The Unofficial Fedora FAQ

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NOTE: This is not an official form of support. This is not an official service of Red Hat. These things may solve your worst nightmare, or they may eat all of the cheese in your house. I make no guarantees. YMMV.

If you have a question which is not answered here

Ask it at FedoraForum.org.
Check the FedoraNews Updates -- they have a summary of common questions and answers every few weeks.
Ask it in one of the Fedora mailing lists. (You can also search the archives.)
Ask it in the #Fedora IRC channel.

If you think that you have a FAQ that's not answered here, or if you see something that needs a correction/update, feel free to contribute!

The FAQ

About Fedora

Q: What is this Fedora Core 2 thing?
A: Fedora Core can be considered to be a continuation of the original Red Hat series, but it is now a community based project. As the official Fedora website states, the Fedora project is:
"...a Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported open source project. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products. It is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc."

Official support is only provided from the Fedora Project for 6 - 8 months per version. This means upgrading your OS every 6 - 8 months. The upgrades should be relatively painless, much like Red Hat Linux 8 - Red Hat Linux 9. The painlessness is not guaranteed.

If you don't want to upgrade every 6 - 8 months, there is something called the Fedora Legacy Project. They provide security patches for each version of Fedora for an additional 1 1/2 years after the Fedora Project stops their support.
Q: Is it unstable?
A: No!
Q: Has it been released?
A: Yes! Fedora Core 2 (Tettnang), was released on May 18th, 2004.
Q: Where do I get it? (Updated 27 May 2004)
A: Normal Download or BitTorrent. You want the "binary" or "i386" version, not the "source" or "SRPM" version.
Q: Where can I find a list of all the programs that come with Fedora Core 2 (a package list)?
A: There's a list of all the main Core 2 packages over at the Distrowatch Fedora Page.
Q: Does up2date still work?
A: Yes, but it no longer uses the Red Hat Network (RHN). (It still downloads from the Red Hat servers, you just can't use the features of the Red Hat Network.)
up2date is being gradually phased out in favor of yum or apt.
Q: Can I install on ReiserFS, JFS, or XFS?
A: Yes, you actually can install Fedora on ReiserFS, JFS, or XFS. Note that none of these file systems are officially supported by the Fedora Project. (That means that you can use them, but you won't find any official help from the Fedora Project if things go wrong.)
At the installer prompt, type this for ReiserFS:

linux reiserfs

or this for JFS:

linux jfs

or this for XFS:

linux xfs

NOTE: You cannot use SELinux on ReiserFS or JFS. XFS is OK. (If you don't know what SELinux is, you can ignore this warning.)

(Thanks to whiprush [quoting Jesse Keating] for this. Thanks to Kai Thomsen for catching an important typo. Thanks to Colin Charles for the XFS part and the SELinux warning.)
Q: Does Fedora run on the AMD64 (Opteron) platform?
A: Yes, it does! An AMD64 version of Fedora Core 2 is currently available. See the question about getting Fedora.
If you have any questions abou the AMD64 Fedora, see the AMD 64 Fedora FAQ.
Q: Can I run Fedora on a Mac (PowerPC)?
A: Yes, actually. It's a little complicated at this time -- see Colin Charles's guide to installing Fedora on an iBook. (You can probably install it on other Macs with the same instructions, but you may have to modify some things.)
(Thanks to Colin Charles!)
Q: Where is the floppy disk install image for Fedora Core 2?
A: The new 2.6 kernel in Fedora Core 2 can't fit on a floppy disk. So, you can't boot or install from a floppy. However, you can install from a CD, hard drive, or even USB disk (if your computer supports booting from a USB disk).
(Thanks to Noa Resare for suggesting this question and giving me some good sample text.)

Getting and Installing Software

Q: Where can I get software for Fedora? (Updated 25 July 2004)
A: There are a few "repositories" (sites that hold software). The primary sites are the highly unofficial rpm.livna.org (for packages with licensing or USA patent problems) and the more official fedora.us site. They hold different software.
For an alternate choice, look at FreshRPMs. There are some packages in FreshRPMs and its partner sites that aren't in fedora.us or in livna.org. You can see the list of available packages on the "Mega-Merge" page.

To search for software in all the major repositories, use the FedoraTracker search engine or rpm.pbone.net.
Q: How do I install software for Fedora? (How to use yum or an RPM)
A: The easiest way to install software in Fedora is to use yum.
1. Download this yum.conf. (Updated 04 Nov 2004)
2. Replace your "/etc/yum.conf" with the one you downloaded. You will need to be root to do that. In fact, you need to be root to do any of the following.
Note that the yum.conf provided here is updated from time to time, for various reasons.

NOTE: The first time you run yum it will download a small header file for each available package. This can take a long time, sometimes up to an hour, even on a fast connection.

Now, you can see a list of the available software:

yum list available
- To install some software, you type:
  yum install packagename
- To update some software, you type:
  yum update packagename
  
  If you leave out "packagename" yum will update all your software
- To see what updates are available, you can do:
  yum check-update
- To search for a package, you can do:
  yum search
For more info about yum, see the yum project page. (Thanks to Ron Kuris for this tip.)

If you want more security, I recommend that you un-comment the lines in the yum.conf that start with "gpgcheck=1" -- you might also want to look at the gpg signature question, if you do this. (Thanks to Kai Thomsen for convincing me to add this note.)

To get yum through a proxy, see the FedoraForum thread about yum and proxies. (Thanks to Reinhard Herzfeld for that link.)

To install an RPM that you downloaded outside of yum, open up a terminal and as root do:

rpm -Uvh filename.rpm
Q: Is there anything like apt for Fedora?
A: APT is a program for Debian Linux that installs not only the software you specify, but also all of that software's dependencies. It makes installing software much easier.
There is a piece of software like this for Fedora, that comes in the standard Fedora Core installation. It's called yum. It can automatically download and install a program and all of its dependencies, with just one command. I even provide a special configuration file that I use for yum on my computer, in the question where I explain how to use yum.

For those people who really like apt specifically, there is a version of apt for Fedora. You can download it from fedora.us. (Look for the package named "apt.") I have heard that it works very well.
Q: Where are the Fedora Extras?
A: The "Fedora Extras" will be a set of semi-official software packages supported by the Fedora Project. They don't exist yet. The fedora.us site has many packages that will be in Extras when it is created. To install them, just see the question about installing software.
Q: The update servers hosted by Red Hat are slow! What can I do?
A: First, you should use yum. Second, use the yum.conf from this FAQ -- it uses mirrors to speed things up a lot. (See the question about installing software if you need some help with yum.)
If you really want to use up2date, you can see Alexander Dalloz's great article. It will show you how to configure your up2date to use mirrors.
Q: How do I install Java?
The easiest way is to install Dag Wieers's Java Runtime RPMs:
1. Download the "j2re-" RPM that has "fc2" in the name, and install it. (The name of the RPM will look something like: j2re-1.4.2-5.1.fc2.dag.i586.rpm)
2. To use Java in your web browser (mozilla), download the "mozilla-j2re" RPM with "fc2" in the name, and install it. (The name of the RPM will look something like: mozilla-j2re-1.4.2-5.1.fc2.dag.i586.rpm)
If the above directions don't work for you, or if you want to program in Java (so you need the SDK instead of the Java Runtime), use the custom Java installation instructions.

If you have trouble with Java locking up on you, see bug 121902 in Red Hat's bug tracking system for a workaround.

