ANSWERS: 4
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This can be a little risky and could wipe your hard drive, but here's the how-to: http://phoenix.calpoly.edu/~kvoelker/cgi-bin/counter/cis122/dual-boot.cgi
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If you're planning to try Ubuntu Linux, the procedure is described here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot What you are talking about is known as 'Dual Booting' and it's a great solution for those who want to try Linux while still keeping Windows around. You'll get the choice of which Operating System you want each time you boot the computer, but you won't be able to access both at the same time - it's one or the other. If you want to be able to see Linux and Windows at the same time, you'll need to install a Virtual Machine system like VMWare in Windows, then create a Linux Virtual Machine, which would run like a program within Windows. If you've never seen this, it's quite the thing to behold. Caveat: Running VM's on a computer requires a fast CPU and lots of RAM. 512MB is not lots, btw.
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easiest way would be to download and boot the gparted livecd (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php) it is point and click, easy to use. use it to make room for linux, run your distro's installer, making sure to use the blank space. When you configure grub, make sure you have an entry for window in grub.conf something like this: title xp root (hd0,0) savedefault makeactive chainloader +1 ubuntu fedora etc usually add this for you. install grub to mbr and your done. Ubuntu's installer uses gparted, but theirs version is kinda buggy in my experience.
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There is always risk with repartitioning your hard drive. Perhaps the best way for you to try out linux, and still use windows at the same time would be to download a vmware player image of the linux distribution you would like to try. Here is a link to some different distros (even freebsd!) as well as the FREE VMWare Player: http://www.thoughtpolice.co.uk/vmware/
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