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If you guys need me to test anything for Linux MCE betas, here's my laptop specs:

Dell Inspire 9400
Intel Core Due 2 T7200 @ 2.00Ghz
2GB DDR2 RAM
nVidia 7900 GS
160GB HDD (30GB Linux MCE partition)
Intel PRO/Wireless
Broadcom Ethernet
Bluetooth

I'm also a developer (.net, web) so debugging anything is not a problem.

My machine is here for you...

Nuno

Thanks, I should know better and when in doubt RTFM.  I actually did download the 2 CD package first and was going to use that, but for some reason the first CD wouldn't boot in any two machines and after making about 5 copies of that CD thinking I had bad media, I just gave up and grabbed the Quick Install DVD, thinking it was the same process as the 2CD package (who'se install instructions I had read and didn't notice anything about a complete repartitioning/formatting of my drive).

Oh well, you live you learn.  At least I didn't actually lose any data, just time in reinstallation/reconfiguration.

I thought this would totally turn me off Linux MCE, but since it was my stupidity, I suppose I have to give  it another shot down the road when it's a bit more mature.

Having said all that, I think adding a small "YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOSE EVERYTHING ON YOUR DRIVE, PLEASE CONFIRM?" prompt, wouldn't be very hard and I'd be willing to bet that every user would rather press that extra keystroke (make it 4 instead of 3, even numbers are luckier, anyway!) to be safe!

Thanks,
Nuno.

I am still in a state of shock over what I just realized.  I attempted (and boy do I regret it) an install on my laptop (Dell Inspiron 9400 - CoreDuo-2Ghz, 2GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, nVidia 7900 GS), this machine has a single 160GB HDD that I partitioned into the following:

C: 15GB -- ntfs (XP)
D: 25GB -- ntfs (Vista)
E: 15GB -- ext3 (Linux)
F: 100GB -- ntfs (Data)
G: 5GB -- swap (Linux)

I had spend the previous week (littlerally), installing, configuring and setting up every aspect of XP and Vista, including installing all necessary drivers, applications, accessories, tools, etc.  A lot of work, to tell you the through and something that I had been putting off for a year, but I was pretty glad that it was finally done.  One last step in the creating of my ultimate pimping triple boot of XP/Vista/Kubuntu/LinuxMCE, and that was the killer.

I put in the Linux MCE Quick install and when I get to choose where it installs it shows to partitions, which I assume are the ext3 and swap partitions that I left setup before installing Windows, so I selected the ext3 and it autoselected the swap for swap area.

At least that's what I though, and after installing and playing around with the system (and loving most of it it's features), I rebooted and expected to see  a Windows option in GRUB to boot my previous O/S.  Nope.  None of that.

Booted back into Linux MCE, got a terminal going and found that my drive had been repartition into an ext3 and swap area and weeks worth of work just got erased in the same of an hour. 

I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS (obviously), thankfullly I hadn't yet put any data on this system and everything can be recreated, reinstalled and reconfigured (guess I know what I'm doing this week, and I'm definetely ghosting that system so that if misbehaved "operating systems" (and i used term very loosely) decide to repartition/reformat my drive without LETTING ME TO KNOW OR CONFIRMING IT WITH ME, at least I have a backup.

Who designed the installation process?  Obviously a g33k, not anyone with usability or design experience.

Anyway, rant off, but you guys should probably add a bin confirmation dialog before partitions get even read, much less written to!

nuno.