I like what WhiteChedda says.

I suggest first fix your WinXP by MBRFIX or a reinstallation and see
if your data even still exists. The Windoze system must be installed
first anyway
If MD has created new partitions, leave them so you can use them
for the Linux reinstall. You will need these partitions anyway.
(if you have Partition Magic you can check first)

After fixing XP, if the data exists and the partitions are there, just reinstall
MD to the linux partitions.
There should be two, ext2 or ext3 and a swap partition.

MD (in expert mode)will ask you if you what partitions to format
and how to format them (type of partition(ext or swap)) Do not format
hda1, that is the Win partition.
That may be what you did and now your data is lost.

This is only my opinion.
Mandrake has been good to me and I ain't that proficient.
It will do what you tell it and if you screw up, it will too.

My opinion about XP is that it seem to be the most successful
virus ever.

Excuse for my bad english, but i have a big problem. Yesterday i installed linux mandrake 9.1 with windows xp operating system already installed,hte problem is this: i have 2 partitions ntfs where win xp is installed,and another left where mandrake installed itself in auto mode,after reboot linux starts but windows no,in a first moment the system hang itself for a virus in the boot sector,then the loader says that the system windows is not recognized.What i must to do? Thanks in advance

This should answer tell you how to boot both successfully.
First fix the mbr of XP

Fixing MBR with WindozXP CD.

1)Using partition software such as Partition Magic®,delete the Linux partition and distributed the free space among your existing partitions.
2)Insert your WinXP CD in your CD-ROM and enable CD-Boot in your BIOS.
3)After CD loadup process finished, you will get the Setup menu.
4)Press R to enter the Recovery Console.
5)Choose the drive where you install your windows.
6)Insert your administrator password.
7)At the console, type fixmbr
8)Press Y for all questions.
9)Reboot the Zion..oopss the PC
10)And Walla!! your MasterBootRecord has come back to normal.

Then follow the directions in this link to get Linux to work

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linu...-w2k-HOWTO.html

Good luck

Garion
Windoze XP - the world's most successful virus.