Ok, I've been using RH9 for a while now but i want to switch to Mandrake.

Will it be possible to do this without screwing up the MBR? I have a RH9/WinXP dual boot and when i installed RH i just let it put the bootloader (GRUB) onto the MBR.

I want to just boot up the Mandrake CD, tell it to delete all existing Linux partitions and have it create new ones in the free space. Will it "automagically" detect the windows partition and set the bootloader up to offer Mandrake and WinXP?

I really don't feel like installing Mandrake, losing windows, so then having to install windows and deal with the activation crap, then re install mandrake to get it setup right.

BTW i have no files that i need from the home/ directory or annywhere else, so that is not an issue. Its just the issue of not letting my MBR get screwed up. I do have things in windows that i do not want to have to re-download.

Thanks,

Nathan

Yup, it should simply be an issue of reformatting your pre-existing linux partitions (both the / and the swap partitions).

Should be automatic.

Do keep in mind that Mandy will have to write a new bootloader to the MBR since the old one that referenced Redhat won't work. But this will not screw up your Windows partition.

To be on the safe side, be sure to write down the partition number of the Windows partition and be sure that Mandy does not mess with this partition (like I said tho, should be automatic).

As always, keep a Windows boot disk handy, backup your data, blah blah blah...


John