tech.q: FC4 install hangs right after graphical Anaconda starts - any hints?

[Frantisek Rysanek]

Thanks to everyone who replied.
I should use my brains before posting to a mailing list :-)

Right after I posted my request, I remembered the text 
install.

I seem to recall some earlier RedHat install experience
where graphical install would hang and the text-mode install
was broken in some other way, partitioning didn't work
quite right if I recall. And I do need a bit of custom 
partitioning, because I want to dual-boot between the new 
Fedora (on a dedicated partition) and my old system.

So I did a fresh backup of my most important data, crossed
my fingers, felt a bit like speeding without seatbelts
on an unknown winding road (not knowing what comes next
in the newt-based installer) and to my great surprise I was 
able to affect all the partitioning decisions, including
the mountpoints and including where the bootloader installs.

The text install seems to work fine - it didn't allow me to 
select individual packages, but did copy packages based by my 
"category selections" and the resulting system has managed to 
boot.

Well - almost. The system defaults to runlevel 5, and boots
into X. And voila, the X-based "initial setup wizard" hangs
exactly the same way as the installer!

I've managed to get into the machine via SSH. Fortunately
remote root login is allowed, so I didn't have to resort
to a boot CD.

The trouble is, that I do need workable X.
I'm gonna have to take a better look where the gremlins
are hiding. If I can't get rid of the bug, I'll have to
use some other hardware or some other distro for my testbed.

Frank Rysanek


> The obvious quick hint is to use a text install, if you don't *need* to
> use a graphical one.