ok i decided to ask this here as well, nothing to loose i guess.
i really wanna learn linux and i'm installing various distros over and over again, numerous times. but the thing which is crucial is that my windows install stays in tip top shape. and that is never the case.

i have windows installed and working beautifully, nod32 starts up right after the windows welcome screen. but ALWAYS when i add a linux install, nod32 takes about 2,3 minutes to load, and my computer is practically useless untill that nod32 splash screen goes away and nod32 starts up. after that everything works. that is just so irritating. i can't accept windows to boot like that. i know it is a nod32 issue, i just don't know how a fresh install of linux messes that up?? if i delete the newly created partition of linux and reboot, my pc starts up instantly and nod32 loads right away.

anyone here dualbooting linux with xp and having same issues? what could be the cause of this?

Are there any settings in NOD32 that can restrict it to ignore all but the windows partition at boot?

I'm dual booting just fine and don't have any issues like that (we use Symantec Corporate AV and Symantec Protection Agent). I would have to suspect it's a NOD32 issue...

actually it's not a nod32 issue completely. even if i uninstall nod and reboot my system would still hang, and beuseless for like 2 minutes. it's something with the ethernet controller. if i disable my network card the problem seems to go away. but i can't disable it cause i use pppoe to connect my dsl. someway, somehow linux install messes that up and i can't boot into windows properly. the nod32 splash i get is cause that network device is taking ages to start or whatever.