Help!!!! Installing Mandrake 8.2
 

Hi, I'm new in this wonderfull world! so of coure i'm a really newby.

My system:
I've a P3 700 Mhz, hd: IBM DeskStar 60 GB, Mother Intel 815EEA, 256 Ram, Viper 2 VideoCard, Encore 10/100 Standart Ethernet Card, Sound Blaster Live! Value sound card.

I've installed windows 98 then i've made a partition for win xp and all was ordinally OK (MBR controlled by WinXP so then i can choose the windows to use).

Then I made a new partition for Linux (ext2) with no problems.

At last I've installed linux without any problems on that partition (all 3 CDs)... BUT LILO can't be installed because of "problems mounting drive hd0" or something like this.

The problem ocurrs becouse WinXP is using MBR?

If i'm right...
I can't use Linux if i 've these OS's installed...

Maybe.... there is any good MBR tool than can handle this type of configuration?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TAKE CARE.
JUAN.

Discovering Linux please I don't wanna be out of this.
Never is later. ;)

what linux distro and version are you using?
 

you probably won't get a response without posting which distro and linux version you are using.

if you install completed, the most simple solution for the near term is to use your boot disk to boot your machine (a little slow but reliable). you were probably prompted to insert and create a boot disk at the end of the linux install process (if you skipped that, you may be able to use your linux CDROM as a temporary boot disk). using the boot disk should not affect your windows or especially the MBR.

LILO does have large disk limitations (due to BIOS limitations, it has to be located in the first 1024 cylinders on your harddisk) which includes either your MBR or a partition within something like the first 2.2 GB of your harddrive. for more information, see the "introduction" at:
http://www-oss.fnal.gov/projects/fer.../faq/0009.html

i suspect that your distro is old or nonstandard because most of them use GRUB as the boot manager. GRUB doesn't have the same BIOS limitations.

Most modern linux distro's would allow you to repartition your disk without destroying the contents of your current windows 9x / ME systems (i'm not familar with XP however). I back up my windows 9x / ME files and do a scandisk and diskdefrag before installing linux). see http://www.windweaver.com/w95man4e.htm

when installing linux, i just let linux use the mbr and use the boot loader prompts during the install to coordinate with the windows partitions. some of the modern distro actually are designed to install around windows (or even on a windows disk partition) so you may want to research some of them if you don't feel comfortable repartitioning your disk.

Ruiguia, the title states that he is trying to install Mandrake 8.2. Lilo no longer has the 1024 cylinder limitation... that went quite a while ago, and it was the first 8Gb anyway. Mandy 8.2 would allow you to choose the bootmanager, either Lilo or Grub.

Juan, welcome to Linux Questions. Did you make a bootfloppy when prompted to do so? As Rioguia suggested, you can use that to boot into Linux if you want... but it's a bit of a pain! Since Mandy comes with a rescue mode on its CDs, I would suggest at least trying the following:
Boot from the 1st of Mandy 8.2s install CDs.
Press F1 at the beginning.
Type 'rescue' to enter rescue mode.
Select 'mount partitions under /mnt'.
If you get any errors here, then let us know. If not, then try selecting the 'reinstall bootloader to MBR'.

Good luck.

The latest version of LILO does not have the 1024 cylinder limitation anymore. I believe that you can use the XP boot loader (You can for NT and W2K) for linux like you did to set up Win98. And you will need to install lilo or grub to the linux partition.

Thanks you all guys...

My Linux Version: Linux Mandrake 8.2 with 3 Cds.

I've tried installing grub instead of LILO but when the OS list appears (when booting) if you choose W98 the system reboots, if you choose WinXP the system crash, ad if you choose Linux it said that it can't mount hda.....

So i've re-enter the xp cd to restore the original MBR and now all is ok: I can boot XP or 98 without problems.

But linux still there ...... in this "invisible ext2 partition" far.. far away from me...... :( (Thanks to Partition Magic for let me know about that :) )

Thymox I will try what you said today (I'm working.... now).

Well Thanks you all again.
Will write again tomorrow.

JUAN.