i downloaded freespire and burned it (iso) I inserted the cd. Linspire logo comes up and asks if I want to "install" "boot from cd" or boot from drive" or something like that.

When i try to do either install or boot from cd (including the "safe" grafical mode) I get the following (I do not know how to take a screen shot so I wil type it all out:

Busybox V1.1.3 (Debian 1:1.1.3-3ubuntu3+0) built in shell (ash) enter 'help' for a list of bilt in commands

/bin/sh:can't access tty: job control turned off
(initramfs)

so what is a "job control" and how do I turn it on so the cd will install?

This is a new systm and has never had an operating system installed
serial ATA drive on SATA "circuit" 4 or 3 (forgot which)

Shouold the"frespire" disk format and partiion this NEW hard drive?

I tried to burn an iso utility but nothing I try seems to boot ( except teh intital freespire logo as noted above (I am new at this all)

I used the setup for the bios and all correctly and the DVD drive (asus SATA and hard drive Wd SATA 300 are both being reconized)

Two things come to mind...
1. Did you burn the ISO correctly? Look here http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/LQ_ISO - and
2. Did you run the md5 checksum to see if you actually got a good download?

The above iso disk Freespire will load from the cd on my Dell in safe graphics mode...but when I try to et it to run on my new system (with no O/S) I get the previously posted error message

This disk WILL load (at least in safe graphics mode) on my DELL deminsion 2400....but will not work on the new system. I have "Ultimate boot CD" and used it to format the drive for NTFS but now when I try to boot anything ..other than the "ultimate boot cd") it says NTFS leader missing

I have much the same issue, but it is a clone and not a dell. I found this article which makes some sense.

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT4017834659.html

It basically says that to install Linux you need an OS already on the disk. I did have one but it did not work (winME). Trying to install I was told that I didn't have an active partition, so I fdisk, and then Formatted. I then loaded the freespire and that is when I got the same error as you. I have another computer at home and I ran it from the CD and then installed it and it worked great. I have read a lot of threads this morning and one of the standard answers is "Make sure you have a good download and burn." The issue lies somewhere in the drive not having an OS installed.

It makes no since whatsoever for the developers of Linux (freespire, inspire etc) to make their operating system where it will not work unless you already have an operating system installed..THE VERY idea of Linux was to provide an AFFORDABE (HENCE FREE) operating system.in lieu of paying hundreds of dollars for WiNDOWS.

O.K. all you Linux GEEKS out there...is there a linux (windows like) operating system .iso file I can download for a NEW COMPUTER without an operating system already installed?


And will it install on a hard drive formatted as a NTFS system (I already formatted it to prepare for WIndows XP PRO)since freespire will not install

If there was a formatting tool that was included with the OS (freespire, knoppix, etc...) then I think these problems would go away. Whenever I buy a new HD I always get a disk that formats the drive if needed. I have never had to use it but one time. Maybe I'll see if I can find one of them and try that. I have never heard of the HD maker Arrow, but maybe one of the other ones will work. I should have a bunch of Seagates laying around somewhere.
Good luck.

I wanted to try something that was suggested to me, so I removed the HD and tried to just boot from the CD. Guess what I got the same error. So using another computer I tried to boot from the CD, and I got a different error. So now it is either the disk, or the ROM of the computers that I have been trying. Now after I burned the CD I tried it on my own computer and it worked fine.
Did something happen to it from the time that I actually used it at home, or is it the other computers? I don't know, but I guess I'll have to wait until I get home and try it on one of my other computers.
Steve

Try THIS...I did and it worked..download Linux Ubuntu...(not free spire) as an .iso and copy it to a disk..it runs from the Cd...I am not going to install it (but could if I wanted to)