(Thanks to Dag Wieers for an awesome simplification of this question. Thanks to Tarjei Knapstad for the tip about Java lockups. Thanks to Quy Nguyen Dai for catching a typo.)
Q: How can I install Flash in my web browser?
A: There are two ways to do this, using "yum," or not using it.
- Using yum (easiest):
  1. Make sure that you're using the yum.conf from the installing software question.
  2. Open a Terminal.
  3. Become root
    su -
  4. Type
    yum install flash-plugin
- Not using yum (more complex):
  1. Download the Flash Plugin RPM to your home directory. (Choose the one for "Fedora Core 2" after you pick your location.)
  2. Open a Terminal
  3. Become root:
    su -
  4. Type
    rpm -Uvh flash-plugin-*.i386.rpm
  NOTE: If you install a new version of Mozilla you have to run this process again.
If your Flash animations are slow, just add export FLASH_GTK_LIBRARY=libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 to .gtkrc in your home directory. (Thanks to Kristin Aanestad for that tip!)

If you have any questions, see the Flash Plugin FAQ! (Thanks to Warren Togami for that link.)

(Thanks to various IRC folks and vegan_linuxguy for troubleshooting this. Thanks to "m d," David Ball, and others for pointing out an important typo in this question! Thanks to David Jansen for letting me know that you no longer need libstdc++-compat for the new Flash plugin.)
Q: How can I see PDF files inside my browser?
A: I think the easiest way is with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Just install Dag Wieers's mozilla-acroread package (pick the "fc2" one).
Q: How can I watch movies in my web browser?
A: Just install the mplayer plug-in:
1. Make sure that you're using the yum.conf from the installing software question.
2. Open a Terminal.
3. Become root:
  su -
4. Install the plug-in:
  yum install mplayerplug-in
5. Close all the windows of your web browser and then open it again.
Now, you can see movies on web sites!

NOTE: If you install a new version of Mozilla you have to run this process again.

(Thanks to Sindre for writing the original text for this question.)
Q: Can I use MSN® Messenger/AIM/ICQ/Yahoo instant messaging in Fedora?
A: Yes, Fedora comes with an instant messaging program called gaim. When you use gaim, you can use MSN® Messenger, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, and Jabber, all at the same time.
To start gaim, click on the "Red Hat" menu, go to "Internet," and choose "Messaging Client."

See the gaim documentation for information about how to set up gaim with your MSN Messenger account.

(Thanks to Peter Lawler for letting me know that "gaim" isn't capitalized.)
Q: Can I use Windows (.ttf) fonts in Fedora? (Updated 31 May 2004)
A: Yes, you can.
1. Double-click on the "Computer" icon on your desktop.
2. In the "File" menu, choose "Open Location..."
3. Type in:
  fonts:
Now simply drag & drop your fonts into that window to add them. (Thanks to Harold Gimenez for the simple "Computer" way.)
Q: Where can I get drivers for my hardware for Fedora?
Dag Wieers provides an awesome set of drivers for Fedora, for all sorts of hardware. All the packages whose names start with "kernel-module" are drivers. Just download the appropriate version of the driver you need, for your kernel. If you want to find out what kernel you're running, you can open a Terminal and type:
uname -r

NOTE: You must download a new version of your driver every time you install a new kernel.

If you don't find what you need at Dag's site, try Googling for:

Linux NameOfHardware

Where NameOfHardware is the normal name of your hardware. If it has more than one name, keep trying different ones until you get a result.

Problems and Their Solutions

Q: I get a NOKEY warning from RPM, or I get a gpg signature error when using Apt / Yum / up2date! (Updated 18 Nov. 2004)
A: The NOKEY warning is not really a problem. It won't prevent you from doing anything. (The Apt / yum / up2date error, though, will usually prevent you from installing software.)
If you'd like to resolve it, do the following command to get the correct key for the site you're downloading from:

You must be root to do any of this.
- fedora.us:
  rpm --import http://www.fedora.us/FEDORA-GPG-KEY
- rpm.livna.org:
  rpm --import http://rpm.livna.org/RPM-LIVNA-GPG-KEY
- FreshRPMs:
  rpm --import http://freshrpms.net/packages/RPM-GPG-KEY.txt
- DAG:
  rpm --import http://dag.wieers.com/packages/RPM-GPG-KEY.dag.txt
- ATrpms:
  rpm --import http://atrpms.net/RPM-GPG-KEY.atrpms
- NewRPMs:
  rpm --import http://newrpms.sunsite.dk/gpg-pubkey-newrpms.txt
- Dries:
  rpm --import http://apt.sw.be/dries/RPM-GPG-KEY.dries.txt
- JPackage:
  rpm --import http://www.jpackage.org/jpackage.asc
If you've never used up2date, you will also need to do:

rpm --import /usr/share/doc/fedora-release-2/RPM-GPG-KEY*

to get the standard Red Hat keys installed.

