Installing on eMachines eMonster 1000

[Robert L Cochran]

Hello,

I'm installing Fedora from installation CD's on an eMachines eMonster 
1000. This machine is running Microsoft Windows XP. The goal is to dual 
boot XP and Fedora. I added a second hard drive onto which Fedora will 
be installed. Pentium III, 1 Ghz system. The motherboard is an Anaheim, 
either the 2, 2A, or 3 -- I think probably the Anaheim-3 but can't be 
sure. The graphics card is an ATI Radeon PCI 7500.

All the installation CDs passed the media checking.

When I try to boot from CD #1 to start the install, the hard drive light 
goes on for a long time. Then the line

ISOLINUX...

shows up and remains there with no other monitor activity for more than 
60 seconds.

Sometimes, the ISOLINUX... line is blanked out and the system boots 
Windows XP.

Sometimes, the ISOLINUX... is replaced with the graphical Fedora Core 
splash and the familiar boot: prompt.

If I then press <enter> to start the default install, or type

linux acpi=on

the hard drive light will go on, and the installer will load very 
slowly. That is, vmlinuz and initrd will load with glacial slowness. So 
does everything after that. I will come to the screen where I'm offered 
a media check. I skip that. Progress continues with extreme slowness, 
always accompanied by a brightly lit hard drive light. In fact the CD/RW 
light doesn't seem to come on as often as it should given this is a CD 
install.

Maybe I need to pass

linux acpi=on hdc=ide-scsi?

The BIOS doesn't seem to have a "Plug and Play OS" option. Under 
advanced options one can select from "Win98/Win2000", "Win95", or 
"Other". I tried booting under "Win98/Win2000" and "Other".

What could be causing these problems?

Thanks

Bob

-- 
Bob Cochran
Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
http://greenbeltcomputer.biz/