The Linux-Mandrake CDROM has a built-in rescue mode. You can access it by booting from the CDROM, press the F1 key at boot and type rescue at the prompt. But in case your computer cannot boot from the CDROM, you should come back to this step for help in at least two situations:
in the section Installing a bootloader, DrakX will rewrite the boot sector (MBR) of your main disk (unless you are using another boot manager) so that you can start up with either Windows or GNU/Linux (assuming you have Windows in your system). If you need to reinstall Windows, the Microsoft install process will rewrite the boot sector, and then you will not be able to start GNU/Linux!
if a problem arises and you cannot start up GNU/Linux from the hard disk, this floppy disk will be the only means of starting up GNU/Linux. It contains a fair number of system tools for restoring a system which has crashed due to a power failure, an unfortunate typing error, a typo in a password, or any other reason.
When you click on this step, you will be asked in which floppy drive you will put the floppy disk (figure 6-26). Unless you have several floppy drives, choose the first one. Then insert the disk. The floppy disk that you will insert must be empty or must only contain data which you do not need. You will not have to format it; DrakX will rewrite the whole disk.