Installing Linux...

[Potter_1]

Hello ! I would like to know if I can use Linux with HP Pavilion. I read that HP use a numeric tattoo so if we install linux our computer will not work anymore because of MBR. Is it right ?
Thanks.

[Ivan Ferreira]

I think that you can install linux but do not destroy the hp specific partitions and, when installing the boot loader, install in another partition instead the MBR.

[Rick Garland]

Linux will install on HP Pavilion.

If you want to have a system that is dual bootable, do not mess with the MBR

If all that this system is going to do is run Linux, no worries.

[Andrew Cowan]

Which model of Pavillion do you have? I have installed Linux on my N5430 without problems. I also recently replaced my hard disk. The only paritioning problem i had was with "Hybernation" and the way I got around it was to boot the laptop from the HP Recovery CD and then select "just create hyberate partition". From then on I installed a new copy of XP-Pro, followed by Suse 9.2.

The other thing you can do is to install the HP Diagnostics and that makes changes to the MBR. IS this what you mean because if so you can download it and reinstall.

[Potter_1]

thanks for all, I think i will use LILO from a bootable disk