Upgrading to Fedora Core 3 - simple question

[DamselNDistress]

I'm an ultra-newbie. :P

I'm currently running (fairly successfully) a version of Fedora Core 1 that came with the snappy little book "Linux for Non-Geeks." I would like to upgrade to Fedora Core 3 to take advantage of the new kernal, updated gnome, etc.

Questions: Can I just upgrade the OS and keep my hardware settings/configurations? Will I have to do a full install with new partioning and whatnot? Are my few personal files in jeopardy? If I can just upgrade instead of performing a full install, will the installer present me with a clear option as part of the graphical install or will I have to type some sort of command pre-install?

I hope someone can clear this confusion up for me. Also, any additional input/advice on moving up to Fedora Core 3 at this point is welcome.

Peace!

[Tyr_7BE]

Ok first you definitely don't need to repartition. Worst case scenario, things will go wrong and you'll have to reinstall over your existing partitions. However, Fedora has a neat little "detect old installation" feature that will give you the option of upgrading an older version of FC to a new one.

Just one word of advice. Download the FC3 images, burn them to CD, and when it's time to install, RUN THE MEDIA CHECK IN THE FC3 INSTALLER!!!!

A while back I upgraded from FC1 to FC2. The install detected an old FC install and proceeded to install new packages over it (ie, no format required). However, in the middle of the second cd it found a corrupt package and couldn't install it. I couldn't go back either as the new system was half installed, so I had to wipe the partitions clean and redo everything from scratch. Running the media checker at the beginning of the clean install told me that the cd I was using was no good. So when you're installing FC3 the first thing it'll ask you is whether you want to check your installation media...check every disc. It will take a long time and you'll probably be pissed off but it's worth it.

Other than that little detail, things should hopefully be pretty smooth! I've heard good things about successful FC upgrades.

PS: FC3 is worth the trouble

you should always do a backup of your important files before a big move like this, an odd error can easily kill something if you are unlucky.

[pbharris]

hello,
Questions: Can I just upgrade the OS and keep my hardware settings/configurations?
Yes - everything should be fairly transparent.

Will I have to do a full install with new partioning and whatnot?
Like Tyr_7BE said - Nope!

Are my few personal files in jeopardy?
Like LoveChild said - backups are a good idea in case of errors.

If I can just upgrade instead of performing a full install, will the installer present me with a clear option as part of the graphical install or will I have to type some sort of command pre-install?

For me there has been the upgrade option in all RedHat/Fedora installers. I have not used FC3 (yet) but i can not imagine it does not have it.

[DamselNDistress]

Y'all are so helpful! Thanks so much. I think I'm going to go for it.

[Tyr_7BE]

[quote author=DamselNDistress link=board=7;threadid=10070;start=0#msg91226 date=1103163105]
Y'all are so helpful! Thanks so much. I think I'm going to go for it.
[/quote]

Let us know how it turns out!

[trickster]

The Media Check on Fedora Core 3 is b0rked.:

A: There is a bug in the kernel which causes the media check to say all CDs are bad, on some systems. To do a successful media check, do the following:

1. At the installer prompt, type:

linux mediacheck nocddma
2. Run the media check on your CDs/DVD.
3. Reboot, and run the installer normally.

[DamselNDistress]

Thanks! Will do.

[yoder]

I tried that as I was having the same problem, but it did not help. Media check failed.

I had downloaded two sets of isos to two different computers and burned them. On the second set I checked md5 checksums and they were fine. Media checks on disks 2 and 3 failed. I then began swapping out RAM to no avail. Media checks failed no matter what RAM config I had. I tried installing three time just to see if the media check failure was false, but the install failed each time. I then bought a Fedora Core 3 book and installed the Publisher's version without a hitch. This machine has previously had Debian and Redhat 9 on it.

Even though I have the Publisher's version installed now, I'm putting Debian back on. I'll wait until Fedora is a little more "ready for prime time".

[quote author=trickster link=board=7;threadid=10070;start=0#msg91236 date=1103201279]
The Media Check on Fedora Core 3 is b0rked.:

A: There is a bug in the kernel which causes the media check to say all CDs are bad, on some systems. To do a successful media check, do the following:

1. At the installer prompt, type:

linux mediacheck nocddma
2. Run the media check on your CDs/DVD.
3. Reboot, and run the installer normally.
[/quote]

[Schotty]

What doesnt work in FC3?