These include an installation disc with binaries for x86 processors, a disc with the installation files' source code and an applications disc. The Deluxe version includes an additional four CD-ROMs with a total of 1,800 applications. Both versions are based on a 2.2.15 kernel and feature XFree 4.0. Mandrake also supplies a 3.5in. bootable floppy disk and two user manuals. Installation using the graphical DrakX install program is a relatively simple process to follow.
Progress is indicated at every step and user interaction is kept to a minimum.
Partition Magic and BootMagic tools allow you to prepare your hard disk drive and set up your system so that you can easily switch between Linux and Windows if required. Once installed, a single menu choice from within DrakConf, the Mandrake configuration utility, allows you to check for upgrades and bug-fixes from its Web site. Hardware support has inevitably been improved with version 7.1. Video cards based on the Intel i810 chipset are now supported, as are wheel mice which are now fully functional with most applications. A full list of compatible hardware is listed on its Web site.