(Thanks to Kai Thomsen for the original location of the ATrpms key, and thanks to Tom Householder for the new location! Thanks to Pim Rupert for the location of the Dries key.)
Q: I get an XKB error after I log in!
A: Oh, this one's easy!
1. Open a Terminal, and become root:
  su -
2. Open up your X.org configuration file in a text editor:
  gedit /etc/X11/XF86Config
  
  (If that doesn't work, try /etc/X11/xorg.conf instead.)
3. Change the line that says:
  Option "Xkbrules" "xfree86"
  
  to:
  
  Option "Xkbrules" "xorg"
Now you won't get the error anymore! (Thanks to the Fedora News Updates for this!)
Q: How do I enable 3D support for my ATI Radeon card in Fedora Core 2? (Updated 18 Nov. 2004)
A: There are now ATI driver RPMs provided by livna.org that are designed especially for Fedora.
NOTE: If you have nVidia drivers installed, you must un-install them before installing these ATI drivers. (Thanks to Ajay for telling me this!)

If you're using yum with our configuration, you can install the drivers just by typing:

yum install ati-fglrx kernel-module-fglrx-`(uname -r)`

That installs the ATI driver for your current kernel, and it should become active the next time you reboot your machine.

If you update your kernel, make sure that you install the newest ATI driver before you start the new kernel. To install the driver in your new kernel before you restart, you have to do:

yum install kernel-module-fglrx-`(rpm -q --queryformat="%{version}-%{release}\n" kernel | tail -n 1)`

(That's actually just a fancy way of getting the version number of your latest kernel.)

If you have any trouble with the livna.org RPMs, see the alternate instructions. Also, report a bug to the Livna.org Bugzilla.

If you encounter a bug in the ATI driver, please report it using the ATI Feedback Form!

(Thanks to Peter Lawler for a lot of help with this question. Thanks to Sindre for writing the original instructions.)
Q: How do I enable 3D support for my nVidia graphics card in Fedora Core 2? (Updated 13 August 2004)
A: There are now nVidia driver RPMs provided by livna.org that are designed especially for Fedora. If you're using yum, and you're using my yum.conf, you should be able to install the drivers just by typing:
yum install nvidia-glx kernel-module-nvidia-`(uname -r)`

That installs the nVidia driver for your current kernel.

If you update your kernel, make sure that you install the newest nVidia driver before you start the new kernel. To install the driver in your new kernel before you restart, you have to do:

yum install kernel-module-nvidia-`(rpm -q --queryformat="%{version}-%{release}\n" kernel | tail -n 1)`

(That's actually just a fancy way of getting the version number of your latest kernel.)

If, after installing the drivers, you continue to have trouble, try typing _GL_SINGLE_THREADED=1 yourprogramname to start your game instead of the normal way you do it.

If you need support for the nVidia drivers, check out the nV News "Linux and nVidia Graphics" forum. (Thanks to Exile in Paradise for this tip.)

If you have any trouble with the livna.org RPMs, see the alternate instructions.
Q: Some web sites load slowly (like fedorafaq.org or the New York Times)!
A: Hey, it's actually not the server's fault! The latest version of Mozilla includes support for "IPv6" a new form of addressing things on the internet. With IPv6, every atom on Earth will be able to have its own unique IP address.
However, most web sites and most people's Internet connections don't support IPv6 yet.

The problem is: Mozilla tries to use IPv6 before it uses IPv4 (IPv4 is the old version). When your Internet connection doesn't support IPv6, Mozilla fails to connect on the first try. In the current version of Mozilla, you can't change this, because of a bug.

