Installing Linux while keeping windows

Dunno about using it on a second hard drive but I imagine it's pretty much the same as using a partition (partition magic worked a treat for me when doing exactly the same thing as you). Make sure you install a bootloader like GRUB & you'll be able to set it up (or in some cases it will get set up automagically) to boot either xp or linux.

If you uninstall linux & want to remove GRUB completely you'll need to replace the Main HD's (the one that boots first, probably the primary master) MBR. The xp cd has a 'Fix MBR' option which does the job without further intervention 99% of the time.

But no, you shouldn't lose XP by installing linux unless you chose the wrong drive/partition to install to & it ends up wiping your XP partition... *looks around sheepishly*

Just about every distro worth it's salt has installation options for "moving windows over" and installing itself onto the unused space. However, i highly recommend putting linux on a separate HD anyway.

Just pop in your installation CD and i'm *sure* it will guide you through the process. There is no need for using partition magic, et al.

That should be even easier that installing both on the same hard drive. I think to make the Windows drive C: it should be before the other in boot order (Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary Master, Secondary Slave).

When you're installing Linux, don't just keep choosing next; read at least enough to understand what each screen is about. I know in some distros, erase the entire drive is the default option, and if you want to have both Windows and Linux, you have to hit the down arrow before pressing enter.

For a distro to a Linux beginner, I would suggest Ubuntu, unless you've already decided on something else.

I think this goes without saying, but make sure you back up your important data before attempting this. [cool]

I second the vote for Ubuntu. It's great. One cavaet: By default Ubuntu wants to have the entire C drive. Get a second hard drive and during the installation process, tell Ubuntu to use that. It will automatically see C as well and put Windows XP in the startup list (and if not, it's easily added).