I uninstalled linux but now i need to install it back onto my pc but i'm using windows as well. Is there a way i can install mandrake without affecting the MBR. As once thats changed i'll have to reinstall windows or can just use recovery consolve to rewrite the mbr

Hey,
So you want to get back to Linux. Well there are two ways you can dual boot Windows n Linux.

1. Install Grub/LILO onto the mbr. You can search LQ for various threads on configuring the bootloaders.

2. You can install Grub/LILO on to the superblock and then install some third party bootloader onto mbr for booting Win as well as Linux.

Hope that helps.

what linux distro did you install?? i assume mandrake.. either way.. when you reinstall mandrake.. tell it to write the boot manager tot he MBR.. mandrake will automatically put Windows in there... so you will have your choice when you boot up..

For some time now, I have been booting my dual-boot SuSE/Windows box from a floppy. When the floppy is inserted, I get lilo and the choice of operating sysem to boot. When the floppy is not in the drive, the machine boots into Windows. (Well, at least it used to. I haven't booted into Windows for several years now :-) ). If you are willing to always boot linux with a floppy inserted in the drive, this could be the way to go. Remember, you will also have to edit your BIOS to make sure that the first device that gets booted from is the floppy drive.

What distro are you installing? It may give you the option during the install to load lilo's boot sector onto a floppy. I think the option you want to put in your lilo.conf before running lilo is "boot=/dev/fd0". You should also look at the lilo man page, specifically at the "-M" option and read "user.tex" in the lilo documentation.