I have the home rig in dual boot mode with Mandrake 10 installed. Although the dual boot works fine but the Mandrake does not load properly, I plan on putting Mandriva 2006 on it and retain the dual boot advantage.

I have many questions at the moment which are bothering me, I would appreciate if someone can answer them.

1. If I install Mandriva 2006 on top of Mandrake will it cause any problems? Ideally I like to retain the partitions as they are and overwrite Mandrake 10.

2. My system has a Sata drive (120GB) on which I have created the MBR and also where the partitions of Linux reside. The Pata drive (80GB) has Windows XP installed. This configuration helps in avoiding problems of accessing the Windows should something go wrong with the Linux MBR. The active disk is SATA and if it gives me problems I can deactivate it and make the PATA drive as active and boot with windows. Is this a good way of doing things? Are there any issues that I should be aware of?

3. I am a bit hesitant in installing Linux on my newly acquired IBM T43 as I cannot afford to loose the installed software and my data which is working fine with standard installation. I have a 40 GB Mobile Drive with USB configuration which ideally I can use to install Mandriva on but boot with USB option in the setup when required. Is this possible without disturbing the origianl 80 GB drive installed and not creating an MBR on that? It would be rather a stand alone option, do I have that?

4. Finally which is the best place to download the Mandriva 2006 as I have max download speed of 15K? I will need a few days to download ISO's by using the Leechget Download Manager which I am prepared to do. I will also leave the system on overnight for it so that it is quicker.

Thanks for any input.

1. You can keep the partitions but keeping the old installation is asking for trouble. Use mkfs to reformat them.
2. Nothing wrong here.
3. What software are you afraid to loose? AFAIK there is an hidden partition with preinstallation software, you can restore factory installation from there. In fact, I'd recommend to burn this partition to a DVDR or CDR's, this way you have everything even when HDD crashes. Use partimage or similar tool. After backing it up you can use this freed space (was it 5 GB?) to install Linux on it.
4. No comments.

1. No, there shouldn't be any problems doing that. The mandrake/mandriva normally asks you where you want to put the install. I, for example, have my hard drive set up with a /boot, /swap, / and /home partitions. I would just tell it that I wanted the install put in the / partition. Of course, you also have to make sure that all partitions (and hard drives for that matter) are listed in the /etc/fstab before you finish, otherwise you won't be able to mount them (mandriva normally "automounts" the drives/partitions - it uses the fstab to know what too mount).

In my example, the install would just overwrite the older version. Provided that during install, I installed all the same software packages, then any icons/links in my /home will "just work" (they don't usually change the commands that are used to start the apps). The /home is just left completely alone during install i.e. not formatted/changed in any way - so then any customisation/data/address books and other personal settings remain the same.

2. I can't really say. I've never used SATA hard drives, though I understand that they can occassionally have some issues during install. Though it's usual to put the bootloader onto the first section of the first hard drive. That way, it should offer you the choice of OS's too boot. It overwrites the windows MBR with the Linux MBR. This isn't a problem, because if there is a problem whereby you are having problems booting into windows, then you just boot the system with the Mandriva disc, and instead of telling it to install, you follow the instructions for "other options". Then just type in "rescue" (no quotes), and end up with a list of options that includes "re-install the windows bootloader". Then you can get back into windows. Then you just have to find out about correcting the problem of booting the linux. There should be no need to play around with the hard drives as such.

3. You should have little problem getting Mandriva onto the T43 as a dual boot in the same way as you would with a desktop machine - Thinkpads are supposed to be pretty good. Personally, I'd just install linux on it, then if I had the need to use some MS apps (office etc etc), I'd just get "Crossover Office" from Codeweavers and install the MS apps with that. Then you can use the office apps, but under linux. Or better still, install Open Office 2.0 and then just run the windows documents there. If you're just concerned about keeping installed apps/data, then just shrink the partitions of the windows install to something like 20 or 30 gigs. Put the linux on the rest of it. If you needed to have extra space for data (under either OS), if the external drive is formatted as FAT32, then both windows and linux can write too it without any problems - you just have to make sure about the linux install seeing it as an external drive.

4. When I first started with Linux, I used a download version of Mandrake 8.2 - I did have to learn to do some stuff manually. Though I found that I enjoyed using Mandrake (now mandriva, but I'm sure you know that). So when the newer version came out, I got a "boxed set" version of 9.0 directly from them. doing it that way, negates the need to tie up your connection, and you only need to get the updates and newer versions of available packages via the connection. If you look here you'll find that the "boxed set" is about 80 euros (you'll get it priced in $'s if you're not in europe). Though if that seems a little dear, what I used to do, was to dig around their site and you can usually find the "workstation DVD" version. It's cheaper, as you just get the disc in a case, no manuals etc etc. Then you can always check out any problems either here at LQ or you can look at mandrivausers. That was the cheapest way IMO - the "workstation DVD" disc only one is here

Regards

John

Thank you both of you. I will study the whole thing and if have further questions will come back knowing folks are super helpful here

Much obliged

rather than downloading for days, I sugges buying a burned ISO for as little as USD8 for 3 cd's: http://distrowatch.com/kokoku/osdisc...linux/mandriva

It will save you some money if you are on a modem, which I guess after your low bandwith.

Which is another excellent idea. Though you should remember, that these are usually just pre-burned download versions. So if you look at "what you get" by checking the links to the mandriva site I posted - I suspect that there is an explaination of what is _ACTUALLY_ in the download version as well - you may or may not find it better to get pre-burned download version or you may think it's worth the money to throw it at Mandriva - I know theres a big difference between 55 euro and 8$US, but I did very much enjoy my time with Mandrake/mandriva and considered it worth the money.

I only moved away, because I found that some of the stuff that I like too play with, would be easier with a "meta distro" and gentoo fitted the bill.

regards

John