Problem making dual-boot Optiplex GX620

[Thomas Walter]

I recently received 25 Dell Optiplex GX620s with two 160GB SATA hard 
drives (DC115 HARD DRIVE, 160G, S2, 7.2K, 8M, LEAD FREE, WD-HAWK) and 
WinXP installed. I want to make the machines dual-boot and first tried to 
install RHEL 3. The install did not see the hard drives. My search on the 
web indicated spotty Linux support for SATA hard drives so I downloaded 
RHEL 4 ES update 2 and tried to install. The Optiplex boots off the first 
install CD, passes the CD media test, begins running annaconda, probes and 
sees video card, monitor and mouse, etc but then hangs when going into X 
leaving a white screen.

We don't have a Redhat support contract so they're no help and the Dell 
rep spent 10 days "researching" an answer and only referred me to a web 
site I found in a nanosecond. I have to return the 25 computers by 1/13 if 
I can't find a solution. Dell sells the Precision workstation with the 
same 160GB SATA drives with RHEL installed so I don't know where the 
problem might lie.

Any help will, of course, be greatly appreciated.

Tom

==================================================================================

Thomas Walter
Geography & Computer Science Departments
Hunter College of the City University of New York
695 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021

(212)772-5457 Office
(212)772-5268 Fax
tbwalter at geo.hunter.cuny.edu
http://geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw