Several download options for Fedora ISOs are available from
http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora, including "spins" (special versions targeted at specific audiences) and versions for different processor types. Multiple download methods are available, including direct download from an official Fedora mirror, and torrents. Torrents download data from multiple peers, but require special software (for example
transmission or
Ktorrent).
The ISO files are large, so it might take a long time to download them, especially using a dial-up modem. If you have a slow connection to the Internet, consider using a download manager. Download managers typically enable you to pause and recommence the download at convenient times and to resume a download that was interrupted.
Fedora is distributed on multiple CD-sized ISO image files, or a single DVD-sized ISO image file. You can use the single DVD ISO file if your computer meets the following requirements:
It has a DVD-writable or DVD-rewritable drive.
It has sufficient storage space available to hold the image file (approximately 3.5 GB).
It uses a file system that can store files larger than 2 GB.
To write the DVD ISO file to a disc, your computer needs to have a drive that can write to DVD media. If your computer has a drive that only writes CD media and not DVD media, download the CD-sized files instead.
A file system is a method that your computer uses to organize the files and data on its storage devices. Some file systems cannot store files larger than 2 GB, which would prevent them from storing the Fedora DVD image, which is approximately 3.5 GB. FAT32 is a file system that is still in common use on older computers and which is limited in this way. FAT32 was the default file system for computers that used the Windows 98 and Windows Me operating systems, and was also used on many computers with the Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems, although it was not the default choice.
If your computer uses Windows 98 or Windows Me, do not download the DVD image file; download the CD image files instead. If your computer uses Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can check the format of a drive such as C:. Click the Start button and double-click My Computer. Right-click the drive you want to check, and choose Properties. The resulting dialog displays the format for that file system. Most drives on computers that use Windows 2000 or Windows XP are formatted as NTFS, a file system that can handle large files like DVD images.
Create a new directory where you can download the files that you need. You need approximately 700 MB of free space available for each CD-sized ISO file, or approximately 3.5 GB for the DVD-sized ISO file.
