XP and Linux on the same machine?

[norman_069]

Hello, my name is trey and i am new (very new to linux), in fact i just found out about two weeks ago what linux actualy is. I am a student currently getting a degree in computer science. I am very interested in finding out all i can about linux so any help would be appriciated. I just have two questions right now.

1. Where do i start to get information from for a brand new beginner (i.e books, videos. websites)
2. I currently have a sony vaio pcv-rs620g with two 160 gig harddrives and 1g ram. Can i run windows xp and linux on the same machine.

Thanks for the help.

Trey

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

1. Where do i start to get information from for a brand new beginner (i.e books, videos. websites)

Search in LinuxForums for books/tutorials and Google too. You will find plenty of websites.

2. I currently have a sony vaio pcv-rs620g with two 160 gig harddrives and 1g ram. Can i run windows xp and linux on the same machine.

You can install as many OSes as you like. I have Windows XP + 6 Linux distros in test machine. Install Windows XP first and shrink existing partition(s) to create free/unpartitioned space for Linux. Select free space for partitioning during installation. Installer will create/format partitions out of free space itself. Dual boot is default in all Linux distros. Installer will install Boot Loader ( GRUB/Lilo ) and you will have choice to boot up any OS at startup.

Which distro are you planning to install?

[norman_069]

If i already have xp installed on the sony can i just use the second hdd which has nothing on it to add the linux or do i need to reset the whole computer with linux and xp. I m not sure which distro i will use considering i just found out about 5 minutes ago what distro was.

Thanks

[devils casper]

If i already have xp installed on the sony can i just use the second hdd which has nothing on it to add the linux or do i need to reset the whole computer with linux and xp.

It depends on you only. You can install Linux along with XP in single Hard Disk or in a separate one. Linux will need 8-10GB disk space.

I m not sure which distro i will use considering i just found out about 5 minutes ago what distro was.

Check this Poll and the link in my signature.

[ryptyde]

Play it safe and smart, put your Linux on a separate hard drive and you will not screw up your Windows install.

Unplug your Windows drive and just install Linux to the extra drive and get it working first then afterward you can easy choose which drive to boot from.

I run Fedora on several computers that have a Fedora drive and Windows drive. I also run Fedora/Windows on the same drive on laptops but the safest way is to install to a drive dedicated to one os.

[norman_069]

Thanks for the help. I will start reading about linux and see how it goes.

[devils casper]

Do let us know how it goes. Good Luck !