Cannonfodder

Glad to hear :)

Why don't you post your /etc/fstab file here and let us see how you have your system setup..

Try going to www.freshmeat.net and typing in chess in the search engine. There are lots of projects. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for..

Try this first.. Boot into linux and take a look at your windows partition. Can you see it? Should be located under /mnt/win_c. If the directory is empty or gives you errors then you can't see it. If you can't see it, then you have probably lost it or the partition table is corrupted. Another thing to try. Open a console and type diskdrake. Should give you a graphical representation of your hard drive. Any error messages? Stuff like "Can't work with partition table"? If so, let us know. Otherwise, several things you can try.. 1. Reinstall win98. You will need to boot into linux and use diskdrake to format the partition. Then use the windows boot floppy and fdisk /mbr to restore the default mbr. Install windows. When up and running, restore lilo with the mandrake cd 1 rescue options (Boot cd 1, hit f1, type rescue). 2. Uninstall mandrake and see if windows comes back. It may be a partition table issue. To uninstall, boot off of cd1 and install in expert mode. When you get to the partition table, delete the linux partitions. Attempt to format anything and it will save the partition table. Don't do the format though :) Do fdisk /mbr and see if windows is restored. If not, back to #1. At no time in any of these instructions should you use fdisk for anything more than fdisk /mbr. Fdisk is not compatible with linux and does not understand it. It may render your partition table totally unusuable and you will have another problem to deal with. I also recommend that you give up using partition magic. Use mandrake's diskdrake instead. And as I mentioned before, do not use any windows partition or disk manager while you have linux installed.

Here's my /etc/fstab file in the event it helps. It's all reiserfs file systems though.. I take it you had to set your bios to look for hdb. Where did you install lilo to during the installation process? # Linux partitions /dev/hdc5 / reiserfs notail 1 1 /dev/hdc6 swap swap defaults 0 0 /dev/hdc7 /usr reiserfs notail 1 2 /dev/hdc8 /home reiserfs notail 1 2 # CD/DVD none /mnt/cdrom supermount dev=/dev/hdb,fs=auto,ro,user,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850 0 0 none /mnt/cdrom2 supermount dev=/dev/scd0,fs=auto,ro,user,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850 0 0 none /mnt/floppy supermount dev=/dev/fd0,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,sync,codepage=850 0 0 # FAT32 partitions /dev/hda1 /mnt/win2k vfat user,exec,umask=0,codepage=850,iocharset=iso8859-1 0 0 /dev/hda5 /mnt/software vfat user,exec,umask=0,codepage=850,iocharset=iso8859-1 0 0 /dev/hda6 /mnt/media ntfs defaults,umask=0 0 0 /dev/hdc9 /mnt/wintemp vfat user,exec,umask=0,codepage=850,iocharset=iso8859-1 0 0 /dev/hdc10 /mnt/winrip vfat user,exec,umask=0,codepage=850,iocharset=iso8859-1 0 0 # Some dev none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0 none /proc proc defaults 0 0 #none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0

Can you say "liquid nitrogen"?

Since you are new to this, I suggest this.. 1. Move page back to first drive for now. 2. Boot off Mandrake CD1 and select expert install. 3. Go through a few install screens and eventually you will see partitioning. 4. Click on the second drive (either hdb or hdd). It's a tab. 5. Click auto-configure button and select /usr option. This will automatically make your linux partitions for you. 6. Click on each partition and write down on paper name size mount point 7. Click CLEAR. This will clear the partition table. 8. Start with the first partition (/ boot). Click on Journaled File System tab. Select ReiserFS as your file system. This is a very good file system that handles crashes and is being continuously updated by developers. Set the partition size. Set the mount point (type it in). Click on Preferences. Select Primary. This will be a primary partition. All other partitions created will be extended (avoid maxing out at 4 primary partitions). 9. Now do the swap partition. Click on the swap file system tab. Go with the default size. Click on Preferences and select Extended (just extended, not extended-some number). 10. Create the /usr and /home partitions in the same fashion as extended reiserfs file systems. 11. Skip making FAT32 file systems for now. Do it later. Leave yourself room though. 12. Click DONE and continue with install. 13. When you get to the lilo install screen, just install to hda. It will do fine. I recommend you use at least the following partition sizes. / - 600 meg /swap - use default /usr - 3-4 gig /home 2-4 gig After you have completed the install, start playing with linux. Do this for a week. During this time, you may decide to redo the install, make changes what not. When you have settled down and have what you want, then make your fat32 (called vfat in linux) partitions. Warning!! Do not use windows disk manager or fdisk for a hard drive with linux partitions. It will go bye bye :)

Hmmm, not sure where you are at.. In order to restore from partimage, you have to backup from partimage first. You were using ghost so you won't be able to restore a ghost image with partimage if that is what you are attempting? As far as partition size, the rule is that the restore partition has to be at least the same size or larger than the original. BTW, was that window's FDISK?

