Are you trying to install a ppc version of Linux or a intel version? It is not clear from what you described. On Sun, 2008-03-30 at 08:40 +1100, Catherine Fitzgerald wrote: > I have been trying for a week to install Linux on my old mac: iMac G3, > 500MHz, slot-loading CD, 20G HD. I am completely new to Linux and the > only time I've ever used command prompts is on a PC, and a very long > time ago, so if anyone is able to help me, please keep the instuctions > as clear as possible. I appologise in advance for the long drawn-out > detail below, but as I have no idea what the problem is I thought it > better to give as much information as possible. > > The problems I have had are: > > 1- Innitially tried to install Kubuntu 6.04 using a live image burnt > onto a CD using InfraRecorder (on a Windows XP 2000 pc). The live CD > would go to a black screen after the initial boot dialog and then run down. > > 2- As that didn't work, and I was not worried about removing the old OS, > I tried installing Kubuntu, erasing the old partitions. It would > install, then freeze on the login and not accept any of my keyboards for > input (either the mac keyboard, a pc keyboard or either of my wireless > keyboards) so it was not possible to log in. After several attempts at > reinstalling Kubuntu and getting the same problem I decided to try > installing Fedora. > > 3- To avoid downloading a large amount I downloaded > fedora-8-ppc-rescuecd.iso from one of the recommended mirrors and burnt > it to CD (using InfraRecorder on the pc). Initially the install process > worked, and it requested a web address to download the images from. I > chose the monash uni web site (html server) as it is relatively close, > and the install proceeded up until I hit the 'yes' button for the final > install process. > > 4- After hovering on the 'preparing to install' screen for over an hour > I got this message: > > "The file a2ps-4.13b-69.fc8.ppc.rpm cannot be opened. This is due to a > missing file, a corrupt package or corrupt media. Please verify your > installation source. > > If you exit, your system will be left in an inconsistent state that will > likely require reconfiguration." > > with the option to reboot or retry. I hit retry and after another hour > the same message came up again. > > 5- After rebooting the mac does not recongnise a bootable file (this was > not a surprise). I put in the rescue cd, which boots without a problem, > but requires me to know what to do (ie, use a command line and have a > clue) to do anything. > > 6- I decided that it might work if I tried the live cd, so downloaded > and burnt that. The live cd boots, goes through all the loading (mount > dialogue? - with [ok] in green at the end of each line] then the > computer goes to a black screen and the cd keeps buzzing away but doing > nothing. I tried to restart the computer and typed in 'install' at the > boot prompt, but get a message saying something along the lines of not > recognised, or the iso can't be booted. > > 7- Which is where I am now. The HD has been reformatted (the old mac > software does not recognise it - which is fine because I don't really > want to go back to the old mac OS), but it has no installed OS that it > can boot. Is this simply an issue of trying a different mirror to > install the Fedora operating system, and if so, can you recommend one > that has all the files intact? Or is the issue that when I burn the CDs > it is being corrupted there? I can't download the DVD iso as the mac has > no DVD player, and doing the install over the internet is not a problem > for me if that is the only way I can do it. > > Any advice would be most appreciated. > -- ======================================================================= You are absolute plate-glass. I see to the very back of your mind. -- Sherlock Holmes ======================================================================= Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
