could one have windows and linux on the same machine, if so what would one have to do to set this up?

First, welcome to Neowin
second, techn9ne rocks
Third, yes you can , firstly install XP , then create a new partition, and install linux, usally lilo or grub , the bootloader for linux, will add windows to the list and set it up for you

yes...create 2 partitions...install xp on one, and linux on the other....drawback, you must reboot to switch between the two.

yes u can:
1- Install windows.
2- Install Linux and configure the bootloader to work as u like.

Then when u restart the PC u can choose between both.

awesome, thanks for the welcome to the forum and the quick replies guys. i had done some dual booting with two windows os's before, glad to see that there isn't anything special one must do to set up linux as well.

csabo2 - as far as techn9ne goes i actually don't listen to rap, i picked up the guitar one day and started listening to rock, but i do like the name

The only prob. you may have is if you decide to get rid of the Linux Partition after installing and do not reconfigure the bootloader first. Just mental note that. Most distros. have a control panel for modifing the bootloader (grub or lilo).

ive got windows xp home edition installed onto my computer this now
can i partion my hard disk without removing all the things on it?
also what if i just installed linux what wud happen would xp get deleted and the whole drive wiped?

If you want to keep your Windows install operational, and want to add Linux as a boot option, you will need to have disk room available (unpartitioned, not just empty space on C: or D: or whatever).

Two ways to do this: Shrink your existing partition with a tool like Partition Magic ($), or add in an extra hard drive to use for Linux.

There is a free tool, ntfsresize (part of qtparted on a Knoppix CD), that can shrink your NTFS partition. However, no tool (including PM, above) is 100% foolproof. Have a backup of your data, just in case!

But you really only have two choices.


EDIT: Ok, a third choice, too. If you have your drive already partitioned into separate drives, and use one of them for stuff like MP3s that you can move off of there and make it totally empty, you can remove that partition and use the space. But this really IS the last option.

thanks for that markjensen
ill need to try that when i get my linux cd in

Welcome to the community, TechN9ne!!

Now, you could save yourself the trouble, and try using a virtual machine...

www.vmware.com

You can ADD a Linux partition provided you have enough disk space. You will need to use a reliable partition managing program, and since you already have WinXP on your system I would suggest using one that is WinXP based. I use 7Tools Partition Manager. It can be downloaded from the internet and costs about US $30.00. You can get a free download but it won't actually repartition your drive, you have to pay for that. The free download may be a good idea just to get the feel of how it works. Most partition manager programs provide a 'dry run' option that will allow you to see what will happen without actually performing the task. There are several good partioning programs available, I just happen to like the way this one works. Anyway, the very first thing you need to do is remove any WinXP programs and/or files you really don't need or want. Then install your partitioning software but don't run it just yet. The next step is to turn off any background programs like spyware checkers, anti-virus software and the like. Now you MUST deactivate your Windows swapfile space since this, and many of the 'checker' programs use the last part of your active partition to store information and you might overwrite them when you repartition and this is NOT good! Next, do a complete disk clean, then a defrag. After that, if you have anything you want to save you really should back-up those files on CD's or floppies or something just in case. Now check your free drive space on your main drive. If you have enough unused space you can go ahead and repartition. This is where you really need to be careful! If you have enough free space left you should probably allocate as much space as you can to your new partition you will create. I know you can install Linux in less space than 1 or 2GB, but you will need to have the 'overhead' for new Linux programs you may want to install later. You may also want to set up a 'swap' partition if you don't have a lot of RAM. You may want to use between 128MB and 256MB for this, but it's up to you. Along with this, make sure you have left enough disk space available to add new programs to your XP partition, if you REALLY want to . Now comes the fun part! I can't tell you exactly how to run your partitioning program since that will depend on which program you decide to use. If your partiton manager program lets you format your new partition, I can suggest you partition using the Linux standard 'ext2' file system to be on the safe side. There are other options and you will most likely have a chance to choose one of them when you do your actual Linux install. Make SURE you follow the directions for your partitioning program EXACTLY and do not try to outguess the installation screens. If you aren't sure of what you are reading STOP and don't go on until you feel comfortable that you know exactly what will happen next. When you have your new partition ready, you can go ahead and install your chosen Linux distro. Again, you will need to be careful when you install Linux because it will want to reformat your partition. Just make sure you reformat your Linux partition and not your WinXP NTFS (or FAT32) partition. HAVE FUN!