any programs or preferences, it seems to take forever to get anything to run. I assume it to only need the kernel update mentioned above, but i thought i would ask to be sure. is there any other options or settings that i need to change to help?


Whew.... I'm outta breathe. hopefully i didnt bore anyone to death... i just have so many questions, and i am so excited to have them believe it or not. this way, i have an opportunity to learn ^.^! Thanks for your patience, and i look forward to hear back from you!

Brad

question 1 solved. i turned the computer off in frustration, and when i cam back an hour later, it took a little longer, but it booted just fine.

now to figure out the rest

The smp kernel is designed for your HT.For the sound if you are going to use the onboard sound take the card out and from root run alsaconf to set up your sound.For the speed after you get use to linux you will install just the stuff you use and it will be very fast.

ok, the differences between the regular, and the smp on my proc seem to be night and day! thanks for the tip!

But, unfortunately what i thought was a solution to my first problem turned out only to be carelessness. When i looked at what i was booting into, it was the

Fedora Core 2 (6.*.*-358smp)

but when i try to use

Fedora Core 2 (6.*.*-521smp)

it hangs right after it loads the network. Normally, the next thing to load is the hard disks (when i use the (...358smp). What is baffling to me, is that it will not allow me into the interactive loading, i cant use the mouse or keyboard at all, but the "working" circle icon thing (that is the technical term) still spins as though the computer is working on something, Although there is no hard disk activity.

Also, thanks for the tip on the sound.... removed the SBL! and it fired up without configuration! Q2 down!

<bump>

i would really like to get into the new(er) kernel, and i dont want to let this thread fall too low....


[edit] my apologies... i skimmed over the rules, but must not have read that one fully. i wont let it happen again, and as to not bump it again, i just edited thanks for the polite response.[/edit]

Per the LQ Rules, please do not bump your own thread until at least 24 hours have elapsed without a reply. Because the LQ membership is global, people in other time zones may not have seen this post yet, and thus it may take some time before a response is received.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/rules.php

Try a new kernel; http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-notes-fc2.shtml

updated to FC3, and it seemed to clear up most of the problems (and created more in the process)

question 1-solved.

question 3-solved

question 4-solved (sorta)

Thanks for your patience and support!