I wiped XP off my computer, and installed Mandrake 8.0 and it worked fine until i logged on. Once i logged on, it wont show the text. The display on my screen wont show some icons either. I need to install Linux and then install Windows to dual boot, but i need to fix the text problem first.

Also, once i click on one of the icons, it will freeze, i tried doing auto partition, and then i did it myself, but any way i do it, i always get linux with no text or some images.

Not sure about the problem itself, need more info. Before you tear your hair out trying to solve it, you might want to reinstall again. However install Windows first and then Mandrake. If you try and install windows last you're going to have a much harder time getting it to dual boot. You might get lucky and kill 2 birds with 1 stone as the reinstall may fix your problem.

i cant install windows because it wont recognize the recovery disc for XP. Thats why i needed to install linux first. If i just have linux and not Windows, thats fine i just need one of them working

If I remember there were install problems with MDK 8.0 and I could never get it working with my PC. Are you sure its MDK and not Redhat 8.0?. If indeed you are trying to install MDK 8.0 I would find a later version.

I don't run XP and don't know how XP's recovery disk works but why do you need to install linux first. I would imagine the recovery disk is bootable and therefore you wouldn't need an OS running.

Do you still want to dual-boot as you said in the original thread? If you installed linux over the XP partition or let linux format any of the XP partitions, then no rescue disc in the world will be able to reboot XP.

If you want to set up a dual-boot then I would take michaelk's advice and try installing Mandrake 9, but after you install windowsXP. You won't be able to use the rescue disk because XP is gonzo. Just set you bios to boot from the cdrom and load the WindowsXP install cdrom. Create a NTFS partition for XP and leave some free space for Mandrake. Once XP works, set bios to boot cdrom again and put Mandrake on the free space. Let Mandrake put the boot loader on the MBR and give the Windows partition a name.

If you put Windows overtop of Mandrake, you'll have to use the NTbootloader to dual boot, which is way, way harder to setup.

I tried putting in the recovery disc for XP and i tried booting from the cdrom but it gave me an error. I'm just going to try to buy mandrake 9 and hope it works, and just leave xp alone, and just use linux.

..Since it wont let me boot the recovery disc for XP, couldnt i just install MD9 and then install XP.. or would that not work..

It can work, but it is 10 times harder to do it that way. Just install WindowsXP first on say half the harddrive then install Mandrake 9.0 on the other half.

To install windowsXP you can't use the rescue disc, you're going to have to use the WindowsXP installation disc1 to install. If you installed Mandrake over XP, then it is gone, all the rescue disc can do is help fix a damaged OS, not completely rebuild it from scratch.

well i did install it over XP, so i guess xp wont be on that computer anymore?

Correct. You will have to reinstall with WindowsXP Disc1. Then put Mandrake on the free space.

Heh, thats the problem. I cant install XP because my computer wont recognize the CD.. in other words, when i put the cd in, it wont load it...

Restart your computer. When it first starts up (the POST) there should be an option to enter the BIOS setup (on mine I have to press delete). Go to the CMOS settings and change your default boot device (1st boot device) to the cdrom. Then save the settings and restart. On reboot it should boot from the CDROM.

-As a note, you may want to make sure that none of the other boot devices (2nd, 3rd boot devices) are not the hard-drive. Otherwise it may time out and skip to the hard-drive

On startup it says boot menu, and i press f12, it says 1. cdrom 2. floppy and ect. i pressed cdrom and it gave me that error i mentioned.. would this be the same thing as your telling me to do? If it is, it doesnt work.

What does the error say exactly?