[Anti-Intel2]

I am trying to reload Mandrake 9.1 on my pc.

When I try to install I get a boot failure and it aborts the install. Why?

[lynch]

There could be any number of reasons why,but let's start with this:
Why do you need to reload?
What is the 1st boot device in your BIOS set to?
Have you opened your case recently to work inside? Maybe a data cable was loosened.
HTH
lynch

[Anti-Intel2]

Long Story.

I was running a dual boot Win 2000 and Mandrake 9.1. I reformatted the WIndows and didnt think about the fact that I wiped out the boot manager for Linux. So, I decided to just wipe the entire HD of Linux and Windows and start over. I got an extra HD from a friend of mine at work and I decided to run Win 2K on one HD with Linux on the other.

My first boot device is the floppy. No cables are loose. When I try loading Linux from the floppy it tells me the same thing.

[lynch]

Change the 1st boot device to cd-rom,then save settings.Put in Mandrake cd #1 and see what happens.If it boots to the CD,you'll be asked what drive to install to.The choices will probably be hda,hdb,hdc,hdd depending on where you installed the 2nd hard drive.In case you're not familiar with the way Linux designates drives:
primary master(or C:\)=hda
primary slave(or D:\)=hdb
secondary master(or E:\)=hdc
secondary slave(or F:\)=hdd
If your using the floppy you created during your 1st install of Mandrake it's looking for somthing that's not there anymore.If the booting from CD wont work you can create a boot/install floppy from windows using the rawrite utility.
Here are the instructions from the Mandrake 9.1 installation CD:

Make a boot floppy with Windows

If your computer cannot boot from the CDROM, you must make a
boot floppy under Windows as follows:

* insert the CDROM, then open the icon "My Computer", right click on
the CDROM drive icon and select "Open"
* go into the "dosutils" directory and double-click on the
"rawwritewin" icon
* insert a blank floppy in the floppy drive
* select "D:\images\cdrom.img" in the "Image File" field (assuming
that your CDROM drive is "D:", otherwise replace "D:" as needed)
* select "A:" in the "Floppy Drive" field then click on "Write".

To begin the installation:

* insert the CDROM in the drive, as well as the boot floppy, then
* restart the computer.

HTH
lynch

[Anti-Intel2]

Hey lynch,

I made the boot disk using the rawrite utility before I installed it the first time.

I changed by boot settings but it get the same thing.

it'll say Boot Failure: please change disks and hit any key.

If I try using the floppy it will start the set up. I get to the screen where you can choose different ways to boot Linux, but none of them work. It will search for this file ...cdrom.rdz.

Then it cant find it and it'll tell me boot failure.

I forgot to tell you that I created the Mandrake cd's from ISO files that I saved from the originals. I can browse the CD in WIndows and create the boot disk and look at the fles but it wil not boot from cd.

[lynch]

You might want to try using the originals if you have them but apparently you dont.If you have a fast connection you can try downloading the 3 disks again along with the md5sums to verify the download.
And I guess you have checked that other disks(like your w2k CD) will boot from this CD drive?
lynch

[Anti-Intel2]

I am pretty sure that its bootable.

[Anti-Intel2]

Hey lynch,

I got Mandrake up. It was the CDs I burned. I had the guy that gave me the originals burn the disks and wholla.

I am looking for the thread were someone asked how to center the screen and cant find it. How do I go about centering the screen?

[Squashman]

Doesn't your monitor have Vertical and Horizontal adjustments.

[lynch]

Glad to hear you got things sorted out
I'd try the monitor's controls first,also.
lynch

[Anti-Intel2]

its not the monitor.

Windows is centered fine. I read somewhere that Mandrake seems to be off centered and there is a file you have to edit to center the screen.