dual boot linux

[Edify]

ubuntu

will it affect my system or windows xp at all?

maybe redhat, just to try it out. ubuntu is easier tho since it boots from CD.

[Mr. Peanuts]

Partition

[Nycle]

Download PartitionMagic from any 'kind' site and create a second partition. Then it will all go fine, I installed Ubuntu a lot.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Whatever you do, DON'T use Partition Magic unless you don't value your data.

[Kyace]

Whatever you do, DON'T use Partition Magic unless you don't value your data.

What would you suggest using?

[Fair]

you can do all this inside windows xp with disk management, but this requires you to have FREE SPACE or a SECOND HARD DRIVE.

As you cant create a partition in used space.
So i recommend if you have a second hard drive just delete the partition and start again :
• To create a new partition, right-click unallocated space on the basic disk where you want to create the partition, and then click New Partition.

Then fill in the required specify the size of the partition in the Partition size in MB box.

then repeat for how ever much free space you have which isnt partitioned.

If you only have one hard drive which is your primary drive (with windows on it)
Without using other programes you have to do the partitioning when you install windows.
so just get a second hard drive.

[Sarien]

What would you suggest using?

fdisk, formats, and clean installs

[Arikel]

What would you suggest using?

If you dont want or know how to properly use partition magic you can use the Acronis Disk Director Suite it's a diferent partitioning software or you can use a Linux program simply called NTFS resize. It resizes and realocates all your ntfs partitions non destructivelly. You can also do it manually if you are using a LFS but that's not what this is about so

[geekbot]

Booting from CD doesn't require a partition since nothing ever stays on your HD. A live bootable CD is for carrying around an OS and being able to boot when you walk up to any computer. It takes a long time to boot because it goes through everything required to install an OS every time- detecting all the HW, etc. You can also use it to "try out" Ubuntu since nothing is permanant.

You can also download the install disk, which will permanently install Ubuntu.

If you actually dual boot, google for instructions. You'll need to partition your HD, install the OS and a dual boot "bootloader". I don't know how much the Ubuntu install disk does. LILO is a boot loader.

So go to http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download/. The "Live CD" doesn't touch your HD, the "Install CD" does. DL it, burn the image to a CD.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

What would you suggest using?

fdisk, formats, and clean installs

If you can, it's the best way.

Acronis Disk Director Suite

The Acronis programs are frickin great. I'm behind them completely.

[Edify]

So go to http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download/. The "Live CD" doesn't touch your HD, the "Install CD" does. DL it, burn the image to a CD.

i have the Live iso that i burned onto a cd.

[geekbot]

So put it it and reboot. The Live CD doesn't change your existing Windows.

If your computer still boots to Windows on your HD, you will have to change the boot sequence in your BIOS. To do that I think I pressed F2 on my Dell as it's starting up. There's a list of what order the computer tries to boot from. I moved CD to above HD.

(On my Apple I hold the 'c' key as it's booting to boot from CD.)

There's probably a message that says something like "Press F2 for setup". Or google for how to do edit the BIOS on your computer.

Don't mess with other stuff in your BIOS.