Ok, this is probably in the FAQ, and it's probably been asked before, but I am slow to learn, so please bear with me. Ok, here goes.

[Noob-rant]Well, I'm new to Linux. As you can clearly see. I do not actually own Linux, as of yet, as I am waiting to get my new PC. I need some help with Dual-Booting. I will already have Windows XP instaled on my PC when I get it, but I was wondering, how do you actually have Dual-Booting? Do I use 2 different Hard Drives, like someone suggested to me in the #Linux channel on IRC. If so, how do I create 2 Hard Drives?[/Noob-rant]

Thanks in advance,

- Hive.

Yes, this is covered ad-nauseum throughout this site and many others... but the short answer is, assuming you choose a suitable distibution (Mandrake, for example) the installation process will resize your XP partition, and create room for the new os.

But yes, you could also buy another hard drive and plug it into a spare port - however there will probably be no need unless you're expecting to run out of room (endless music/games/videos on your XP partition etc).

Welcome to the Free World, and good luck

Cheers,

mj

Well, thanks very much mjrich. I doubt I'll run out of space, 80GB of space just for my little stuff. On this PC I'm only using about 50GB, so I should be ok. Thanks again.

{EDIT} Is there any way to get a free version of Mandrake Linux?

- Hive.

Yes, 80 Gb should be more than plenty !

If you have a quick internet connection, then you can download Mandrake 10.1 from here: http://iso.linuxquestions.org/version.php?version=98. Alternatively, a lot of computer stores stock download versions of many distributions for only a few dollars. Or, if you're feeling like supporting Mandrake, you can always buy one from their website (www.mandrakelinux.com).

If you download the iso image, don't forget to burn it as an image, rather than as a file There will be an option under Nero (etc.) for this.

Cheers,

mj

Thanks again, mjrich. I've got Blueyonder 2MB broadband so downloading shouldn't be a problem.

- Hive.