I have been running WinXP Pro for a year now, but feel the need to get to know Linux before I have to use it for my classes. I have an 80 gig HD as my master, and I got a 30 GB drive, that I was going to install as a slave. Is there a way for me to install Redhat on the 30 gig slave, and still have it pop up the GRUB window for OS switching, without losing all the data on the 80 gig master?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I pretty much have no idea what I am doing.

Yes. You can install Red Hat in the 30 gig HD and install Lilo/Grub in the MBR you can just choose to automatically partition HD... the 80 gig HD will not be touched through the rest of the Linux installation....

RedHat will see all, know all...
When the time comes (during install) select to format partitions using Disk Druid. Then /dev/hdb should be your 30Gb drive. I usually set mine up like:
hdb1 --> 100 Mb /boot
hdb2 --> (2xRAM) /swap
hdb3 --> 29Mb /

Then for GRUB setup, you'll se XP listed as DOS. Just change the name to WinXP or whatever...You'll then be dual booting...

now, will i have to put the 30 gig with grub/linux as the master drive in order for the system to see it as the first boot drive, or will it be fine as a slave?

Grub/Lilo can boot which ever drive you want to boot, whether it's slave, master, cook, servant, house keeper, choffer, super intendant, whatever!, heheheh

Just pop in your RH cd and boot from your cdrom. When you get to the point of partitioning your hardrives, select using Diskdruid like je_fro mentioned, and sellect the 30 gig driver in which you will make the partitions for Linux.

Also, for simplicity purpose, you can completely ignore the "boot" partition, you don't need it. You just need Swap and home "/"
Make swap at the most 520 megs, and then make "/" the rest until it fills the hardrive.

And don't forget to install Grub/Lilo on the MasterBootRecord, so that you can boot anything you may want.

ciao

zLinuxz

now, could I do the same if I wanted to use Mandrake 9 instead???

I don't know the particulars of a Mandrake install, but the theory is exactly the same. Just be sure to put GRUB on the MBR.

meh...i tried mandrake (the redhat cds i downloaded failed testing =( ) But mandrake gave me big issues with my video card, and wouldnt load X or KDE (the dual boot did work, tho). Of course, by the time all this went down - I had re-downloaded the cds and re burned them (having a laptop is a godsend sometimes), and now redhat is installing away. :-D

Like this reply matters, but yes it is very easy to accomplish what you are looking to do. Simply put in the linux disc and do the install. During the install it will automatically find your Windoze XP partition.