Help I am a FULL newbie to linux have just installed redhat 9, and as it start it comes to a prompt "local host login" at which point I was told to type "root" which brings me to the next prompt "[root@localhost]#" I feel so stupid, what do I need to do now, also I have to use a boot disk as I am unsure what bootmanager to use and how.
I have two 40 gig hdd with xp on one redhat the other.

you've logged into your system

you're logged as root and got a shell.

First add new user, because you shouldn't work as root

# /usr/sbin/useradd YOUR_USER_NAME
# passwd YOUR_USER_NAME
password:
retype password:

Now, I guess you haven't installed X, and since you're new to linux it would be hard for you to work without x11.

just to make sure, type

# ls -l /etc/X11/prefdm
if you didn't got an error, it meas that you have X11 installed

# vi /etc/inittab
go to the end of the file and add this line

x:5:respawn:/etc/X11/prefdm -nodaemon

press CTRL+: and type wq and press enter
now type
# /sbin/init -l 5
# reboot

Thanks cIx, will give it a try thanks again for the reply!

Hey, hey.....anyone had mandrake 9.1 freeze their machine up during installation?...........i opted to completely wipe my HD and start off with linux RIGHT........but while everything was going peachy walking through the install steps, after performing installation from 1st disk it didn't prompt me for 2nd--it just popped the cd drawer open and froze the machine.........i guess it could just be a corrupt segment on the disk??.......

i read someone else's post saying that their asus A7S333 motherboard didn't have any problems, even though it's not on the mandrake list.....? i guess it seems more like a disk prob, but i got it right from mandrakesoft......maybe i went throught the partitioning section of the easy-install wrong?.....any clues for a hapless gnubie???? Thanks!