Hi,

I'm trying to install Mandrake 9.1 for the first time. I'll be installing it on a compaq armarda laptop, currently running XP, and formatted for NTFS.

I want to take XP completely off the laptop, but I can't seem to find a way to install mandrake...

the cd drive is not bootable. Also, the cd drive and floppy drive are interchangeable, so I cannot boot from floppy, then transfer to the cd install - unless I can find some way for my cd drive to be recognised.

I've tried a hard disk install - but as the HD is currently in NTFS format, its not working.

A friend told me it might be possible to get my harddrive to boot like a floppy, and then I could install from the cd using loadlin, but he didn't know how this would be done.

I also wonder if I could install over a network? All other machines are running XP though. I've tried using both the network and pcmcia images to install through FTP, but I keep getting told that the NET device cannot be found...

Can you help me with either of these two options, or suggest a better option? I want to wipe XP off the laptop completely...but I just can't work out how to get linux onto it.

Thanks!

I would double check your Bios, I am running Mandrake 9.1 on a compaq Armada as well, I do have the option in bios to boot CD.

also if you put the first CD of mandrake 9.1 in the CD rom a window will pop up that has an install function on it. so you don't have to be able to boot the CD. If you don't have autorun turned on, go the the directory /dosutil and run autorun.exe.

yeah, I know the option to boot from cd is in the bios, and I have it turned on. If there is a cd in the drive when I boot up, sometimes it just ignores it, and sometimes it will show me the boot menu - to give me the option to boot from CD. However, when I select to boot from cd it doesn;t, and moves straight on to load Windows from the HD.

As from the autorun feature...I tried that too, with no success

maybe the cd-rom can't handle the cd-r media?

no, it just doesn' boot from cds...wont boot from windows cd's, some friends had the SUSE distribution cds and we couldnt get it to boot from those either...doesn't seem to be picky about how the cd was recorded

Did you try updating the BIOS. Sometimes that helps too.

well, I can try that...how do I update the bios?

This is probably stretching it, could it be possible that there's something wrong with the CD drive itself? Perhaps the lens is dirty, a loose or faulty cable...

Have you exhausted those possibilities?

well...I wouldn't deny that that's a possibilty...I think this laptops been on one too many planes - though once in windows it reads cds just fine, and sometimes it does recognise that a cd is in the drive...it just wont boot from it, and as long as I've had it, its never booted from cd

check out this link to update your BIOS

http://h71025.www7.hp.com/support/ho...stination=home

choose your specific notebook model and download the BIOS under the software & drivers section. The file after unzipping should have instructions on installing your new BIOS.