i want to do this, so im going to repartition everything, but i need to know which i should install first, XP or linux? will XP be able to detect and boot linux? i know the linux loader can detect and boot windows...so can i do linux first and windows second, or do i have to have windows first and then linux? thanks a lot...

Since XP won't be able to read the Linux file system, it won't be able to add it to the boot loader. So you'll need to install XP first, then Linux, and XP will be listed in Linux's boot loader. Also, to my knowledge, you will have to use FAT32, since I don't think Linux will be able to read an NTFS file system.

I am currently dual booting Linux and Xp, I had XP installed first. Linux does work with NFTS as that is what my disk was before I installed Linux on it. Also just set your boot up sequence to boot to CD first and then you won't have any problem with it. Unless you don't have the cd that is. Have fun

Partition magic / Boot magic are really useful for these types of configuration.

Or bootpart ... do a search for it online and you'll find it... it lets you use the NT/2000/XP bootloader to load linux (as long as you make sure during linux setup to install the boot loader on the first sector of the partition, NOT the MBR).

I installed XP first, RedHat second, with zero problems using bootpart ...

See here: http://www.linuxorbit.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=470

You can put Linux into the XP boot menu (I've done it) - just follow the instructions here

"You can put Linux into the XP boot menu (I've done it) - just follow the instructions here"

One thing I noticed missing: To make those instructions work, does your Win2k partition have to be FAT32 or can it be NTFS?

TIA...

I would install XP first, and then Linux, and use either Lilo or Grub as a boot loader. Depending on which distro you choose, it may, or may not, support NTFS. Just check the online documentation first, if you must access an NTFS partition.

Even if your distro doesn't support NTFS out of the box (given that its still experimental a lot probably don't) adding it is a matter of recompiling the kernel. You have to be careful though since while read support is, AFAIK, pretty stable write support still has a long way to go.

"I would install XP first, and then Linux, and use either Lilo or Grub as a boot loader. Depending on which distro you choose, it may, or may not, support NTFS. Just check the online documentation first, if you must access an NTFS partition."

A friend of mine wants to set up a dualboot machine between Win2k and RedHat, and she asked me to help, though I admittedly only have basic knowledge of Linux (installed it several times at work). I've just spent the last 3 hours looking around RedHat's site to see if it supports NTFS, and I'll be darned if I can find it.

I just checked and neither versions 7.1 or 7.2 support it out of the box (at least there doesn't appear to be a module for it in /lib/modules/<kernel version>/fs). I don't know about 7.3, 7.4 or 8 though but seeing as its still experimental I doubt they will either.

"I just checked and neither versions 7.1 or 7.2 support it out of the box (at least there doesn't appear to be a module for it in /lib/modules/<kernel version>/fs). I don't know about 7.4 or 8 though but seeing as its still experimental I doubt they will either."

Thanks for checking. I saw that version 8 went final earlier this week, so I was wondering about it, but I haven't been able to dl the ISOs yet.