I read many hints on different forums, most pointing at two options of how to remove GRUB:

1) Boot and repair the MBR using a DOS command – I have no floppy so that option was out

2) Use the recovery CD/DVD – My system is an upgrade so the CD I have (a genuine one I might stress!) doesn’t have this feature (or I didn’t see it when I tried it).

I used the Master GRUB Disk to boot (which actually worked) but tested to recover it from the disk, where things went from bad to worse. The start-up manager was then gone to. ARGHHHH!!!!

Browsing the net again I finally found this piece of comfort;

Revovery CD

Download, burn and boot from it.

Select language and keyboard layout whereafter you press the “Repair” link. I had to have it repair twice, where I believe the first one did recover the MBR only and the other did recover the mess the GRUB disk caused. Again, my love for Linux has further deepened … NOT!!!!

* My daughters PC is based on an ASUS motherboard, but it seems that the NIC (Network Interface Card) doesn’t work. There are a few more or less complex solutions to it, but it seems no plug and play solution is obtainable. Also, in general applying fixes to a faulty NIC function is messy as it means running around the house using a USB stick, where the downloaded stuff is on the stick. This lack of drivers and Plug ‘n Play that is Plug ‘n Pray drives me nuts. I downloaded an ISO of the Ubuntu 8.10 beta, but booting that freaked the monitor. It defaulted to 1152*whatever (which I know as the monitors warning system told me) on a 17″ monitor that can only do 1024*768. Oh, how do I HATE this!

* My HTPC has a GRUB based dual boot, and I just booted the Mythbuntu partition where my account was suddenly gone.

That’s it. Mythbuntu is getting out of here! I’m killing that partition right here and now! Exit my life you incomplete retarded piece of cracp!

I installed Ubuntu, mainly to recover her files but it seems she finds it acceptable so it might be that we skip the Windows installation altogether. However, it was not without pain – the Network card won’t work. Not the NIC on the motherboard (P5VD2-VM <Green>) and not the D-link Gigabit LAN card I threw in there. I am of course aware I can run the system off the disk directly, but I installed it to properly do updates that would stick and especially so I could update SAMBA.

I haven’t tried the below but that was the best proposal I have seen.

1) I installed ubuntu hardy 64bit, i has build-essential package installed
2) Then i downloaded the linux driver from: http://support.asus.com/download/dow…model=P5KPL-CM
(as per my original post)
3) I then transfered the driver via usb stick to my laptop and unpacked the zip. (Actually i unpacked it on windows first as it has a .rar file that i could not unpack on linux Then i packed it up again on windows).
4) cd into <HOME_DIR>/LinuxDrivers/L1e_Lan/l1e-l2e-linux-v1.0.0.4/src
5) then i ran: sudo KBUILD_NOPEDANTIC=1 make
6) then i ran: sudo KBUILD_NOPEDANTIC=1 make install
7) that worked and put a driver in /lib/modules/2.6.24-16-generic/kernel/drivers/net/atl1e/at1le.ko
8 ) i cd into that director and i run: sudo insmod ./atl1e.ko

Hrm. Would I consider proposing using the to my mother. Sending a CD and have her install it… Think NOT!

Installing it was fine, and configuring it was also fine. There was only ONE small problem – the TV card didn’t work! Twinhan 3030 is a nice card. If can do 1080p and it has a port for a CA module.

There are drivers on the Twinhan, but they are for another distribution. The recommended option is to use the general Mantis ones. Modus operandi described below. Or should I say; below you find a tutorial on how to do it. It still doesn’t work of course, but it’s doing it as it should be done and if the download would have worked then it would be a proper way to get them to work. Now I can just recommend running another OS for this, or use another TV card. The advantage using the Twinhan card – the CA slot – is after all slim if you can use cardsharing or a dedicated reader for your own legit card…

cd /tmp
#make sure_ krenel sources are installed
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`
#downloading driver
wget -c http://jusst.de/hg/mantis/archive/tip.tar.bz2

#unpacking driver
tar -xf tip.tar.bz2
#copying new dvb_net to correct directory
cd mantis-83e2af36efe7
#run installation
make
sudo make install