captainhaddock

Thanks for the info, bvc. If I have to install Mandrake all over just to try Grub, I think I'll can it and install something else. I tried installing Mandrake on two computers this weekend and neither installation worked; this is definitely not a distro that's ready for the desktop (my desktop, anyway).

Paul

Thanks for the reply, kazslo. You mean in the BIOS settings? I've tried both "normal" and "lba". Makes no difference.

Paul

I took the plunge today and tried installing Mandrake 9.2 on the new hard disk I just added to my machine. The installation process went smoothly, but when I rebooted for the first time, "Lilo" or whatever that bootloader thing is called just gave me a screen full of 99s. "99 99 99 99 99 99 etc." [Grumble...My heart has little joy in it for Linux at the moment...]

I rebooted with the Mandrake CD and restored my Windows boot record (thank God, since I have months of work on that drive I can't afford to lose).

I don't want to screw with my MBR any more; how can I create a boot CD with a bootloader that will let me choose between Windows 2000 and Mandrake?

My computer configuration is as follows:

HD 1: NTFS partition with Win2K

HD 2: FAT32 partition for data, Ext3 partition with Mandrake 9.2 (I think)

I'd rather make a boot CD than a floppy, because my floppy drive is inside my tower, inaccessible (not enough bays on the front). I'd really appreciate any help; I've read the documentation on Lilo and Grub and I don't understand any of it.

If there is a safe way to get a dual-boot going without using a floppy or CD, I'd like to know that too.

Paul