So, we have to turn off IPv6 in Fedora:
1. Open a Terminal.
2. Become root:
  su -
3. Open the file /etc/modprobe.conf:
  gedit /etc/modprobe.conf
4. Add these lines to the end of the file:
  # Turn off IPv6
  alias net-pf-10 off
  alias ipv6 off
5. Now, reboot the machine and sites should load faster!
(Thanks to Jonathan Baron and Chris Hubick for this great tip!)
Q: My 3com network card doesn't work!
A: Okay, first, look at this bugzilla bug. There are known problems with the 3Com 3c905B/TX and how it interacts with kudzu.
If you disable kudzu (which detects when you have new hardware) this will resolve the issue for now. As root, in a Terminal, type:

chkconfig kudzu off

After you reboot, your card should work. (Thanks to jroysdon for pointing this out.)
Q: My wireless networking card doesn't work!
A: Yep, that's a known bug with Anaconda, the Fedora Core 2 installer. It installs wireless cards wrongly. So, we have to re-install it correctly:
1. Open up the "Red Hat" menu and go to System Settings -> Network.
2. Click on the Hardware tab, select your wireless card, and click the "Delete" button.
3. Close the Network Configuration.
4. Now, open to the "Red Hat" menu and go to System Tools -> Internet Configuration Wizard.
5. Choose "Wireless Connection." and press Forward.
6. Now, pick the network card that is your wireless card, and click "Forward."
7. From here on out, you can just press "Forward" if you don't know the answers to the questions.
8. Reboot your machine, and your wireless card should work properly.
This solves most wireless problems, though it may not solve all.
Q: My computer reboots when I try to install Fedora Core 2! (Updated 17 July 2004)
A: You either have an ASUS P4P800 motherboard, or a VIA C3 processor. Here's how to fix it:
1. Download a fixed CD-ROM image, either for the VIA C3 or for the ASUS P4P800.
2. Burn the image to a blank CD. In a Terminal, you can do this with:
  cdrecord -dev=/dev/cdrom -data name.iso
  
  Where "name.iso" is the name of the file you downloaded in the above step. (Also, your CD burner could be cdrom1 if you have two CD drives.)
3. Boot from the CD you just burned, and install Fedora Core 2. When asked for the installation location, specify "Local CDROM", and insert your original (not fixed) CD #1.
4. This will install a Fedora Core 2 with the same problem, so we have to fix that. Boot from the CD you burned, again, but instead of installing, do:
  linux rescue
5. Choose "Local CDROM" as the location of the rescue image, and then insert your original (not fixed) CD #1.
6. When you are asked, say "yes" to Networking, and "yes" to mounting your system image. Hit "OK" or "Next" for everything else, unless you need to choose something specific that you know about.
7. When you get a prompt, do:
  chroot /mnt/sysimage/
8. Open up a web site for Fedora Updates:
  links http://mirrors.kernel.org/fedora/core/updates/2/i386/
9. Use the arrow keys to scroll down to the latest kernel for your CPU:
  - For the VIA C3, this will look like: kernel-2.6.6-1.[version].i586.rpm.
  - For the ASUS P4P800, this will look like: kernel-2.6.6-1.[version].i686.rpm.
  If there are multiple versions, pick the one with the highest [version] number.
10. Press the Enter key to download the file, and choose "Save" when asked. (Make sure you select the text "kernel-..." and not the box on the left.)
11. Press q to quit the web browser.
12. Install the new kernel:
  rpm -Uvh kernel-2.6*
13. Delete the file you downloaded:
  rm -f kernel-2.6*
14. Remove the original Fedora kernel:
  rpm -e kernel-2.6.5-1.358
15. Reboot your machine, remove the CD, and your Fedora Core 2 will work!
  reboot
(A big thanks to Tarjei Knapstad and Alan Cox for this info. Thanks to JW Vraets for some great clarifications!)
Q: I get a disk space error when I try to install Fedora!
A: If you get an error message with the installer, first try:
linux allowcddma

when you start the installer. If that doesn't work, try:

linux mem=128M

If 128M doesn't work, try smaller and smaller numbers until it does work. A good rule of thumb is "your RAM - 2M." (Thanks to Alan Cox for explaning this all to me.)

