Formatting XP HD and Installing Mandrake 10.1

[MrGlue]

I want to completely format my hard drive and install Mandrake 10.1. The problem is I don't know how to format my HD since XP does not run off of DOS. Help would be MUCH appreciated.

[Dapper Dan]

I'm not sure if this is the answer you are looking for, but you can do it with your XP install disk.

XP has its own partitioning and formatting utility. You can tell it to format half of your drive in NTFS and leave the last half alone. Then install XP to "C" or as we Linux users usually call it, "hda1." (This will wipe out all previous XP installs!!!) After you are running with XP. reboot with the Mdk 10.1 CD and when you get to the Mdk partitioning utility, install Linux into the empty space you created, (or didn't create) with XP. Create a / partition, a /home partition and a swap partition, format with either ext3 or ReiserFS, and you're off!

[MrGlue]

I don't quite follow. I can't completely wipe my drive clean and then create the three partitions? I need to install Windows so I can GET RID of Windows? Bill has me everywhere I turn.

[Dapper Dan]

Please explain again exactly what you are wanting to do. What do you have now, and what is the end result you wish?

[MrGlue]

I would like to take all of the data off of my hard drive, then install Linux.

[Dapper Dan]

It sounded as if you wanted to have an XP OS still on your drive, my mistake. Then it's simple. Install Mandrake from the CD and when you get to the partitioning utility, tell it to delete the entire NTFS partition on your drive, then start creating your Linux partitions in your now empty drive. After the install, Windows will be a bad memory...

Don't forget to install LiLo to the MBR.

If I haven't been clear, let me know...