Installing Fedora from RH7/XP

[orufet]

I currently have a laptop with a dual boot system (Windows XP Professional and Red Hat Linux 7). However, Red Hat won't let me into the X window system (something with Xconfigurator always goes wrong, no matter what settings I try). So I'm hoping to wipe out RH7 and install Fedora. However, I'm not totally sure how to go about this. Should I (or can I) install Fedora as an upgrade to RH7, or is it a totally different thing? If it's totally different, how do I get rid of it and just have Windows XP on my laptop so that I can set up a dual boot with Fedora? Also, I've been to many websites, but I can't understand what ISO files are. Using Nero 6, how do I burn them to a CD so that I have a bootable CD from which I can install Fedora?

I hope I'm not missing anything, and I really appreciate your help! Thanks!

[DSwain]

hmm, well technically with your red hat systems this should be a breeze. I recommend you just format your rh7 partition into a newer file system (ext3 would be the case with Fedora) and then go about your ways. This should have no effect on your Windows partition, you can do it right off the Fedora cd. Also, it will install a bootloader and all the complex things for you so there's no worries there.

As for writing an ISO, go ahead and open up nero express, go to something like "Write an image file" and then select image again out of the menu. From there you just navigate to wherever you saved the iso and then it should burn it for you from there.

Just so you have an understanding of an ISO (or Image file) its simply a file in which all the files needed for a cd are built into one file, making it easier to burn, and send around. I think of it as a zip file: it gathers all the files together, then you go and extract them in another location and then its done easily. With an Image, it builds a file out of a cd, then is sent to another place, and then its "extracted" or burnt onto a cd, making it like you copied it straight from a cd. Very simple once you get the nack of it.

[mdwatts]

If the existing Linux partitions are large enough to install Fedora, then do as DSwain suggested and format during the Fedora installation.

http://www.linuxiso.org/viewdoc.php/howtoburn.html