I'm running XP but preparing to install Mandrake 9.2. How will the setup process work....will Mandrake automatically detect and partition my drive, or I do I have to do it manually before installation? Also after installation how will my boot up work......will my bios load up and then ask to choose which OS to boot up? Novice ???'s I know, but I'm trying to get all this figured out before I go into it full speed.....thanks, bryan

Hey, I've just taken the leap myself. I dual booted XP home and Mandrake 9.2. Trust me, it's far easier then you may be thinking. It was suprisingly easy as mandrake did everything itself. I used the 'Automatic' button when setting up the partitions and it created them itself and i re-adjusted them to my preference. During the installation mandrake will not ask you about the boot options but in the summery screen you can choose your bootloader. As default LILO is installed in graphic mode as the bootloader, it also detects Windows and adds that as an option. Just take a deep breath and go for it! Martial

Thanks Martial....that gave me a good boost of confidence. How do you like Mandrake 9.2?

I'm still getting used to Mandrake at the moment. From what i've made of it so far, their is far more flexibility in terms of how it looks and behaves. It comes with good documentation so if you do get stuck theres something to help you. But it's as easy to use as Windows XP. It's a good idea to play around with the software that comes with it (heaps of it!) just to get to grips with the system. The only problems I have had is becuase I installed it on a laptop with a winmodem and therefore cant connect using dialup. I've managed to connect it using connection sharing on windows so it worked out okay. Good Luck, Martial