How do I install a dual boot system, adding Linux to comptuer that already has XP on it?

I want to try using Linux, but I've never done it before. It's kind of confusing with all the builds and the need to partition. Are there any builds which will partition for me? Any general knowledge would be great.

How do I install a dual boot system, adding Linux to comptuer that already has XP on it?
Ubuntu is a great way to go, it will partition the free space on your drive. It is free, and they will even send you free CD's if you can't download it for some reason (if you are asking a question here, I assume you are already online). For me, the best part of Ubuntu is the community. There is a great community of people from around the world, that are very polite and always happy to help answer any questions that you may have: http://www.ubuntuforums.org





Even though Ubuntu is currently on version 5.1 (Breezy Badger), http://ubuntuguide.org which was written for version 5.04 (Warty Warthog), is still a great guide that is very helpful as well.





The Synaptic Package Manager makes it VERY easy to install additional programs, and most of them are free.





There is a live CD (which runs from the CD, but is slower), if you would like to try it without having to install it to your hard drive first:


http://mirror.mcs.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso...





Give it a try, I am sure that you will like it. I installed Ubuntu as a dual-boot about 5 months ago, and I finally removed Windows about two months ago. I am here to stay.
Reply:One of my recommendations would be Xandros and Ubuntu, both are very easy to use and Xandros automatically partitions your hard drive, its good for a begginer, in fact its the one i used, aside from 20+ live cds