To begin installation of Fedora, boot the computer from the bootable media. The bootable media provides the necessary programs and files to start the installation program. Once you start the installation program, you may be able to install from a completely different piece of media. For more information on finding and creating bootable media, refer to Chapter 4, Preparing Media.

If you boot from the first installation disc of the Fedora distribution, you may choose a different source for installation. The default source is the CDs themselves. To change this behavior, enter linux askmethod at the boot: prompt. If you boot from other media, the installation program always asks you to choose the installation source.

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) on your computer must support the type of boot media you select. The BIOS controls access to some hardware devices during boot time. Any computer that meets the minimum recommended specification for Fedora can boot from a CD or DVD drive with the first disc. USB drives and flash media are newer technologies, but many computers can use them as boot media. Some network cards and chipsets include support for network booting with PXE. PXE (pronounced "pixie") allows a computer to load boot files from a network server instead of directly-connected hardware.

If you are not sure what capabilities your computer has, or how to configure the BIOS, consult the documentation provided by the manufacturer. Detailed information on hardware specifications and configuration is beyond the scope of this document.

	Aborting the Installation
	To abort the installation process at any time before the Installing Packages screen, either press Ctrl-Alt-Del or power off the computer with the power switch. Fedora makes no changes to your computer until package installation begins.

5.1. Booting from CD, DVD, or USB Media

To boot your computer:

1. Switch on the computer.

2. Insert the first disc into the CD or DVD drive, or attach the USB media.

3. A boot screen appears, with a boot: prompt at the bottom.

	BIOS Boot Order
	The BIOS contains settings that control the order of boot devices. If your PC boots from a device other than the Fedora boot media, check the BIOS boot configuration.

Figure 5.1. Boot Screen

If you hit Enter, the installation runs in default mode. In the default mode, the installation uses a graphical interface if possible. If the installation program runs from the Fedora installation CD or DVD media, in default mode it uses these media as the installation source. To change the installation mode, at the boot: prompt, type linux followed by one or more of the following options:

• To install from a hard drive or network server, add the directive askmethod.

• To use a text interface, add the directive text.

• To retry installation because the installation aborted at an early stage, add the directive acpi=off. ACPI is responsible for many kinds of installation errors. If you turn ACPI off, you may be able to overcome some of these errors.

Refer to the Release Notes for additional options that may help if you encounter problems with the installation program. A current copy of the Release Notes is always available at http://docs.fedoraproject.org/.

When you issue a command at the boot: prompt, the first stage of the installation program starts.