Is there a way to get linux on my windows xp computer?

I want to be able to run linux and windows is this possible?

Is there a way to get linux on my windows xp computer?
yes. this is called a dual boot. partition ur hard drive with a free partition software, like partition logic. then get the distro copy of the linux that u want. i recommend ubuntu. Most linux distro's have a live cd, where u boot from and install the os directly. u can download the distro from their website.





http://partitionlogic.org.uk/
Reply:There are a few ways to do this.





One, download Microsoft's Virtual PC, or some other emulation software, and then install and run Linux on a virtual computer. Not as fast as a native linux system, but good for a beginner to learn the ropes without too much hassle.





Two, install Linux to a spare partiton on your primary hard drive. Then use LILO or GRUB to dual-boot, i.e. choose your OS at boot time. This could prove tricky if your hard drive only has one partition (which is what most Windows installs have) If this is the case, make sure the Linux distro you choose include partition-resizing software on the install CD. Backup your data before you chose this option!





Three, install a secondary hard and install Linux on that. You'll still need to install a Linux bootloader (LILO or GRUB) to the primary drive, but at least you won't have to worry about re-partitioning.
Reply:If you just want to play around with Linux without repartitioning your hard drive, give Puppy Linux a try. It will let you run Linux while you are in XP. It's a very cool setup, and if you decide it's not what you are looking for, just delete the files.
Reply:The best choice for a new user is Ubuntu. (in fact for any user)





Go to http://www.ubuntu.com and download the Live CD image.





Read this first: (choose Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn)


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Gettin...


Read how to burn the image to a cd here:


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Burnin...





This is a guide to the install process:


Basically they're screen shots of what to expect during the install process.


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Graphi...





During the install process, you'll be given the choice to resize your Windows partition to make room for Ubuntu. Just follow the onscreen prompts.





If you need help, take advantage of the Ubuntu forums.


http://ubuntuforums.org/
Reply:Yes you can run both, I do all the time, either get another hard drive and install Linux on that or reduce the size of your Windows partition and then install Linux on the back of your single hard drive (I do this).


If you are not familiar with using Knoppix and Qparted or NTFSResize to reduce the size of your windows partition which probably takes up the whole drive then the second drive is your best option. Also if your windows hard drive is full then best to go with the second drive.


When you install Linux make sure that you install a boot manager, Grub is good. I am not sure if you can configure Grub at install time but you can then add your Windows partition to the grub.conf file in your /boot directory.


You did not say what Linux distribution you are looking at but I use Fedora and this works very well.


I suggest that you manually partition your Linux system as follows.


/ = 5=6 gig


/boot = 100 meg


/home = 1 gig or more


swap = 2x memory


You keep all of your private files on /home so when you upgrade or replace your Linux system you keep your /home and not lose your files. Also if you are keeping a lot of music or graphics files make your /home as large as you can. 5-6 gig for boot will let you install Gnome and KDE as well as a lot of goodies.





Good Luck
Reply:Easiest and cheapest way is to download a copy of Microsoft Virtual PC, install it, then install Linux onto the virtual machine. This has the major advantage of being able to "play with" Linux some without having to do anything too complicated, and being able to undo everything with a quick add/remove. This has the disadvantage of the fact that a virtual machine never runs quite as well as a "real machine" would.





More complicated ways are to either get higher level (more expensive) software like VMWare, or else "dual boot" between Linux and Windows. If you want them both at the same time, though, you want a virtual machine software of some kind.
Reply:Yes it's possible. You just need enough hard drive space. Some people prefer to use a separate hard drive.


The installation of most Linux distros can repartition the drive during the install process. They will make the windows partition smaller and create the proper Linux partitions. Just read up on the process first to make sure you know what it's doing. Or you could change the partitioning separately if you prefer.





Here are a few how-to's on setting a dual boot system:


http://www.howtoforge.com/windows_linux_...


http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/gru...


http://apcmag.com/5459/dualboot_ubuntu_a...





You will probably want to find one specific to the distro of Linux you will be using.





For general info on all Linux distros:


http://www.distrowatch.com

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