im not sure if this is the correct section to put this in, if not, please move it.

so. i just got my desktop up and running today < amd 3600+ 64 x2, 2gb transcend ram, 250gb ide harddrive > and i want to run a dual boot with xp pro and < insert a linux distro i have yet to decide on here >

so, i know i need to start by installing windows. and im at the point where i partition my harddisk for windows and im not sure what size to make it. so, if someone would at least enlighten me to that point id be forever greatful. and and advice beyond that would also be appreciated.

thanks.

My 160GB primary drive is partitioned into 8 20GB slices. XP sits on /dev/hda1 and my Linux distros sit on /dev/hda5 through /dev/hda11. Works well.

that sounds good.

will it matter that i mainly need windows for photoshop?

i guess a better question is what is each partition for?
where should i expect my photos to reside?

Nope. Doesn't matter what you are using Windows for. As I understand it though, Windows likes to be on the first partition. So partition your disk as you see fit. Install Windows and then install Linux. Most of the distros will install their own boot loader and recognize that Windows is also installed and add it to the loader. My partitions are as follows (remember 8 20GB parts)
/dev/hda1 Windows XP
/dev/hda2 Windows extended
/dev/hda5 Fedora Core 6
/dev/hda6 Fedora 7
/dev/hda7 Ubuntu
/dev/hda8 Debian
/dev/hda9 Fedora Core 5
/dev/hda10 and 11 unused

Hi,

Just to add my 2 cents, If you're formatting the windows partition as NTFS, it's a good idea to format an extra partition as fat32, so you can share files between linux and windows.

Sam