ok , i really want to install a linux redhat on my computer . i have taken a linux class , but the problems im experiencing were never covered in this class , and im totally lost . I try to setup linux on comp and i just get errors that none of my harddrives can be found , i believe it has something to do with the my sil 0680 ata card , but could be wrong . Any suggestions , ive looked all over the web for advice , but figured i would be able to get the best advice here

below are my computer specs:

1666 megahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Board: MSI MS-6380E 1.0
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 07.00T 04/02/01
Drives Memory Modules c,d
260.05 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
221.79 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

HIGH SPEED CD ROM [CD-ROM drive]
LITE-ON LTR-48125W [CD-ROM drive]
LITEON DVD-ROM LTD-165H [CD-ROM drive]

WDC WD1800BB-00DAA0 [Hard drive] (137.44 GB) -- drive 0
WDC WD800JB-00CRA1 [Hard drive] (80.03 GB) -- drive 1 256 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot '0' is Empty
Slot '1' is Empty
Slot '2' has 256 MB
Local Drive Volumes

c: (on drive 1) 80.02 GB 64.86 GB free
x: (on drive 0) 180.04 GB 156.93 GB free

VIA Bus Master IDE Controller

NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 [Display adapter]

Silicon Image SiI 0680 ATA/133 Controller

VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
VIA USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller
Standard Game Port
Compaq Data Fax Modem
3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI TX NIC (3C905B-TX)
WAN Miniport (ATW)
Network Card MAC Address: 00:50:04:41:CD:49
Network IP Address: 192.168.100.18
Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Logitech USB Wheel Mouse

Are you installing RedHat 8, 7.3, 7.2? It looks like you currently have an operating system installed and that you don't have a separate partition for Linux setup. Are you wanting to completely wipe out everything you currently have an do a fresh Linux install using all available space? Do you want to split the partition and install Linux on its own small 5 or less gig partition? If so I suggest you get Partition Magic. It can do non-destructive re-partitioning. You will need to run Defrag first to move all data to the beginning of the drive. Then you will need to run partition magic and make a partition on the end. If RedHat can't find your hardware automatically via kudzu you may need to use the Expert install method which doesn't use the GUI installer. You will have to get the information for your harddrive and enter it in manually. The information can usually be found on the top side of the drive. You may also be able to get the information it requests from your BIOS settings. RedHat is probably the best at auto-detecting and configuring. If you still run into problems I suggest you hop on EFNet and join #RedHat or #RedHatHelp or #LinuxHelp. A lot of people there are very knowledgeable and can help you troubleshoot further.

---www.sekure.us---

well i made partitions when i attempted to install redhat 8.0 . Since then i have merged the partition so i can use my whole drive . I do not want to do a clean install , i was looking to use a dual boot program such as lilo or grub . Although i do want to dualboot , i planned on having redhat on my second drive where windows does not exsist . I thought i might have to specify irq settings of my controller card , but im not sure how to . I also know redhat will pick up on both my drives , because i tested it prior to asking for help . Ive had alot of people tell me i have to many cdroms , that my controller card is no good . Im just getting so many mixed answers , i dont know what to do ...... and some of them , i dont think are the case .

First question I would ask is if you have formatted the partition in question for Linux? You cannot use the same format as for Windows.

I saw WD drives with "helper" software package. This thing sits very low and "helps" your OS interact with the drive. If this thing is used on your system you should see some boot messages mentioning it. You should have "Data Guard" or "Life Guard" or something like that, floppy disk that came with the drive. If you boot with it you will be able to disable this application. It would be smart to backup your data before venturing that way.

yes , at the time when i was going to install , i had half of my 180 gb drive formatted and ready for a linux install . I have installed linux on various systems and have never ran into the problem i am recieving now , i think it would be better if i post the errors (which are many) to help you guys get a better idea of what my problem is . Thank you for all the replies