newbie has error message
 

just installed rh8 and i am completely new to anything linux related. during installation i let rh choose and hostname when registering for updates and now i get this message at startup:

Could not look up internet address for x1-6-00-50-ba-58-48-d2.
This will prevent GNOME from operating correctly.
It may be possible to correct the problem by adding
x1-6-00-50-ba-58-48-d2 to the file /etc/hosts.

i got to /etc/hosts but since im a newbie dont know how to edit it. any help would be great appreciated. thanks.

Do you mean that you don't know how to use a text-editor to edit a file, or that you don't know what to add to your /etc/hosts file?

If it is the second then it would seem that you just need to add "x1-6-00-50-ba-58-48-d2" on a new line...

Add the following to your /etc/hosts files:

Try that.

Q*Bert

are you online on linux? getting your IP from your ISP ok? seems like your MAC address on your NIC is being set to your hostname, just try using the "hostname" command to set your computer a much nicer name. (may i recommend "steve"?) and then add that to your hosts file (but under the external ip, not 127.0.0.1). Mind you, you never mentioned a network card... so i'm probably rambling, but it's still going to be a hostname issue, so try setting it anyway.