Fedora 4, can't access consoles?

[Al Puzzuoli]

Hi all,

I  just did a telnet install of Fedora 4.  Everything seemed to go well enough.  After the instalation, the system came up to First boot.  I got through first boot with sighted assistance; However, I can't access the text mode consoles.  If for example, I attempt to do control+alt+f1, I get a pink box outlining the edges of my screen and nothing else, no login prompt etc.  When this happens, the only Thing I can do is reboot with control alt delete.  has anyone seen this before and if so, is there a workable solution?  
this one's going to be fun, kind of like the chicken and the egg--  I don't see how I can troubleshoot this without any accessibility, but if I can't get to the console mode, I can't install accessibility-- grumble!  

--Al