installing windows xp on a slackware box

hello,
first of all, please, don't flame me because I want to do so, but I really love gaming, and, I do not want to give it up. And please don't tell me either that there are SIMILAR games for linux, because I want to be able to play them with my friends(all of whom use windows). Before asking, I would also like to point out, that I do have an original windows XP CD with its respective licence, so don't blame me for warez/cracking windows, or anything like that.
Well, to the point: I have a Slackware 10.2 box, with nothing else installed. I do not want to delete the partition and I belive there must be some way of installing it without it formating all my hd. I even read this tutorial http://linux.coconia.net/addingXP.htm but I actually did not understand how to let windows think partition "X" is the whole hd or something similar, so it will install on a partition. Well, thanks in advance,
Andres Goens

In your title you talk about installing Windows XP on Slackware yet in your post you say you want to run games on Linux. Do you want to install XP on Slackware or just be able to run Windows games on Linux?

For installing XP on Slackware or any Linux distro, you should look into using Qemu or VMware. Qemu and VMware can help you install a virtual operating system on your Slackware system. Don't expect the same level of performance however. Games tend to run slower on a virtual system.

I don't understand what could be wrong with using a Linux version of a game. It's still the same game and you'll be able to play with your friends regardless. Won't you consider using a Linux version of the game you want to play?

If you just want to run Windows games on Linux, I recommend using either Wine or Cedega. Cedega is focused on running Windows games while Wine is used for any Windows program in general.

Lets be honest here. Most games are designed for Windows. Sure there's some stuff that has been pulled over to work fine on linux, etc, but still, the fact remainds that most game developers are still sticking with Windows, as that is where the profits are at. It is irrelivant that games could potentially run BETTER in linux if designed for linux then they do in Windows (as I have seen with a few actually), because most just don't run on linux, or must be run through an emulator such was wine which makes them very slow or buggy (or both). I love linux, but as of right now, Windows rules the gaming world. It's coming over... slowly, but the developers arn't all here yet. Personally I gave up playing games on my computer... I realized it's alot easier and more fun, smooth running, and universal to play it on a game system, weather the games were running in Windows or linux regardless. Mostly what I use my computer for now is instant messaging, email, internet, school, word processing (open office), work, coding, listening to music (plug it up to my stereo or put it on the MP3 player ususally), etc.

I suggest you buy a PS2/XboX/GameCube/whatever. Thats what I did anyway.

You're either going to have to re-partition your drive (which will make you have to re-install Slackware again) or install another hard drive along-side your Linux one.

Re-installing Slackware shouldn't really be a problem. If you back-up your /etc and /home directories somewhere, you can just put them back in and it will be pretty much the same as before you formatted. If you do this, though, it would be best to install XP before Slackware. That way the boot-loader will already know about Windows and you won't have to fiddle with it much.

If you install a second hard drive, all you would have to do is add the XP entry into your lilo.conf, run `lilo` and your all set to go.

It's all much easier than that. Look into the gparted live CD. It is a bootable CD that you can use to shrink and grow partitions and make room for a new OS without destoying its contents. I've use it many times (actually I usually use the program as it is installed on Knoppix, which also works if you don't mind several gigs of extra software as a bonus) to shrink a WinXP partition to make room for Linux, but It should also shrink a Linux partition (depending on what file system you used) to make room for WinXP.

If you installed a boot loader on the MBR (such as a line in lilo.conf that says: "boot=/dev/hda", you might want to move it to the front of your Linux partition ("boot=/dev/hda1") because the XP installer will destroy it otherwise. Then after you get Windows going, change the active partition to Linux, and edit your boot loader config (ie: lilo.conf, then run lilo) to add an entry for Windows and you'll have a nice dual booting system with both OS's living in harmony.

well, to mr. ceros, I think i might have expressed myself wrong. I have tried with emulation and it did not work. I also have nothing against linux ports( I actually like them), but as oxagast said, you will not be finding them for every game. so well, I have resized my partition and have actually about 30 gb free space now(using e-live btw. I personally like it better than knoppix), boot I don't understand how you say I have to copy the mbr. How do I move the MBR to the front of the linux partiton? is there something in an installer or in the lilo itself, or do I have to mount my /dev/hda0(I think that is MBR)?
And my other concern, will the Win XP installer recognize my ext2 and ext3 partitions and use the free space, or will it try and format the whole hd, or will it query me how I want to do it? Well thanks again.

oh yeah, P.D: I don't like that much game consoles beacuse they are too expensive and you just cannot play online the same way. I actually do have a gamecube but don't like the games( and of course, there isn't such thing as free/os games)

Goens -

I agree with geeksunny and wartstew. Either add a second drive or use gparted (or Symantec Partition Magic).

If you have any FREE space at the END of your current drive you can make it into a partition.

Still though, I would lean towards a second drive. One, you can keep Slackware seperate from the Windows XP install. Two, you'll have an entire drive devoted to XP and your games. If you gparted your current drive then you'll probably shortcut yourself in terms of available space and what-not.

No matter which way you decide to go, XP will become the default OS to boot after it's installed. NOT to worry though! Boot linux via a bootcd or diskette and edit your lilo.conf (Too add Windows XP entry) and rerun 'lilo' so it becomes the default again. Also, you will most likely need to reset the active boot partition with 'fdisk'

Scott