Total newb. please help me
 

Ok i have downloaded the 3CD's for Redhat Fedora.

I have tested them on the machine im writting this message. they seem to pass the chekcs and work, the GUI installation works.

But i want to install Fedora on my other computer. which is.

A HP x4000

2x intel Xeon 1.8
2X SCSI 18GB
ATI FIre GL4 graphics card.
2050 MB RDRAM (well almost 2050)
1 DVD drive
1 HP DVD writter

If i go for the normall install, by pressing 'enter' it starts the anoconda install.

it loads the SCSI driver: sym53c8xx
then starts the anoconda installer. these are the messages i recive.

probing for video card type: VESA generic
probe for monitor: hp1130 (thats correct)
probe for mouse: 3button generic

waiting to start native x server, 1,2,3,4,5 x server started sucssefuly
XIO: fatal IO error(connection reset by peer) on x server ":1.0" after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

Install exited abnormally.


then it gos onto say i can restart etc...

:confused: :confused:

now, i have tried using the text based installer, and after some partion messing about, i managed to get it to install. but when i select to run fed off its main menu, it tells me the x server cannot start?

:newbie:


Please help me im so confused!

this is probably not the problem, but simthing which should always be done...
did you check the md5sums of the fedora iso's you downloaded ?

if you go to the website / ftp server you downloded the iso's from there will be a file called fedora_disk1.whatever.md5.

download it and open with a text editor.

now run the program md5sum on the downloaded iso's
if the strings do not match, then the cd's you donwloaded were corrupt,
and need to be re-downloaded.

theres a disk checker in the text based installer. it passed all tests. plus the discs work on my other computer.

The problem appears to be with the configuration of the X server, which is what does the graphics for Linux. Fedora apparently couldn't automatically configure it, neither during the graphical setup nor in your install. You can boot Fedora in text-mode by putting a '3' right next to what you select in the boot menu. From there you can configure X manually. Test it by running 'startx'.

i have tried using 2 different graphics cards aswell in the machine.
a geforce 2 mmx
and a
matrox g400

same problem occured.

aaa i can manualy choose the text mode by typing. lunix text.

but now im gonna type

lunix text 3?

sorry, seriously its all foriegn to me this, be gentle :)

oh right, sorry i see. go to the boot choice menu.
im gonna select the command line?

If you can get to it that way you don't need the '3'... they probably do the same thing. Try these tools for configuring X:
redhat-xfree86-configure - not sure if they changed the name for Fedora
xf86config
xf86cfg
xf86cfg --textmode
Manual editing of the /etc/X11/XF86Config file (try using the 'pico' text editor to do it)
Run 'startx' to test configurations. Post errors here.

im sorry, i dont understand, where do i run these tools? how can i get them onto a system that doesnt have any useable OS at present?

or are they already installed.
i acces them from the command line right?

please assume i know totaly nothing, because presently i dont.

yes, one of the wonderful things about linux is you don't NEED a GUI, being a newbie myself I find myself using it a lot, but I'm finding more and more I can do from the command line.

so im sitting at the OS choice selction menu.
2 choices

fedora
&
fedora core up

(neither work, due to this x server thingy)

or the command line.

oh, the 'text' was for installation. I don't know if 'text' will work, but putting '3' right after 'fedora' should work (assuming this is the non-graphical lilo bootmenu)

im close to gving up here. ive been at it for 2 days solid now. im not getting anywhere.
I AM A NEWB.
being asked top type stuff here and there, is to be honest beyond me.

sure, windows, i know it inside out. but i got no idea for example. what a 'lilo' is etc...

sorry im frustrated to totaly hell. a computer hasnt had me wound up so badley in a very long time.

Im seriously considering paying someone now to do this as its just getting silly.

Describe your boot menu.
There are two different bootloaders (that come with fedora) that can be used for dual-booting (the bootmenu), these are GRUB and LILO.
The '3' is an option that should be given to Fedora before bootup. There are many ways to do this, the simplest is with the test-based lilo menu, in which you just type your options (like '3') next to the os you select (similar to how it is done with the install cd). The process differs for the graphical lilo boot menu and for GRUB.

before you give up, give Knoppix or another distro a try

www.linuxiso.org

ok what i see is.

I have a blue light blue screen.

there are two options i can pick

1.fedora
2. fedora coreup


or press c to use the command promt.

or e to edit the above loaders?

sound familar?

if i chose the first option, it tells me it cant start service x.
it then asks do u want to start the x server config?

which i say yes to.

then it just gos a bit funny. brings up a screen

localhost login: (name?) which i dont actually know as i was never asked for it
and
loging password (which i do know as i was asked for)

actually god knoes what i have done now. now i have a promt that says

grub>

I know i can type help or press TAB for commands etc

im wondering if i should go right back to the begining.

and go through it step by step (for the zillonth time)

U see its as this point i wonder why i can just whack in a win XP disc and voila it all works...

You are using the GRUB bootloader. Since you appear to have been able to reach text-mode without using the '3', forget about it. Rebooting should get rid of the prompt.
During the install, it asks you for the password for the 'root' user, which is like the Adminstratoin Win. It may have asked for you to make other accounts. You can use those too. For now:
Enter 'root' as the user
Enter the password for it

BTW, if want to just whack a cd in without headaches, try knoppix. No install, runs automatically without you configuring, doesn't touch your hd at all.

it only asks me for a single password. i cannot set users or anything like that.

Maybe u can in the graphical installation but not in the text based installation. and i can only use that because the of the orignal fault i listed in my first post.

Also i have to use somthing based on redhat because i need it for Maya use.

Just to show what im going through im gonna step by step install posting everything i do. just to show what i have.

Tho basiclly, theres some sort of hardware fault going on here to be honest.
because it works on my other computer fine, and not on the one i listed. even if i change g-cards.

so anyhows im gonna do this step by step. then ppl will be bale to keep up with me.

I might have partioning problems aswell.

Have you tried to use root for the localhost login and then whatever password you selected for root when you ran the initial setup?

The single password is the 'root' password. Type 'root' at the login prompt, and enter your password.

yes lets just say my password is 'football'

When asked for the password, thats what i chose in the install screen.

I tired my password as the localhost name, and the login password.

i tired other things i could think of too, but nothing worked.

as soon as i get home (at GF right now for a few mins) im gonna go step by step.

just out of interest. if my partioning is not correct, could this cause the x server to fail booting?

also i have noticed somthing called 'smartd' failing to start?

If your password is football, you will not enter football for your login name your login name will be "root" and then your password will be "football"

Type 'root' here:
localhost login: root
type your password here. It will appear invisble (no stars or bullets)
password:

hehe. get this. i knew that the problem in all honesty was this x-server .

So i tried the 3rd and final g-card i had available, my Geforce FX. and voila, the graphical install interface worked!

Installation from here was simple :) *stress released - is calm now*

Now all i have to do is install the drivers i have downloaded for the card i whish to use, put the other card back in, and i guess it should work :p