Removing Mandrake Boot Manager

[Markoman01027]

My friend just installed LINUX Mandrake. Not sure which version. But he is dual booting WIN XP and Linux Mandrake. He installed the Linux Mandrake boot manager, and I guess it screwed up his computer. How should I remove the boot manager?

Format the partition and remove it and then do a FIXBOOT command at the XP command prompt?

I think he has Partition Magic. So I guess I can use that to remove the partitions and go into XP command prompt and use FIXBOOT? I forgot the command for fixing the MBR.

Thanks.

[Force Flow]

Try booting with the xp cd and use the repair console, fixboot, fixmbr.

If he installed mandrake and partitioned using "windows free space", then I'd say you're lucky if XP is still working. Doing that normally destroy's windows O/S's.

[Markoman01027]

Yeah thats what the idiot did one time and had Linux on his PC for a long time and never got rid of it. But he has a new PC now.

So I guess it all depends on how he installed it. If he made a seperate partition, then he's good to go, but if he installed it on Windows free space, then I think there is nothing that I can do about it. Any way to remove it that way?

[fatboyjim]

Stick the Windows 98 CD in there, select boot from CD, then from CD again with CD ROM Support

Then just type FDISK /MBR at the command prompt

He'll then have to wipe out that Linux partition

Jim

[Markoman01027]

Thanks for the reply Jim..

But he is using XP..why would he need the 98 CD? I'm sure the XP CD provides a command to fix the MBR, like Force said.

[jglen490]

The best way with WinXP is to use XP repair tools to fix the MBR. However, it is possible to use FDISK /MBR from Win 98 to replace the Lilo or Grub boot code with default, chain loading boot code. The MBR is not a magical, mystery tour, it is a specific software structure stored in a specific area of a hard drive when used with a PC and the PC-oriented BIOS.

Since you have WinXP, go ahead and use the repair console on your install CD to fix the MBR.

By the way, boot code loaded to an MBR will not mess upa PC. If done without understanding what it is and how it works, then it can look as though your whole computer has been waxed. In reality, if such boot code is "hiding" your PC, then nothing can get to your PC and inflict any damage. This is not to say that a virus, or some other malicious code, that is not boot code won't do damage, but such malicious code and boot code are two completely different things.