Just testing the theory that there is no such thing as a stupid question!

OK, burned ISO onto disk and booted up PC with Mandriva 2007 live CD. It works! YAY!!! Everything seems to be working fine. This means that when I go for the full install to the HD that everything will be OK? The fact Mandriva live CD works OK means that Linux will run fine with my system?

Well, there are some stupid questions -- referring to my own sentence (below the text) anyway..

If the Live-CD works, it means that

1) your hardware works with the distribution (the parts you have tried it with the Live-CD)
2) the program versions in the Live-CD work with your system and vice versa
3) etc..you got the idea

But it does NOT mean that

1) your system will work perfectly after the installation
2) the installation even succeeds
3) a "3rd-party reason" couldn't make the thing explode after the installation/during it

Shortly said, if the Live-CD works without problems, it's very probable that the installation works too and that the installed system works, but there is always a slight chance that the installer doesn't work as expected (you can't know before you try), some part of your hardware starts fighting back at some point or something unexpected happens. I'd say, anyway, that yes - Madriva, when installed, runs fine on your system, unless you're a real bad-lucky person (and maybe even then)

(On the contrary, if the Live-CD does not work, it pretty surely means you shouldn't install from it)

Well... there probably IS such a thing as a stupid question ( apart from the unasked ) such as "can I grease a rabid monkey on the sabbath..." But hopefully I'll never ask anything as bad as that ;-)

Thanks a lot for the detailed response! Appreciated