installing Linux OS on laptops
 

i don't have much experience with laptops. So, i ask: Is it safe to install linux as a secondary OS on laptops that come equipped with other OS? Can we use the same technique as in desktop PCs ?

That's the only way I've done it before.

Although you might run into problems if your laptop works with "Trusted computing" or if you use a full hard drive encryption (like they require at my office). The encryption thing ended up being a show stopper because they wouldn't let me configure the Windows encryption for partition only. It had to be the whole drive...

One other thing, make sure when you resize the windows partition that you've turned off "hibernation" and the windows virtual memory, otherwise there may be some unmovable files when you defrag before the resize. And then the resize will fail or mess up the Windows partition. Once you're done resizing, you can re-enable those features.

I am VERY new to Linux, the only thing I have done is install Ubuntu into
my tiny LG laptop beside pre-installed XP. Installation went without any problems, Grub was put into MBR and finds both OSs. Only problem was that Ubuntu did not recognize my network card, so I have to upgrade before I
can really use it.

Good luck! Eeva

Before installing Linux (or any OS), always back up and make sure you have a restore CD for the original OS and apps. The idea is that you should be able to restore to a working system with all your important data should anything go wrong.

It's not that the Linux install process is particularly risky, it's just that you're going through a process which has options like "erase the whole drive" in it, and it's possible to make a silly mistake which you will regret.

There's not really anything special about laptops, except that they might have some devices physically integrated into them which are more difficult to get working (e.g. built in modems and wireless cards, which might not work out of the box, and will require some fiddling). I'd recommend using a distro which provides a LiveCD, and try it with the LiveCD first. This will give you a good idea of basic hardware compatibility.

Good luck!