[loganair]

Hi! I'm triple booting with xp, mandriva, and server 2003. I want to remove the xp and mandriva, and install vista and ubuntu, or reinstall xp if I don't like vista. I thought I could use partition magic to remove the mandriva partitions, but it doesn't recognize ext3 files or partition. I know I have to install windows first. I tried booting from the xp disk, figuring I could remove the partitions from there, but it starts up, then checks the disk and locks up. I tried another xp disk with the same result. I figure that has something to do with the GRUB, and I would have to fix the mbr in windows. Am I right, and if I am, how do I solve this problem? I can't use the recovery console, as the install locks up---the screen goes black, after the first screen---Setup is checking your configuration.. Thanks. Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated.