Hello. Im new to linux and have been trying to install knoppix and mandrake on my old pentium 150mhz and have finally given up. Any way im getting a new computer with two hdd's so i can install linux finally and still have windows for games and what not. I want to have it so it starts windows normally but during the boot up i have the option to change to linux. So what am i best off to do, install windows on the first hdd first or linux on the 2nd hdd first?. I plan to use mandrake 10. The computer will be along the lines of a P4 2.8ghz, 512mb ram, 2 60gb hdd with a geforce fx5200 if that makes any diff.

Thx

install windows on the first drive, leave 2nd unplugged (reason for this is because windows xp setup always writes some data to the 2nd harddrive even though i didnt select it to be partitioned). after windows is done installing, change bios order so the 2nd harddrive boots first and load linux on it.

Install a bootloader so you can choose whether to boot linux or windows

From newbie to newbie... in noob terms...

a) Install you windows FIRST...

b) It will save you alot of troubles to install your windows in FAT32, will save you trouble getting your linux to read/write to the HD where windows was installed.

c) when you install linux, installed in the second HD ('hdb' in linux lingo)

d) during linux install you will be given the option to install a 'boot loader' (LILO or Grub) this allow you to have a menu at boot for you to chose Win or Linux . The boot loader can be set to boot the OS of your choice by default

Linux will be aware of the existance of Windows... but Win.. is totally ignorant and will never know Linux exist in that machine.

There is ways to have different HD's configurations... but they are not easy to achieve for newbies.

[edit]
PS. You dont need to unplug any HD during installation of Windows. When you install you Linux you will get the option to partition and format the second HD in the Linux way.

Thx for all your help. I will proberly be using win98se becuase it just that good and i wont have to pay heaps for a shit OS (iv done that all ready with ME and will never do it agian). So that takes care of the files system problems with NTFS. What is the differance between lilo and grub and are they easy to use/configure for someone new to linux.

most new distros will offer you the choice of lilo and grub. Grub is somewhat newer and looks a bit nicer.

Personally I prefer Grub because if something goes wrong editing your grub configuration is difficult but not impossible, editing a lilo problem is just about impossible for a newbie.

If your installing Mandrake 10.0, they have vastly improved the handling of NTFS and can read and write to them now (as long as the permission level is correct.) I'm running WinXp alongside Mandrake 10 for several months now with no problems (but I haven't had the need to reboot over to windows anymore) and can easily access the NTFS mount. As a matter of fact, Mandrake automatically sets it up for you during the install!
Hope this helps,
J