*bump*

If you use partimage, you need to locate the downloadable cd iso. Then you burn the cd and you can boot off of it.

I suspect that most of us haven't been exposed to this. Do you think I should move this topic to the Security Forum? Just post here and I will...

You can also put Mandrake Cd1 in and do an expert install. When you get to the partitioning screen, hit the clear button and then create a new partition that you need. Attempt to format the partition and this will save the new partition.

For your mandrake box, do the expert install and when you get to the partitinging screen, just hit clear. It will clear the partitioning table (good idea). Then hit auto-configure and select the /usr option. Now write down the partition info that it created on paper. You can note the Name Size File System Mount Point (where it get's mounted in the linux file system) Consider any other partitions you would like to make such as /var. Then hit clear again. Now make each partition by hand. I suggest reiserfs as your linux file system rather than ext2 or 3. It's worked very well and is a journaled file system. Many users are swearing by it. All my linux partitions are reiserfs except the swap partition. For the first partition / (boot/root), click Preferences and select Primary. For the remaining partitions, click Preferences and select Extended. This will leave you with the ability to make 2 more primaries down the road. When you are done, you should have something like this.. hda1 - / - reiserfs hda5 - /swap - swap hda6 - /usr - reiserfs hda7 - /home - reiserfs You can also make additional partitions such as MEDIA or DEV (development), based on your needs. The goal of making separate partitions is that the file systems will be quicker and also easier to backup. It's easy to backup a 2 gig partition vs a 20 gig partition. Easy to put them on CD's or copy to another hard drive. Check out www.partimage.org for free ghosting software. Another option is to put a second hard drive into your win2k computer and install linux on that hard drive. This will allow you to share files easily unless you want to network your computers and use samba to transfer files. If you put them on the same computer, then you should probably make a Fat32 partition for sharing files. Regarding NTFS, you had the option if you installed from CD. It was the blue screen asking you to format. Win2k is a neat OS compared to the other ones. You will probably like it :) I would recommend you redo your NTFS system. I would reinstall Win2k and make it about 2.5 gig in size. Get the system up and running with drivers and anything that doesn't expire (in terms of software such as virus software). Then use the win2k Disk manager to create a new extended partition that takes up the rest of the drive. Within the extended partition you can make other partitions for various purposes (same ideas as with linux). I have a software partition, media partition, development so on. Never use the a windows disk manager or fdisk to modify a partition table with linux partitions, you will be sorry! Always use a linux disk manager instead. At this point, use partimage or ghost to burn a copy of your NTFS partition and save it on CD so you can always restore it if it ever gets screwed or you simply want to go back to a clean install. Try to do as many customizations as possible before you burn it. Prefer a list view vs a folder icon view. Set it before burning the ghost. Once this is done, you can install additional software, everthing you need. If you make a software partition, this will be D:. You can install everything to that. I also right-clicked on my computer, select properties, advanced, environment variables and moved my temp folders to a different partition (such as D: or what not). This keeps my C: from filling up with junk after a while. Lastely I moved my swap to some other partition besides C:.

Lastly, with computers, it pays to research first, buy second. I'm not trying to put you down, but the concept will always save you big time :)

I just installed the nvidia drivers for 9. It was a piece of cake. Two rpm's and a few minor fixes to my /etc/XF86Config-4 file.

Another way to do this is to install webmin and use it to add a boot action to start xscreensaver. Then it works even if you haven't logged in. One of these days I'll have to investigate what files are modified when I do that though...

You need to post what version of Mandrake you are using, the kind of mouse you have..

Try using the locate command to look for anything endiing with .rpm locate *.rpm You should be able to find the RPM's in that fashion..

Unless you have done a lot of work, customization, software installations, its almost easier to just wipe your current Mandrake installation and start afresh. Destroy your old partitions and create new ones. You can back up any data or script files and restore them later. You can also backup with www.partimage.org that has a downloadable iso bootable CD. If you backup with this, you can restore the partitions into larger or same size partitions. Just can't restore into smaller partitions. I backup onto a second drive regularly.

If you look at the bottom of the /etc/profile script, you will see a loop that processes the /etc/profile.d directory and executes any script files it finds in that directory. There is also /etc/rc directories that process scripts based on the current run level.

Try this... Boot off of CD1, hit F1, type rescue, and then mount all file systems, followed by go to console. Edit the following file with vi or whatever.. /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 Look for the following line.. Load "v4l" # Video for Linux and comment it out.. # Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Video 4 linux can cause the blank/black screen. I've used this fix several times successfully..

Seems to be business as usual at Mandrake, sigh..

gewb, another to consider is that you should have a clean backup so if your really were infected, you can restore your partitions from the backup

Can't you just make a /etc/profile.d/ script file that contains the definitions for all users? E.g. My.. /etc/profile.d/myalias.sh contains definitions for aliases and env variables. If I login as anyone or open a console, those definitions are active.

Thanks!