Hi Geeks:

I just started a new job. The folks here have been using Cygwin on Windows for a serious computing job (it's a long story - but they can't / won't port the code). They are running it on a fast computer but Cygwin isn't cutting it anymore. It leaks and takes forever to run. They want me to set up the machine as a dual boot with Linux and XP. I got stuck with it because I've used Linux for years. However, I have found the modern distros so good that I still consider myself a newbie - I rarely go under the hood.

I'm concerned about this install because the machine is RAID 0 (my first RAID) and my first dual boot. Here are my questions:

1. What are the issues with dual boot (XP Pro) and RAID? There seem to be many from browsing. Can somebody knowledgeable summarize them for me?

2. What distro should I use? I've been leaning toward Fedora b/c I've used RH for years.

3. Should I be frightened.

Here are the details of the machine:
Dell Worstation PWS450
Xeon 3.06 GHz with 3.50 Gb RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX1000
DVD RW

The RAID 0 Striped disks use this SATA Chipset:
Promise FastTrak SATA150 TX2

It also has a firewire LaCie External data drive.

I hope this is clear and thanks in advance.

-Andy

You can try this link. It's a bit dated, but it might point you in the right direction. Although, I believe that recent builds of Fedora / Mandrake / Slackware and probably others have S-ATA support built in.

Baldrick