Linux install on existing WinXP system?

[Jman13]

Hi. I'm thinking about putting a copy of Mandrake 8.2 on my system, with an existing WinXP Pro install. I definitely need the WinXP install to be unaffected by the Linux install. I also need to use my third HD for the Linux Install. (Primary Slave.) If I setup a linux partition on that drive, and install to that, will there be a problem running and booting from that partition? Does the Mandrake setup/partitioner work well without destroying the data on the disk I'll be adding the Linux partition to?

Also, how easy is it to set up the boot menu, so if my Linux experiment fails, I can still boot straight to WinXP for help. I'll likely still use XP for most things, but I'm curious about toying around with Linux.

Jman

 

[SinNisTeR]

beware of the corrupt hal.dll.

i suggest you read this HERE. <-- useful info!

follow that and then report any probs.

 

[kp1126]

When I installed Mandrake 8.1, it gave me the option to use existing free space on a Windows drive. I resized that partition and created a new one for the Linux install. It did not affect any of windows files.