I have no problem in setting up a dual boot with Windoze and Linux. Yet on this new Dell I got ... I can't get Mandrake 9.2 or Fedora 1.0 or SuSE 9.0 to install. I have a new Dell 8300 ... 2.6GHZ w/hyperthreading (is that the problem) and the 9800 ATI Monitor (is that the problem) with a couple of disk drives on ATA serial hook ups (could that be it). None of the three Linux distributions would install and it was not clear to me where the incompatibility is. I read somewhere on the Intel side of the house that Linux was compatible with Dual Processing ... I wonder if they meant the new 2.6 kernel. Dunno. Any ideas. I have the Dell 8300 Dimension with all the bells and whistles ... big deal, huh ?? Can't load Linux so what good is it ?? Any help would be appreciated -Emmett

where / when does it fail - during install, before it begins, etc?

Have you tried using Knoppix to test your hardware out?

You don't need the latest kernel for dual processing, just an smp-enabled kernel.

Hi Frogman,
SuSE (same spot all 3 times that I tried) barely got started before it froze. It was in the probe mode (hda I think) ... that is one reason that I thought it might be a ATA problem.
Mandrake got thru the repartioning and recognized the hardware and froze when I think it was getting ready for the packages. I think too that it was getting ready to got to the start x mode .. and this is the reason I was questioning the monitor.
Fedora froze as soon as I hit enter.

So not clear all three distributions had the same problem. I asked Dell what they thought and they had a half-hearted answer at best. Said something about Windows. No help there at all.

The hyper-thread really seems like it was not a part of the problem based on where the various crashes occurred ... maybe the Fedora one though.

-Emmett

One should be able to disable hyperthreading in the system bios. Obviously you don't want to stay there, but it would rule it out as a problem.

Personally I'm in build it yourself mode until some major distributer comes out with pre-installed linux. I felt very burned by Compaq and their "System Restore" CD, never could stop all the windoze problems and got myself to Linux. The box seems rock solid under linux, I've now a DIY Athlon 1600 box which is a nice cheap boost from the K6-III 450 Compaq Presario 5600S. Which BTW, Compaq kind of disavows was ever an AMD box.

Hi drf,
I feel a little burned by Dell. I got a less than responsive response back from them. They essentially said that they don't support dual boot. Odd reply I thought. They have been somewhat friendly in the Linux world so I don't understand where they are coming from. But regardless, I know I can get the 8300 to dual boot. I have been successful on 3 different laptops and I know how to do it. I think , again , it is either the hyper threading or the fancy display card. I can turn off the hyperthreading and it would be no big deal since I have no software that was designed to take advantage of it anyway. Might try that. But it was odd that all 3 distributions failed at different points ... hmmmmm.. Wish Dell would have been a tad more helpful. I thought that at one point they had an arrangement with Red Hat whereby they actually sold boxes configured with Red Hat. Oh well , after you buy you are obviously on your own ... and in some ways ... I am fine with that .... You cudda had a Dell .... yeh, right...... thanks . Emmett