1- It is _very_ possible to boot Linux with the Windows XP bootloader, and indeed there are several ways. 2- Using custom installations/compilations (from tar.gz or similar) in rpm based distributions (i.e. Fedora, Mandrake, etc.) is just calling for problems (firefox, macromedia flash, mplayer. etc...) 3- Take advice from knowledgeable users and do not blindly trust all post to the list (including this very one :-) ) Rgds. M. Moreno