Again, the problem you described is a typical MBR related problem, your
system was trying to find the harddisc b/f the latter was ready. It
could have happened to Windows. But when it happened to Linux, it
became a crime.
SPARC machines have an open boot PROM which is designed to minimize
those hardware related boot problems. Hard disc is one of the most
fragile components in a PC. Trying to convince someone to install and
run Linux on an old PC, IMHO, is always not a good idea.
As I mentioned in a previous thread, the Tainan County of Taiwan, a
sister city of Honolulu, is planning to deploy 9,000 Linux seats in
various schools. This project is based on a customized Knoppix LiveCD.
Of course, the end-users can always run a simple script to install the
Knoppix LiveCD onto their hard discs, but they will be running that at
their own risks.
In most recent PCs, you can install Fedora Core into a USB drive and
boot from there. This is probably a better option than LiveCD, but most
old machines do not allow booting from USB.
Wayne
