help first time user

[lfcmcgrath]

i just installed mandrake 10.1 on my pc which was running xp , installation went ok , but now when i boot up i get two options 1: linux and 2: failsafe. when i run linux i get a dos like screen ( sorry probably wrong terminology ) and i cant seem to do any thing . how do i get to the GUI, also i seem to be unable to load XP. when i load failsafe i get the exact same. Any Help would be greatfully appreciated.



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[bigtomrodney]

You need to type startx. This should load your graphical display, though if it doesn't work straight away it may not have been configured correctly during install. Try startx first and then post back and let us know.

Also you mentioned your bootloader only listed Linux and failsafe. Did you intend to overwrite linux? It is possible Lilo isn't configured correctly but you may also have formatted your linux partition.

[lfcmcgrath]

just typed that and it didnt work fatal IO error (connection reset by peer )on X server

[CoffeeMonster]

run

xorgconfig

and that will ask a few questions and configure X for you, I know what you've done. You havent configured your display device while installing, at the same time it gives you the option to start X by default at boot.