Red Hat 6.2 Load Failure

[Robert Keneely]

Trying to install Win98SE & Red Hat 6.2 as dual boot on an old NEC with a 20 gig HD which is partitioned 10 gig/10 gig. NOTE: CPU is a Pentium 166 MHz.

First Attempt:

Installed Win98SE in C:> partition. Removed all "traces" of Windows/DOS from D:> leaving an "unallocated space". Unable to install RH in unallocated space using what Red Hat calls "partitionless installation" (appeared to be trying to load in C:> along with Windows).

Second Attempt:

Partitioned HD again creating C:> & D:> and started to install Red Hat first in what RH calls /dev/hda5. I hope to go back an install Win98SE in C:> later.
Things went well until actual "installation of packages". Here a window popped up "Creating loopback file system on device /dev/hda5". At this point, the HD ran non-stop for over 5 minutes and the cursor "froze". Finally the CD drive [containing RH disk] flickered a few times and the HD finally stopped and the cursor came free.

Now the installation is stopped with that "Creating loopback file ...." message on the screen and nothing being "loaded"

I am beginning to think Linux is "too damn hard" to ever replace Windows !!!

[fancypiper]

It can be hard getting a Microsoft OS and Linux OS going, but it can be done with solid preparation and I don't think you prepared thoroughly.

I suggest browsing the installation NHFs (http://linuxnewbie.org/nhf/Installatio), the installation HOWTOs (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/os.html#OSINSTALL) and your distros documentation (http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/), especially the errata (http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/) for any install "gotchas".

I found partitioning the drives for linux to be the hardest part of the install. A study of the Linux Partition HOWTO (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/Partition/index.html) solved that for me.

Good luck on your next install.

Redhat links:
Easy software management: Red Carpet (http://www.ximian.com/products/ximian_red_carpet/)
rpmfind (http://rpmfind.net/)
Red Hat Linux Manuals (http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/)
Maximum RPM (http://www.rpm.org/max-rpm/)

How To Check MD5sums On A Linux Iso Image (http://linuxiso.org/viewdoc.php/verifyiso.html)

Cheap CDs:
Discount Linux CDs (http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/linux/)
Linux Central (http://linuxcentral.com/)
Cheapbytes (http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart)

[fancypiper]

Originally posted by Robert Keneely I am beginning to think Linux is "too damn hard" to ever replace Windows !!! I'm beginning to think Windows is too expensive, insecure and buggy to ever replace Linux. :D

[Robert Keneely]

fancy pipper,

Thanks for the MANY Rh 6.2 links. Slowly I am gathering the info I need.