Hi,

I have XP and Linux in dual-boot, however I need to reinstall Linux because my graphical interface cannot start up. How should I reinstall? I've read somewhere that I need to choose the "upgrade" option in the installation program. Will this mess up my dual-boot?

Can someone briefly explain the process? I'm a newbie.

Whether you upgrade or do a fresh install, the bootloader would be installed properly. If you dont have data which you cant backup, it is better to do a fresh install(unless the article/guide you read specifically asked you to upgrade).

The Mandriva installation process is very easy to understand for the first-time user, yet powerful.

If you follow the instructions, you should have a stable system (including the bootloader).

I agree. Upgrading takes longer, and adds little benefit.

As you begin the install, the partitioning tool will ask how you want to partition. If you choose custom, you can see the Windows and other partitions on your hard drive. Generally, I have three partitions:

/
swap
/home

This allows me to keep all of my KDE preferences, all personal files, but upgrade only the operating system in the "/" paritition. Linux partitioning is a strong benefit of Linux over Windows. Mandriva allows you to keep all of your files and preferences, and at the same time upgrade to the latest version of Mandriva. With Windows you would have to save all of your files, load the new operating system, and then load your preferences and files.

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
If the only problem is with the GUI, you may want to try using the XFdrake command to see if you can resolve your display issues. Start your computer, choose the Mandriva failsafe option, then login is root and enter

XFdrake

This will give you options to configure your video card and monitor. If you have problems with your video card, choose
X.org-> vesa

This will generally get your monitor working.