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Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: hnugz on 24 December 2002, 05:22

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: hnugz on 24 December 2002, 05:22

I have a dual boot on my machine.  The first hard drive has win2k, the second has mandrake linux.  I want to remove mandrake but i dont want to mess up anything on the win2k hd.  If i format the mbr is that going to cause some kind of problems?  How can I format just the linux drive and remove the boot loader?

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: CaptainCool on 24 December 2002, 05:42

Try reinstalling W2k, just do the upgrade instead of the clean install that way you don't mess up your current configuation, that should change the MBR back to 2k's.

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: voidmain on 24 December 2002, 05:47

Or you could just do an "FDISK /MBR". However, telling you this is against my religion. I would suggest removing win2k and installing another distro on that partition.

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: Calum on 24 December 2002, 12:52

quote:

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Originally posted by hnugz:
I have a dual boot on my machine.  The first hard drive has win2k, the second has mandrake linux.  I want to remove mandrake but i dont want to mess up anything on the win2k hd.  If i format the mbr is that going to cause some kind of problems?  How can I format just the linux drive and remove the boot loader?

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what are you trying to do and what kind of problem are you having? i think i am not understanding.

i recommend you use fdisk for both those things you ask about, but i can't see why you want to remove mandrake and keep windows! very odd.

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: hnugz on 25 December 2002, 01:18

I just want to know how to format my second hard drive so that a) nothing happens to the win2k stuff and b) so i dont get the boot loader.  Basically my question is this.  If i do an fdisk mbr, will that have any effect other than removing the boot loader?  What will I need to do after i fdisk mbr to get everything working properly?

Title: need to reinstall mandrake linux
Post by: Calum on 25 December 2002, 01:45

if you do 'fdisk /mbr' in dos then it will make your master boot record look for a copy of windows or dos on the first partition of the first hard drive and that's it. As i say, do that, then boot from either a linux floppy or your linux install cd and make sure you get your hard drive installation of linux mounted somewhere, then run /sbin/lilo if you use lilo, or do something else that one of the GRUB users will be able to tell you, to restore your boot record to its former glory.

[edit] you might find this link useful (http://www.mandrakeuser.org/docs/install/index.html#bg).

[ December 24, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]