Running Linux with Windows

You can install both Linux and Windows on your computer, although only one operating system is running the computer at any given time. A menu is displayed when your computer starts, allowing you to select which operating system to boot. Each operating system is installed in a separate section of your hard disk, called a partition.

To install Linux with Windows on your hard drive, you need to have Windows already installed in a partition and enough free space on your hard disk for Linux. Thus, Windows needs to be installed first. When Windows is installed, you can install it in a partition that does not take up your entire hard disk, leaving enough room for Linux. The Windows installation instructions will tell you how to do this. For example, when installing Windows XP on a hard disk with no existing version of Windows, you will see a screen that displays the existing partitions, giving you choices where Windows can be installed. The only partition is probably "unpartitioned space" showing your entire hard disk. Select the choice "Create a new partition from unpartitioned space." When the new partition is displayed, select a partition size that is smaller than your hard disk, leaving room for Linux.

When you install Windows 2000 or XP, you can select the type of file system for the Windows partition. NTFS and FAT32 are the most common types. Although NTFS has many advantages (such as, better security and efficiency), it has disadvantages in a dual-boot system with Linux. At this time, it's difficult for Linux to read/write an NTFS file system, preventing file sharing between the partitions. In addition, NTFS file systems can't be resized easily if you should want to make room later for another partition. For a dual-boot Linux system, FAT32 may be preferable.

If Windows is already installed on your computer taking up the entire hard disk, you need to resize the Windows partition to a smaller size to make room for Linux. You can do this with a utility on the Linux CD called FIPS. However, FIPS cannot resize a Windows XP NTFS partition. As of this writing, the solutions are to purchase Partition Magic, which can resize it, or to install Mandrake Linux, which can resize the Windows partition during installation, making room for itself. Another suggestion is to install an additional hard disk and install Linux there. If the partition is not a Windows XP NTFS partition, see the section "Making Room for Linux Before Installation" in this chapter.

If you don't know whether you have one or two hard disks or how your hard disk is partitioned, you can use Windows Administrative Tools to look at your hard drive, as described in the following section, "Examining Your Hard Drive."