can't get past an error while installing fedora2

[slayton1213]

i have fedora 2 and i cannot get past the screen uncompressing linux... ok, booting the kernal or something like that. i have windows 98 installed i don't think that is the problem because i already formatted the hard drive and tried that. the same screen showed up and it just froze. my hardware is a 686 cyrixIII, 128Mb of RAM, 10GB HD. i would like to do some programming on it. i think i have the minimum hard ware...

help would be accepted...

[Stormblazer]

if you used the ia_64/amd64 version of Fedora Core 2, that won't work on 32-bit processors.

Also, did you make sure to do a media check on the install disks?

[tfk]

Red Hat GNU/Linux 2.6 seems to have some hiccups with Cyrix/VIA C3 CPUs - I'd try a kernel-2.4 based distribution.

--LC

[slayton1213]

well, it doesn't reboot. it just freezes and i cannot get past it. can i install through windows98?

[techieMoe]

can i install through windows98?

No, you won't be able to do that.

[tfk]

Bad news - the Win98 way won't work.

But you should still try Slackware 10. It's based on GNU/Linux 2.4, pobably you have better luck with it.
GNU/Linux has these problems with the Cyrix and VIA processors because they are not fully x86 compatible; For example, most game designers printed a large "Not for Cyrix processors" on their package some years ago because they knew Cyrix didn't implement the x86 specification fully. VIA bought Cyrix to get its patent licenses for creating Intel chipsets (VIA was a Intel foe back then), and continued the Cyrix processors; They are x86 compatible and GNU/Linux ready only since the Nehemiah/1Ghz processor and upwards.
So, the chances that Slack will do it aren't that high. But you can compile the GNU/Linux kernel according to your needs; It basically has Cyrix support by matching the Cyrix machine command set, but most distributers compile their kernels in a general, non-optimized x86 version. You have to activate the Cyrix support and then to recompile it. So, what you need, is a kernel (or distro) speficially compiled for the Cyrix cpus. (If the Cyrix cpu is removable - replace it with an old Celeron or fresh Nehemiah. You would have a better CPU then and no hassle with x86 compatibility.)

I don't know a Cyrix distro.

Good luck,
--LC