Hi everyone, I have been working on cyberarmy's zebulan challange. (it's a really fun hackers challange) I've gotten to a higher level and it says that it's against the rules to do the next challenge on a windows based machine. How do I set my computer up so I can dual boot Linux and Windows XP??? I've got a Laptop with a 20 gigs hdds, 1.7 Ghz CPU and 256 DDR SDRAM. Can somone please give me instructions on how I can set up my my computer so when I start it up it will give me a screen asking me which OS I wanna start up?? Oh, and I only have one hardrive and I can't. Oh, and please make the instructions simple.......thx!!!

search (here in LQ you will find many many manu docs if you just do a search) a thread that concerns something like dual-boot and/or disk partitioning and/or bootloaders. there you'll find the exact instructions...it's a waste of time to write them in every thread do a search; quick steps are

1) partition your HD so that you have space for linux
2) install linux
3) configure bootloader and bootplace (boot partition/MBR) so that some linux's bootloader overrides windows' own and so that it will recognize both OS's
4) reboot

but still, if you only need linux for that purpose...why not download a live-cd like Knoppix and use it? I don't get installing an OS to keep on playing one friggin game. especially if it _can_ be done with the existing partition...

oh, one more thing - do hackers that do bad things, really care about "rules"? in a game? what?

EDIT: well, if you really are going to install linux, why not wipe out windows in the same run?

Hacking huh? Sounds like lots of fun!

dual booting is simple, depending on which flavor of Linux you go with. I have a laptop with XP and Linux SuSE on it right now.

With SUSe you simply load the OS and it will automatic assign the free HDD space available to Linux. I believe 6gbs should be enough if not too much but better safe than sorry.

I have to warn you though suse has been locking up on me so you might want to try Fadora which is another flavor of RedHat Linux and I've only heard good things about it. I haven't installed it so I can only comment on SuSe at this point.

Good luck