The error message is usually: An error occurred transferring the install image to your hard drive. You are probably out of disk space.

(Thanks to Neuberg Tor Erik, |Jef|, and StarHeart for the DMA method. Thanks to Dave Lovelace and Götz Reinicke for the mem= method.)
Q: I installed Fedora Core 2, and now I can't boot into Windows! (Updated 17 July 2004)
A: This should only happen if you installed a Fedora Core 2 Test Release and then upgraded to the Final version of Fedora Core 2. (If you don't know what that means, don't worry -- it doesn't apply to you.)
This actually isn't specific to Fedora, it happens on many Linux distributions using the new 2.6 kernel.

If you have this happen to you, here's how to fix it:
1. Open a Terminal.
2. Become root:
  su -
3. Type this:
  sfdisk -d /dev/hda | sfdisk --no-reread -H255 /dev/hda
  
  NOTE: Your Windows hard drive may not be "hda" -- if you're not sure, you can do cat /proc/partitions to see how big each part of each drive is. That might give you an idea of which one is Windows. If your Windows drive is not hda, replace "hda" in the above command with your Windows hard drive.
  
  If the above doesn't work, or it gives you an error, try "-H240" instead of "-H255". If that doesn't work, you can read the long HOWTO for fixing the dual-boot problem.
If you want more information, or if the above doesn't work for you, see bug 115980 in Red Hat's Bugzilla.

(Thanks to Gareth Russell for figuring this all out from the Bugzilla bug.)
Q: I have other installation problems than those listed above.
A: If your installation doesn't work, or you have problems during or after installation, first read the README and the Release Notes.
If the README and Release Notes don't have a solution for your problem, try booting the installer with one of the following commands:

linux acpi=off

linux i8042.nomux

linux acpi=off apm=off

The "i8042.nomux" is especially helpful if you have keyboard or mouse problems.

If any of those commands fixes your problem, please file a bug in Red Hat's Bugzilla.

(Thanks to Alan Cox for all this information.)
Q: I installed a program, how do I start it?
A: First, look around in the "Red Hat" menu in the toolbar. Most new programs installed will add themselves to the menu automatically.
If you can't find it in the menu, you can use the Terminal, in the menu under "System Tools." Most programs are executed by their name. For example, to launch the web browser, mozilla, you can simply open a terminal and type:

mozilla

If it isn't in the menu and the program name isn't obvious, try this to list the programs in a package:

rpm -ql packagename | grep bin
Q: How do I make XMMS play MP3s? (Updated 23 May 2004)
A: Before I talk about this, you should know: In the United States and some other countries, you may have to pay patent royalties to use MP3 players or encoders. However, for home users, there is no legal problem with MP3 players. (Thanks to Doug McClean for clearing that up for me!)
With that said, the plugins for these things are usually in the rpm.livna.org repository.
1. Set up your yum.conf to be able to access rpm.livna.org. (See the question about getting Fedora software)
2. Open a Terminal.
3. Become root
  su -
4. Type
  yum install xmms-mp3
Q: How do I make Rhythmbox play MP3s? (Updated 24 May 2004)
A: Remember, there may be legal issues. See the XMMS question. With that said, the plugins for these things are usually in the rpm.livna.org repository:
1. Set up your yum.conf to be able to access rpm.livna.org. (See the question about getting Fedora software)
2. Open a Terminal.
3. Become root:
  su -
4. Type
  yum install gstreamer-plugins-mp3
5. Load the plugin:
  gst-register-0.8
Q: How can I play MP3s in a KDE MP3 player, like Noatun or Juk?
A: See Adrian Holovaty's awesome answer to this question.
Q: How do I read my NTFS (Windows NT/2000/XP/2003) drive in Fedora?
A: Well, now, that's an easy one! The wonderful linux-ntfs project has a whole section dedicated to Red Hat and Fedora. If you get lost, just look at the links on the left.
Q: I don't like the new spatial file manager, how can I turn it off?
A: You should at least give the new file manager a try, it's unusual, but many find it a better, faster and more efficient file manager. If you want a good introduction to it, read this introduction to the spatial file manager.
If you decide you really don't like it and want to go back to the old file manager:
1. Open a Terminal.
2. Type:
  gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/nautilus/preferences/always_use_browser true
3. Log out and log in again, and the file manager will be back to the way it used to be.
If you ever want to turn the new file manager back on, you can do

gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/nautilus/preferences/always_use_browser false

and then log out and log in again.

(Thanks to Mark McLoughlin and Jorge Castro for the simpler gconftool-2 way of doing this.)
Q: How do I edit the menus in the panel? (Updated 17 June 2004)
A: There is no easy way to do this in modern versions of GNOME or KDE.
If you really want to change things, the menu items are ".desktop" text files in /usr/share/applications/. You can edit them in a text editor (like gedit) if you are root. You can use a command-line utility called desktop-file-install to add new .desktop files you create yourself. If you want to know how to write .desktop files, you can either look at the existing ones in /usr/share/applications, or you can read the (somewhat technical) .desktop specification.
Q: How do I get Wine to work? (Updated 25 July 2004)
A: There are RPMs that work out-of-the-box at NewRPMs. Go to the NewRPMs Fedora Repository and get whichever wine RPM has been posted most recently (check the date next to the file), and try installing it. (Thanks to che for the tip.)
If for some reason you can't use the Wine RPMs (for example, you're using the CrossOver Office version of Wine), you have two choices:
- Simple:
  Every time you start wine, instead of typing wine program type:
  
  setarch i386 wine program
  
  (Thanks to "ric" for this method.)
- More Complex (better performance):
  You can disable a security feature called "exec-shield." That will solve the Wine-related problems in Fedora:
  1. Become root:
    su -
  2. Run prelink:
    prelink -ua
  3. Edit /etc/sysconfig/prelink. You'll need to change:
    PRELINK_OPTS=-mR
    
    to:
    
    PRELINK_OPTS="-m --no-exec-shield"
  4. Then do this to disable exec-shield:
    prelink -am --no-exec-shield
  NOTE: Exec-shield lessens the risk of the dreaded "buffer overflow" that most viruses and attacks use to compromise your system. However, as long as you're up-to-date with your updates, you shouldn't be in any more danger after you disable exec-shield.
  
  Note: You could also edit /etc/prelink.conf and skip everything that related to Wine, but I don't know the specific details on what you'd need to skip. (If you get it working, email me!)
  
  (Thanks to Carlos Vidal and Jeremy White for the general Wine un-prelink instructions. Thanks to Guy Fraser for the PRELINK_OPTS method. )
Q: I can't access my Windows network shares anymore! People tell me to use the smbmount command, but it doesn't work!
A: Fedora Core 2 uses a cool new type of Windows file sharing called "The Common Internet File System" (CIFS). Instead of using "smbmount", try:
mount -t cifs //computername/share /mnt/somedirectory

For more information about this, in a Terminal you can do:

man mount.cifs
Q: What is rescue mode and how do I boot into it?
A: Rescue mode provides the ability to boot a small Fedora environment entirely from a CD-ROM or USB drive instead of the system's hard drive. As the name implies, rescue mode is provided to rescue you from something. In rescue-mode you can mount and edit your files, such as configuration files and by doing so solve your problems.
To boot into rescue mode, you must be able to boot the system using one of the following methods:
1. By booting the system from an installation boot CD-ROM, or a boot image on a USB disk.
2. By booting the system from the Fedora CD-ROM #1.
Once you have booted using one of the described methods, enter the following command at the installation boot prompt:

linux rescue
Q: d00d, u sukc
A: Whoa, dude. I love you too.
Too many goats, not enough kudzu.

The Unofficial Fedora FAQ - Fedora Core 2

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