Thread: trying to install linux

  1. #1
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    trying to install linux

    Hi I am trying to install linux (R.H.8.0)I have downloaded the .iso files and copied the images to CD. but I can't seem to install it. It comes up with the main menu at the very beginning:-

    to install in graphic mode press <enter>
    in text mode type text

    and so on

    but when ever I choose the method I want to use and I have tried them all, all I get is:

    loading vmlinuz...................
    loading initrd.img.......................................
    Ready.
    Uncompressing Linux...OK. Booting kernel.


    and after that nothing it just stops.

    Any idea what I am doing wrong.

    T

    other info:

    I am using windows xp at the moment.
    I am new to Linux and dont really know what I am doing.
    I understand that I dont need to partition my harddrive before I run the install program as this will do it for me. (am I right on this one).
    T

  2. #2
    Registered User Nutshell's Avatar
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    During the installation procedure you will be prompted to partition the hdd the way you want. You remember?

    For general linux questions like this you will receive more help at:
    www.linuxquestions.org

    Good luck.

  3. #3
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    I don't get that far. all i get is the options menu then i try to start it by either pressing <enter>
    or text <enter>

    I get the message I stated and then it stops.

    T
    T

  4. #4
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    Yes.

  5. #5
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    The CD is corrupt.

  6. #6
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    I have copied 3 diffrent iso files from 3 diffrent sites and copied the images to diffrent CD's and I get the exact same problem with all of them ( about 10 discs in all ).
    T

  7. #7
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    The way to know if your file is any good is to use the md5sum utility. If the md5sum matches than the file is good. Are you burning the files as 'iso cd image' files? You could also try Mandrake 9.0 if Redhat doesn't work on your PC. < www.linuxiso.org >. Make sure to verify the iso files before you burn them, than you know that they are good. There are some instructions on using the md5sum utility at linuxiso.org. Basically you just type:

    md5sum filename.iso
    And wait, than it will give you a hex number. Verify that with the number at linuxiso.org. They should have links to where you can get the utility for MS Windows.

    I'm a bit too lazy to give you exact instructions at this moment, but there is a process that you can follow and you shouldn't have to use 10 cd's.

  8. #8
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    You probably will get more help from another board where there members will offer you more help than "CD is corrupt". I doubt it's the cd's. While corrupt cd's can be a problem, it's rare if you have a dedicated connection, which i'm assuming you do since you've tried copying the .iso's several times.

    If you want my guess (and that's all it is), it's a hardware compatibility problem. Check all of you hardware and make sure that it's on the compatibility list, which can be found on RedHat's site. For example, a buddy of mine had tons of problems with his Geforce 3 video card. It crippled the install in much the same way (screen would go blank during text install), but everything went fine when we switched them out... weird huh? Just make sure that EVERYTHING in you computer is supported. Let us know how it works out, and what the problem was...

  9. #9
    Comment your source code! Lynux-Penguin's Avatar
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    Try re-ios-ing the CD
    also you may have to kill windows because I know that Windows HATES to see Linux and I am not sure but I think 2k will not allow Linux to fully load its Kernel unless its removed (just a thing I heard somewhere, but I believe it)

    Also if all else fails do the COOL and SEXY installation:
    TEXT-WISE
    Sure its a pain in the @$$ but you'll come out knowing more than most now-a-days
    and you'll feel all happy and stuph, you accomplished the near-impossible, jk

    When GUI Install was a thing of the future we users had to reinstall linux multiple times in text based just to get everything configured (WHEN WE WERE USERS)
    now we slap ourselves and realize that as soon as it BOOTS you can fix it from hand. So don't be afraid to reinstall many many many many many times.

    I would recommend sharing your files with another windows machine and have backups ready so you always have a way of recovering data.

    Good setup is the following:
    FTP & Apache
    And I also seriously recomend you look into things on hacking (it helps a lot with Linux)
    I don't mean malitious hacking but the UNDERSTANDING of a computer.

    http://www.hackerslab.org/ is where I learned A LOT about computers and Unix, after that I was ready to tackle some serious administrative work and I got a job as a system admin for a while, now I sell comps and comp usa (such a change, why did they have to movE!!)
    anyway....

    the point is ... ummm...
    its somewhere in here.
    Asking the right question is sometimes more important than knowing the answer.
    Please read the FAQ
    C Reference Card (A MUST!)
    Pointers and Memory
    The Essentials
    CString lib

  10. #10
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    Originally posted by Lynux-Penguin
    Try re-ios-ing the CD
    also you may have to kill windows because I know that Windows HATES to see Linux and I am not sure but I think 2k will not allow Linux to fully load its Kernel unless its removed (just a thing I heard somewhere, but I believe it)

    Having Windows 2000 and Linux on the same hard disk isn't a problem. I've had them dual booting using Grub and Windows' bootloader. Windows 2000 does nothing to try to keep Linux from loading.

    I would also suspect a hardware compatability problem and not corrupt disks. Check your hardware against your distro's HCL.
    Wandering aimlessly through C.....

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  11. #11
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    I have tried the text method and I just get the same result.
    I have tried 'noprobe', 'skipddc' and everything.

    Re: re-ios the cd. How Do I do this?
    T

  12. #12
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    My bet is something wrong with lilo? Linux hasn't even
    started up at that point right?

  13. #13
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    Lilo hasn't even been installed so that rules out a problem with it. I can just about guarantee it's an unsupported hardware problem. Do what salem said and remove all non-essential hardware (soundcard, network card, etc)

  14. #14
    Registered User stautze's Avatar
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    what kind of computer do you have, i bet it is either really new or really old. like everybody else said it is probably a problem with your kernel autodetecting something. for example you could have too much ram, i think the 2.0 series kernel only supports 960MB. i have had similar problems due to the ide geometry (cylinders, heads and sectors) in the past. most of these types of problems can be easily fixed by passing a command at boot time.
    'During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.' - Al Gore, March 9, 1999: On CNN's Late Edition

  15. #15
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    Red Hat 8 comes with the 2.4 kernel so too much RAM wouldn't be an issue.
    Wandering aimlessly through C.....

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