ok i have updated my bios, was a lil scared just incase i flashed it and boom it messes up and i need a new comp a dell is a pita, only certain mobos work in it. ( building a new pc at end of year)
basically, why did i change jumpers?
Simple had windows xp pro installed working for months, had been removing services and optimizing it the best i could based on guides found on the internet,
finally get a copy of linux, i had been told mandrake was the best and most supported, and had most of the functionality of pritty much all the distros.
i installed linux to my second hd jumpers set to slave.
install went fine i am thinking yay, linux (after using it i fell in love (used Move i think in college)) install works. computer starts booting, dell screen shows, bar loads and bam, where i should see either windows Xp or the linux boot loader. i see L070707070707 all down the screen.
i couldn't fix it i did try rescue mode and restore windows mbr or whatever. but that didn't work. so i had to wipe C: and reinstall windows.
i am going to reinstall linux shortly as i have updated my bios that was 2 years old and perhaps that may have been the problem.
but i was getting frustrated at the fact so many people had got this working, and the fact i had been through so many tutorials for it and all failed. + my modem being a pita and not working on linux(i found some OLD source code for it released by dell for redhat it refused to install "storage size of modem unknown". i have now ordered this modem should be here in a day or so Modem
unfortunatly a cheaper one i had found the stock has been late comming in and i can't be waiting for a month, just to hear its now obsolete (i picked that modem because it stats in its specification that it works with linux)
now i am going to reinstall linux. if this fails, i will have to reinstall windows once more. but this time i have taken some browser precautions all bookmarks stored on a partition that won't be wiped, and this time my gfs stuff to (my god did i get an ear bashing, you lost my drawings i did in paint the look me ages (a stick figure saying xxx sucks xxxx) meh anyways wish me luck!