How to install linux on xp
 

How to install Red Hat Enterprize Linux 5.0 on Hard disk which have xp already install:newbie:

you need to have unallocated/free space on your hard drive, go to disk management and create free space or unallocated partition
thats it boot from dvd drive and follow on screen instruction

How to install linux on xp
 

This link will gives you complete installation of screenshots http://www.oracle-base.com/articles/linux/RHEL5Installation.php

Please Remember when you reach step-7, you must choose Partition must be manual partition from the menu-list

Correct.

I don't think so. I don't believe XP can shrink its own partition.

I think you need to defragment the XP partition while booted in XP, but then shrink it using some Linux partitioning tool.

But those screenshots don't go down the path relevant to the OP's question, so they will be quite misleading.

That is very important. But I think you stated it unclearly, and without the installer running to look at, I don't think I could do better.

I've run many Centos installs, but I still get confused by the partitioning tool in the Centos installer. I've never even tried to shrink a Windows partition from within the Centos installer. I don't know if you can.

Running RHEL or Centos dual boot with Windows seems like a strange idea anyway.

1) Am I misunderstanding you? I read the above as a request for dual boot. Meaning you shrink the install of XP and install RHEL beside it and end up able to select either at each boot.

If instead you meant replace XP with RHEL, that is simpler. The partitioning choices in the RHEL installer include a choice to destroy everything previously on your hard drive and use the whole hard drive for RHEL.

2) Why Red Hat Enterprise Linux? Especially if you want to dual boot. I'm not implying having a good reason is unlikely, just that some people make that choice out of ignorance about Linux, rather than for a good reason.

Depending on what you want to use the system form, a beginner friendly desktop distribution of Linux, such as Mepis or Kubuntu, may be more suitable and much easier.

When I want to deal with a complicated partitioning issue when installing Centos, I always boot up my Mepis liveCD and use the GUI partitioning tool there to do the tricky parts of partitioning. Then I have less to be confused about in the partitioning tool in the Centos installer.

I don't currently have any Windows/Centos dual boot systems. If I'm remembering correctly, I never did. So I don't think I ever shrank (rather than destroyed) a Windows partition to install Centos. But I certainly shrank Windows XP partitions to install other distributions of Linux (usually Mepis). If you first defragment from inside Windows XP, Mepis makes it easy to shrink the Windows XP partition before installing Linux.

xp dose NOT come with the ability to shrink the partition

use Gparted and wipe the whole drive
install xp on aprox 1/2 of the drive then BUY, $$$$$$ yes pay cash to Red Hat for ,a license
or install CentOS 5.4

The above posts assume you mean a dual boot.

I suggest that you consider using a virtual machine instead if you have fairly new system with 1-2G ram or more. You won't need to partition. You can run both OS's at the same time if you want.
See vmplayer 3 or virtualbox or even virtualPC

Not necessary. XP is already installed. Use XP to defragment its own partition, then use Linux to shrink the XP partition.

If the partitioning tool in the RHEL/CENTOS installer can't shrink a Windows partition (I don't know whether it can), download some other Linux install CD, such as Mepis, that can shrink a Windows partition. You can install RHEL after using some other Linux to shrink the Windows partition. You don't need to install the other Linux.

Not sure what you mean by that suggestion. My advice that might match what you mean is: If you want Red Hat but don't expect to pay for Red Hat, don't install a free trial or unlicensed copy of Red Hat. It would be a real pain to get upgrades and add on software. Instead, install Centos.

Thanks!!!