The exact files you need from the download server depend upon your system and the version of Fedora you are downloading. The files you need are named in the form of Fedora-<version>-<arch>-disc<count>.iso, where "<version>" is the version of Fedora you wish to download, "<arch>" is your computer's processor architecture, and "<count>" is the disc number for each of the installation CDs. In the case of an installation DVD, DVD is used in the filename.

The computer processor architecture is usually i386 for 32-bit PCs, including the Pentium and Athlon processor families. The architecture is usually x86_64 for 64-bit PCs, including the Athlon 64 processor family. The architecture is usually ppc for PowerPC computers, including most of Apple's Macintosh offerings before they began using Intel chips in the MacBook. If in doubt, your system probably requires the i386 versions.

For example, if downloading Fedora 18 for a Pentium 4 computer, the correct file is Fedora-18-i386-DVD.iso. You may also need the CHECKSUM file to verify that the files you have downloaded are complete and correct.

Note that a Fedora Live CD is also available. This disc does not contain all the software packages available on the DVD or set of CDs, but does allow you to try Fedora before you install it to your computer. Refer to the article Fedora Live Images available from http://docs.fedoraproject.org to learn more.