From: linuxers-bounces@mm.ilug-bom.org.in [mailto:linuxers-bounces@mm.ilug-bom.org.in] On Behalf Of Salil Wadhavkar
Is it possible to install Linux without having to uninstall XP? What is the best way to proceed?
If you already have a second partition on your laptop, the installation of Linux should be a breeze. Start Linux installation using a bootable CD, delete the second FAT32/NTFS partition & proceed with creating partitions on the free space during installation. Many Linux distributions automatically setup dual booting for you during the installation. I already had a second partition on my Dell Latitude and it took me no more than 30 minutes to setup Fedora Core2 test1.
If you do not have a separate partition which I think is the norm on laptops (laptops are supposedly meant for managers who wouldn't care about partitions :-), and one of the reasons for total data corruption on laptops is not partitioning your data), try using a Windows based partition resizer which resizes without data loss (I am not aware of any free utility). Create a new partition and proceed with the installation.
Nilesh.