Hi, i just install fedora 8 into my harddisk, i have cater the remaining partition to install window xp, however during the setup it just hang at a black screen, how can i solve this? i'm new to linux.

I always install windows first then Linux. While the opposite way might be possible, I've never got it to work, so I don't even try anymore.
Fighting the problems takes more time than the installs. Just bite the bullet and do it. Good luck.

ic, but now my window xp set up just hang at a black screen the moment it boot from the disc, how do u reinstall window? do i have boot to c:/ and format it? is there another way because i don't have win 98 disc to boot to the command prompt. thanks

Windows usually needs to occupy the first partition on the harddisk. Hence the 'install windows first' recommendation from DotHQ.

Easiest solution:

1. Backup any data on the drive
2. Boot the windows install disk
3. Delete all partitions on the drive
4. Create a new partition and install XP (don't forget to leave space for Fedora)
5. Install Fedora on the remaining disk space.

You should not have to do anything to c: until you have booted the CD and already starting the windows install (then you'll format and partition it leaving room for your linux install).

If you can't boot with the XP CD that indicates a problem with that CD to me. See if it (the XP CD) works in another computer to see if the CD is good.

thanks for the help guys, but i've found an alternative way to format my linux drive.

By the way i try to boot into dos with the dos cd rom(http://www.doscdrom.com) method but it still fail to boot into dos, anyway..

For those who do not have diskette drive to boot into dos or fdisk can use my method, you need to have an extra harddisk in order to format the drive that contain linux, for example my linux has been installed in C: hard disk.

Its very straight forward, what you need to do is set your second hard disk example D: drive as the main drive and boot window xp disc into it. This method allow you to boot into the window set up.

Once your in the setup you will be able see your C: drive, don't worry if it does not display the linux parition i think window can`t read that parition, anyway just select that drive and format with FAT.

After formatting simply reboot, set your C: drive back as the main drive and you can reinstall window XP back from here. Hope you get the idea.

I ran into this issue after I installed just Fedora 8, Fedora was the only OS on the system.
I wanted to put JUST windows xp back on the system, I tried to reinstall windows using my XP CD. The system will prompt you to press any key to boot off the CD but then will just hang at a black screen.
Tossed the fedora dvd into the drive and booted off it without any problems, tried deleting all partitions and then tried booting off the xp cd again, ran into the same black screen.
Tossed this hard drive into another system, completely different model and still had the same issue. Put a completely different hard drive in either system and both could boot off the windows XP CD without any problems.
Slaved the drive with fedora on it in another system and booted off the windows xp cd, at the partition selection/deletion screen it read the drive but did not assign it a drive letter and the label was XP fault tolerant.. could have been more but thats all I could see.
Deleted the partition there and then formatted it using NTFS, drive is working fine again with windows xp on it.

my question is what does fedora do that causes this issue?

I got the same problem, no activity after "press any key to boot from cd"
from my experience I found that the partition table has undergone some changes when I tried to install linux. I don't know technically what happened.. but what I do is boot from a cd with partition magic and fix partition errors. The most common problem is the partitions getting hide status..

ahh turns out I havent fixed the problem...

i slaved the drive again, booted to the xp recovery console and ran a fixmbr \device\harddisk1
put it back into this system and tried to boot off my cd, keep in mind this windows xp pro cd boots off every other pc I've tried it on (I use this disc as well as my windows PE discs mutliple times a day on several different pcs)and it still will not boot on this drive.
however, it still boots off the fedora dvd.. so umm.. yea.. anymore ideas?

oh and we have a 2nd system here that we put fedora on for fun.. completely different model and its having the same problem as well..

ahh i dont think i have partition magic anywhere... but I may have to get a copy, id really rather not have to RMA a hard drive for such a silly error.

finally resolved the issue, downloaded and installed ubuntu 7.10. I can now boot off any of my windows PE or XP pro discs.
and i just threw the fedora dvd into the garbage.. problem solved.