Absolute Basics, I need to start at the beginning
 

I have tried several different distro's of Linux, Caldera, RedHat, Mandrake and recently Fedora. In every case I cannot install the software.
I go through the process of formatting the hard drive. 15Gb allocated to Windows XP and 25Gb partitioned for Linux.
The installation starts with probe for display, keyboard, mouse and asks for input on language, network and security.
The installation starts and after a short period gives the message that the installer has unexpectedly been interupted, a fatal error and the system shuts down.
There is one exception to this, with Fedora 1 I did manage to get a minimal system and get a command line version of Linux installed.
However I could not add to this and when I tried to reinstall I deleted it and now I cannot reinstall even the minimal system.
My PC uses Asus A7V8X-X motherboard, Athlon XP 2200+ 1.8Ghz processor and 1Gb of DDR 333/PC2700 RAM.
I am not a newcomer to PC's but I certainly am to Linux.
Any ideas on sources of information, books etc which would help me find my way out of this problem and into linux.
Many thanks Cliff

this is all i can think of at the moment.

http://www.linux.org/docs/beginner/install.html

hope you find something there that helps.
good luck.

have you tried KNOPPIX? it is a CD based Distro. it would be interesting to see how that worked, if at all on your machine. also, what type of HDD do you have? could it be you have a SATA drive that is not yet supported? just a wild guess.

Too much ram or a broken hard disk/file system?

SoliTear's right (or, at least i agree with him/her). All I can say, as a fellow supernoob, is GET KNOPPIX. I went through about 6 distros before I could get one to install easily/perfectly on my system.

That was Feather Linux, which I also recommend, but it prolly way too minimal (at least it was for my meagre brains), and I bet your system can handle lots more eye candy than my old clanker. KNOPPIX, on which Feather is based, is a breeze, too.

I hear Mandrake is s'posed to be a whizz, too, btw (but something about it made me back off a bit)

What I have been reading is if you have a SATA hard drive try Knoppix from the CD and if you like it invest in another hard drive.

Download knoppixand the md5sum of the download (and print it off) , and md5summer (under windows).

Install the md5summer, then open it and check the integrity of the download, by making/generating an md5sum. When it's done it's thing, chekc the numbers, if they match, then burn the knoppix to disc.

Then boot the disc, if it fires up and run's ok then that means that it can see all your hardware. if you've prepared a linux partition, you can install it to disc.

To do that, open a terminal and type sudo knx-hdinstall and then just follow the instructions, tell it to go to the partition that you've got ready, tell it to install the bootloader to the first section of the harddrive/mbr.

It's as straight forward as that (well, it should be). for more instructions on using knoppix, look here and you should be away. You will need to change the root password, and add yourself as a user (u could just use the "knoppix" user). I think you'll find the instructions at the knoppix forum.

hope this help

regards

John

Absolute Basics
 

Thanks to all for the replies and the several recommendations to use Knoppix. The Hard Drive I am using is a Maxtor 2E040LO.
I now need to do some more reading from the list provided by 'big john'
I'll be back.
Cliff

Knoppix is a good starting point for running Linux off the CD without physically installing in on your machine, and I agree it's a very good way to get your feet wet.

One issue that may be a contributing factor during your previous difficulty may be due to the fact that Linux physically needs at least 2 partitions to install, one for root and one for swap. Swap does not need to be very large, I'd recommend 256Mg, and you can give the rest to root. (You can also define other partitions as well, but that is optional). My point is simply that it generally is easier to deal with the partitioning separately, prior to attempting to install the software. Good luck with it. -- J.W.

Thanks to PEACEDOG, I have tried the Linux.org/docs and although it is a lot of good information, I could not find anything that dealt with my problem.
Cliff

Thanks to SoliTear, to answer your question the HDD I was using was a Maxtor 2F040l0, 40 Gb.
Since receiving your input I have installed a second HDD, Seagate ST313021A, 12 Gb and tried again with that, starting with a blank disk.
I still cannot get any version of Linux to load.
All contribution greatfully received !!
Cliff

To Thulemanden, Can it really be due to too much RAM ?
One of the tricks suggested to make Linux load was to boot the installation with Boot: Linux mem=880M which would suggest that !Gb should not be a problem.
Unfortunately the above trick did not work.
See reply to SoliTear for details of Hard Drives.
With no operating system loaded I don't see how i can have broken file system but I am always willing to learn.
Cliff

Thanks to hyperguy, nice to know I am not the only "supernoob"but I I have yet to start !!.
Mandrake was one of the distros I tried unsuccessfully.
I will pursue Feather Linux and Knoppix.
Cliff

Thanks to comprookie2000
Please see above details of hard drives.
As you will see i have taken the advice and added another HDD but it still doesn't solve the problem.
Cliff

Thanks to bigjohn, i am trying to get a copy of 'rute users hdbk' (Amazon.co) since it looks like a useful reference from what I read on screen. I coldn't find a solution to my problem but if (when!) I get started on Linux this looks like the book to have to hand.
Cliff