[ltp] Starting over: A21e+port replicator

[Alex Bell]

These are thefirst of a series of questions I will be asking as I prepare to try again to install Xandros on my A21e after having had a 
severe crash which required me to have the hard drive cleaned up.  I now have Windows 2000 on its own partition, and another 
partition which had held Xandros.

There is a thread in the Xandros forums which says that the Xandros boot manager is fragile, especially if new hardware is added.  
Though I am sure that I made mistakes of my own I think that my problems were worsened after I tried to install the external modem.

I use the Thinkpad at night in a port replicator to which is attached an external monitor, as well as keyboard and mouse, and use it 
standing alone during most days.  So it is important that the configuration allow for this - though I set the external monitor at 800*600, 
the same as the Thinkpad.

I need to leave Windows 2000 on the computer, and be able to double boot.

The A21e has a winmodem which is not supported by Linux.  The port replicator does not have a PCMCIA slot, so I want to attach a 
serial external modem to the port replicator and use it for both Windows and Linux.  I also expect to add a USB external CD-Rom 
writer to the port replicator in a few days so as to be able to back up (at least) my data before I re-install Linux.

So my questions are:
- Should I add the external modem and CD-Rom writer and get them running under Windows before I re-install Linux?
- Should I install Linux on the Thinkpad standing alone before trying to get the external monitor, modem, and CD-Rom writer working 
under Linux?  Or should I try to install with the Thinkpad in the port replicator with everything added?
- Is there any way to have Xandros install its LILO somewhere else than the MBR of the Windows partition?
- Is there any way of saving the MBR to diskette and re-installing it if I have another crash?
- Can anyone comment please on the Acronis software, which has its own 'boot manager' as well as partitioning software?  Or is there 
any other way of double booting rather than using the Xandros LILO?

Incidentally, should I be asking each question in separate posts rather than all at once?





Regards, Alex
http://www.onlink.net/~outreach/
http://www.southcom.com.au/~outreach/
http://www.tassie.net.au/~abell1/oboe.htm