After trying out Java Desktop I used Mandrake to delete partitions preparatory to re-installing Mandrake (next generation).

I had disk problems (probably fingerprints) and gave up last night at 2.30am to get up at 6.30am.

I now somehow have a black screen which is headed 'GRUB version 0.93' and gives some info about commands. I have tried probably all of these which seem to require an installed linux system. I have also tried to boot using my W98 floppy, my W98 install cd and various linux bootable cd's. I have checked that my box can boot from cd but it is not doing so now.

Where is my MBR? How can I get at it? I suppose this is where the GRUB is? I have tried re-booting with DEL and going through the various screens there but can't find GRUB. I am sure I have read on this site about this problem before (uninstalling a distro and being left with GRUB) but haven't been able so far to find anything helpful.

Please help!!!???

I probably should have said, my computer was up till yesterday quadruple-booting W98se and 3 linux distros. Usually Mandrake is the last one installed and I use the Mandrake lilo for access to that and W98, with floppy access to the other 2.

I replaced Mandrake with Java Desktop on a temporary basis because I had a new generation of Mandrake ready to install. Java Desktop installed using GRUB.

I deleted all the linux partitions but W98 should still be there. When I reboot all I get is the black screen mentioned above even if I have floppy or bootable cd's in place.

It sounds to me like you need to alter your BIOS to boot from the CD or floppy to allow you to install something else from CD. I don't know how to do that but Google knows.

Thanks for your response but I have checked and my BIOS is definitely set to boot from D, A.

When my computer was ignoring disks I checked that straight away.

Andrew,

Although my BIOS has always been set at D,A which has worked fine, I did try other options and CDROM,A,C has now got Mandrake re-installing.

After my possibly snappy reply please accept thanks and apology.

Just about every time I try another new distro I say: Why do I bother?

Mandrake is the only one that has managed to get my sound-card (Aureal Vortex2) to work, and it just looks so good!

I also like Fedora and Slackware and mostly have this 3 available, but the soundcard is the swinger!

I just like to try other flavours between Mandrake generations.

Richard

Good man. I've never been in that situation of not even being able to install from CD so I've never had to adjust the BIOS at all. I can imagine it would be extremely stressfull.
I hope your Mandrake install goes well. My experience of it has been that it's quite easy to install but it can be a bit unstable.
I've just had a quick look at the kernel options and in make menuconfig
< > Aureal Vortex 2
is listed under
Device Drivers --->
Sound --->
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture --->
PCI devices --->
So it should be possible to get it working with any distro if you can recompile the kernel.

I can't understand why the BIOS setting D,A wasn't working, it always has before.
I've just come in from work and am about to power down and up and will try re-setting the BIOS to D,A. It may be that GRUB was blocking it.

EDIT: No - D,A still doesn't work but it's ok (for me, for now) I have reverted to the working option.

Thanks for the info about Aureal. It has been on my to do list to look for that since I first got sound on Mandrake (MD10, I think). I've installed Mandrake so many times now it is no problem - never has been really. It's the first distro that worked out of the box for me so I love it.