i wanted to install redhat 7.3 in the same hard disk alongside xp.i had 9.84 gb of unalocated space in my 120 gb hard disk. i was trying to install it from a dvd ( linux fifth edition by peterson,the complete reference)but when i booted ,it just hanged halfway.( instaling red hat linux window ) .then i used microsoft virtual pc 2004 and everything went well until i selected the automatic partition choice.

and i got thisERROR:
THE PARTITION TABLE ON DEVICE HDA WAS UNREADABLE.TO CREATE NEW PARTITION IT MUST BE INITIALISED,CAUSING THE LOSS OF ALL DATA ON THIS DRIVE.

wat now? am completely new to linux. how can i install redhat without losing any data.

my drive info->c:drive=12.52 gb
unallocated space=9.84 gb
d:drive=26 gb
e:drive =26 gb
f:drive =35gb
plz help

Installing it on Virtual PC shouldn't wipe any WinXP data as Vitual PC will create a virtual Hard Drive for the install. Usually you specify this when setup up the virtual machine.

As for doing the install straight to your physical HD its probably because you have such a new machine that RH 7.3 can't handle some of the newer hardware (SATA controllers, etc) you could try a much newer version of RH like the latest Fedora core.