I didn't know where to start so I figured I'd start here. I have been downloading several different builds trying to test drive Linux for a dual boot setup with WinXP SP2. So far the only distro that sorta worked was the software based Wubi/Kubuntu. I've downloaded live CD's from Freespire/Ubuntu/Knoppix and none of them run for very long before they lock up, sometimes during initial boot.

I'm running an AMD64 chip in a compaq laptop and have downloaded iso's that are for my system as well as the i386 Wubi setup. I have some work related proprietary software so I can't dump WinXP.

Any help is appreciated.