I'm currently Dual Booting with Mandrake and Windows XP SP2. I was wondering, how would I be able to just get rid of the Mandrake install without messing up the bootloader? Will it just default back to the Windows one or will it still think Linux is installed?

I'm planning on replacing it with a Gentoo partition, a lot of people have been telling me that most of the Mandrake stuff isn't all the useful, and I'd like to do most configuration stuff through terminal anyway.

Edit: BTW, I was planning on using the Mandrake disk to remove the Mandrake partitions, so I don't think removing them will be a problem. Just wondering about what happens afterwords.

Mandrake stuff isn't that useful? Say What??? On linux forum, comparison of distros is called a distro war, because like with women, everyone has an opinion and those opinions are all different. I have used Mandrake since 1999, and it does all sorts of wonderful stuff. I even made a book with LyX, the typesetter program which is a front end for LaTeX. Someone is pulling your leg, or is prejudiced.

This reminds me of the 1980 Apple v. Radio Shack war nonsense.

However, I digress.

Usually, when you are dual booting, all you need to do is install the new distro right in the same partition where the old one was, if the old partition is acceptable to you. My only problem is while I know this, I have not done it myself with Gentoo, only with Redhat and Mandrake. Generally, when you install you are given the option of formatting the partition you already have, which means it wipes the old distro.

If this is not true, a Gentoo expert will let you know ASAP, heh, heh.

As far as the bootloader, usually the install procedure for your distro will take care of that. Lilo and Grub need to call out stuff that is present, that is, there is no universal linux call-out.

I'm pretty sure it uses grub. I'd just like to learn something more manual personally. I'm kinda tired of Window's lack of options. I'd like to try something challenging, I know just about nothing now (Linux wise at least...I know my way around Windows). Mandrake seems a lot easier to set up and does a lot for you. I have heard a lot of good things about Mandrake also though.

Really newbie question though...does every app have to be specifically compiled for every distro? Will a .run file or whatever work universally or what?

Oh, and a not-so-linux related question....I'm thinking about giving my Linux partition a little more room. Anyone know if Partition Magic could resize my main NTFS partition to something smaller without damaging ANYTHING on that partition? There's plenty of empty room so that's not a problem. Obviously I'd back everything up first but I'd rather not format that if I don't have to.

I can't say what will happen before you install gentoo, but the gentoo installation has you install either lilo or grub, whichever you prefer (afterall gentoo is all about options).

Beware, the install is not NEARLY as easy as mandrake.

Btw, the 4th step of the Gentoo install is to partition with fdisk, so using mandrake to get rid of the partition is unneccesary.

I got a pretty long guide from their site, I've read through about half of it and it seems like I can handle it. They go pretty in depth.

Anyway, that was the end of my questions. Other than the Windows thing which probably doesn't belong here, guess I'm done with this thread. Thanks for the help.