Mandrake 7.1 - Windows installation

[Grendel3]

Hi. You can't really get much newer than me to Linux, and I'd like to give it a try.

I've got a copy of Mandrake 7.1 from PC Plus (if I like it, I'll download 7.2, but I just want to give it a try first) and I want to install it through Windows.

I know there was a bug in 7.0 that caused your Windows partition to be wiped if you attempted it, but is this fixed for version 7.1? Thats the last thing I want as I have the Delphi source code for my online game on the drive. Please reply quickly (within half-an-hour if possible) because I'm about to install it. Thanks.

[bigrigdriver]

RH didn't really wipe out Windows, it just wrote LILO to the Windows MBR (Master Boot Record). When you turned on the box, it couldn't find Windows.
Your best bet would be to use something like PartitionMagic to repartition your hard disk, then format the new partition for Linux ext2 and swap (setting up 2 partitions within the one major partition: one for Linux ext2 and one for swap). Then install into the Linux partition (if there is any way to prevent RH from writing to the MBR, do it). Make the new partition bootable by installing LILO (or whatever RH uses) in the new partition, and NOT in the Windows MBR.
Once you've done that, install BootMagic (comes with PartitionMagic)in Windows, and add Linux to the boot choices. Thereafter, when you turn on the box, BootMagic will give you the choice of which to boot (with a default 10 second delay).

[ 09 March 2001: Message edited by: bigrigdriver ]