Arch Linux

I tried to install it with the base iso + ftp install, but I couldn't download the file list.  All the mirrors said something like "unable to find host".  I know for a fact that I had all my information correct for the network, and the install said it detected my ethernet module, so I don't get why that method of install wasn't working..

Then I tried the cd rom install, and I got all the way to the part where you configure the GRUB menu.  I thought I did it correctly but apparently I messed up since when I rebooted GRUB didn't even load and I went directly into windows.

my partitions look like this:

sda1- windows (primary)
sda2- windows backup (primary)
sda3- / (primary)
sda4- swap (primary)

How should I configure the GRUB menu file?

>>1
sda4- www.opera.com

you have to actually let grub install a boot sector

use debian

I let it install the boot sector on the / partition.

It doesn't even boot though. 

is the / partition the first one?
remember, boot sector is LBA 0 (i.e. very first sector on disk)

FreeBSD

/ is sda3.

so you're saying I should install GRUB on the Windows XP partition, since it's sda1?

That's strange, because everywhere I've looked people either say to install GRUB on the boot or root partition.  I don't even have a boot partition since I cannot make any more primary partitions, I'd delete the backup but until I get some form of backup software that allows me to make an iso of my harddrive, I'm leaving it there.

Install GRUB on sda.

>>9

sda_?

There isn't a "sda".  There is only sda1, sda2, sda3, and sda4.

>>10
/dev/sda

Yeah, I just noticed that there WAS a sda.

I got GRUB working... I'm on the final stretch, I type in "pacman -Syu"... hostnamefound, or whatever.... then there is an error connecting to all the ftp mirrors.

What the fuck is wrong here.  It says that the ethernet module was found, I know for a fact that I have my ip/subnet mask/gateway/dns right, am I missing something here?  I have a linksys WRT54G router and I have a static ip setup in windows... could that be a problem?

>>12
See if the output of ifconfig corresponds with what you would expect.

Also, try pinging a known IP, for example 64.233.167.99 for google.com.  You might need to add a nameserver (your router) in case it works.

Perhaps you have several ethernet interfaces and you configured the wrong one?

Also see /etc/rc.conf.