Red Hat Linux x86 Installation Guide

Starting the Installation Program
To start the installation, you must first boot the installation program. Please make sure you have all the resources you will need for the installation. If you have already read through Chapter 1 Steps to Get You Started, and followed the instructions, you should be ready to begin.
Note
Occasionally, some hardware components require a driver diskette during the installation. A driver diskette adds support for hardware that is not otherwise supported by the installation program. Refer to Appendix F Driver Diskettes for more information.
3.3.1. Booting the Installation Program
You can boot the installation program using any one of the following media (depending upon what your system can support):
Boot CD-ROM — Your machine supports a bootable CD-ROM drive and you want to perform network or hard drive installation.
Boot diskette — Your machine does not support a bootable CD-ROM and you want to install from a local CD-ROM, network, or a hard drive.
To create a boot CD-ROM, refer to Section 1.4.2 Making an Installation Boot CD-ROM.
To create a boot diskette, refer to Section 1.4.3 Making an Installation Boot Diskette.
Insert the boot diskette into your computer's first diskette drive and reboot (or boot using the CD-ROM, if your computer supports booting from it). Your BIOS settings may need to be changed to allow you to boot from the diskette or CD-ROM.
Tip
To change your BIOS settings, watch the instructions provided on your display when your computer first boots. You will see a line of text telling you to press the [Del] or [F1] key to enter the BIOS settings.
Once you have entered your BIOS setup program, find the section where you can alter your boot sequence. The default is often C, A or A, C (depending on whether you boot from your hard drive [C] or a diskette drive [A]). Change this sequence so that the CD-ROM is first in your boot order and that C or A (whichever is your typical boot default) is second. This instructs the computer to first look at the CD-ROM drive for bootable media; if it does not find bootable media on the CD-ROM drive, it will then check your hard drive or diskette drive.
Save your changes before exiting the BIOS. For more information, refer to the documentation that came with your system.
After a short delay, a screen containing the boot: prompt should appear. The screen contains information on a variety of boot options. Each boot option also has one or more help screens associated with it. To access a help screen, press the appropriate function key as listed in the line at the bottom of the screen.
As you boot the installation program, be aware of two issues:
Once you see the boot: prompt, the installation program will automatically begin if you take no action within the first minute. To disable this feature, press one of the help screen function keys.
If you press a help screen function key, there will be a slight delay while the help screen is read from the boot media.
Normally, you only need to press [Enter] to boot. Watch the boot messages to see if the Linux kernel detects your hardware. If your hardware is properly detected, please continue to the next section. If it does not properly detect your hardware, you may need to restart the installation in expert mode.