Guest New2Linux Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Ok, here's my situation. I recently added Mandrake 9.1 to my HD. I partitioned 13GB for XP and 5.5GB for Linux. However, after installing Linux I have two problems: 1. I cannot load any of the desktops (KDE, GNOME, Windows X etc.). The command line works fine, but my knowledge of Unix commands is fairly limited, so if anyone has a *nix code solution, please be specific. 2. My Windows partition will not load, I get an error telling me that hal.dll is either corrupted or missing, and Xp will not load. Does this mean XP is hosed and needs to be reinstalled, or can I save the old config? If not, how can I blow away the partition and make the whole thing Linux, and get the thing configed correctly(screw M$ :D )? I checked the FAQs and a few other boards and could not find anything specifically for what I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Welcome to Mandrakeusers.org! Could you tell us what specifically you did? Did you use Mandrake to create the partitions? Did you install lilo for an os chooser? What partitions did you setup within the primary partition, if any? To see if xp is still around, you can use the first cd. At the graphic, hit F1, type "rescue" and find the menu option to restore the windex mbr. Then see if xp boots. h, and are you using ntfs for xp? Sorry for all the questions, but the answers will get you an accurate solution. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest New2Linux Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Ok, I created the partition using XP. I defraged the HD, and then ran chkdsk c:. After that I loaded the 1st Mandrake Cd and followed the prompts for all three CDs. I don't remember what I chose as the os chooser, whatever the default is I imagine. I was told to just follow the prompts to make the install go more smoothly. I only setup two partitions one of about 13GB for XP, and one of about 5.5GB for Mandrake. Also I am using NTFS on XP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 OK, welcome to the world of xp! Go back into xp (did the fix work?) and instead of making a partition with xp, delete the partition and leave the extra space blank. Use the Mandrake installer to setup the now available free disk space. (It will be one of your choices.) This time around, the boot loader will work without a problem. I boot mandrake, xp, and at least one oher os without any problems. I use lilo, which is the mandrake default. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest New2Linux Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 You know what, I take back what I said about the partitioning. I forgot that Mandrake actually does partition the disk for you. I remember using it to set the partition up. As for the fix you suggested for XP, I haven't tried it yet, I will as soon as I get home to my laptop. Do I need to run the install again? If not what can I do to actually see/use my KDE or GNOME desktop? As of now, I can't get to any Linux desktop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 If you used Mandrake to alter an nt partition, that is also a possible problem area. Altering nt partitions can be a problem for windex, much less linux. So, you may need to rescue xp with the windex cd. But be sure to leave some unpartitioned space for linux. And let linux setup the new partition(s). Or, just hose xp :wink: and take the jump to linux!! Put cd1 in and reformat the entire drive!! I think the video problem needs to be dealt with after the initial installation issues are handled. They may go away. But, what is your video card? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoopy Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 @ your linux prompt: startx What does this do? If it fails and brings you back to the command line, you might need to fix your XFree86 config. Welcome aboard. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest New2Linux Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Scoopy: I tried that, and when I typed startx or even startkde I got a bunch of messages saying that the os was trying to find the init file(s), couldn't and crapped out because the file(s) were unavailable. Ixthusdan: I'll try to rescue the XP partition, but if I can't, blowing away XP does not sound like sucha bad thing. I only loaded XP Pro because I wanted to try .NET, and it was not worth it for me (I like C/C++, and Java waayyy more than VC++ and C#). XP Pro has slowed down my computer to a crawl on more than one occassion . I have used M$ since 3.1, and XP Pro (IMHO) is as unstable as Win95 (I may not get the blue screen of death, but it locks up just as much). Just count me as another pissed off M$ user looking for a change. Heck, if I can get my one of Linux desktop to work, I'd blow away XP without even thinking about it. Both: Thanks for welcoming me. As a newbie, I'm sure I'll be here often :D . Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest New2Linux Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Does anybody know whether Word docs can be ported to the the OpenOffice equivalent? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Yes, OO works both directions with Word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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