<< Linux 8.1 >>
I can only assume that you meant Mandrake 8.1. There is no such thing as Linux 8.1
<< .....how do I partition the drive with XP already on it, currently just one 40 Gig partition...FAT32 I would like to split it evenly between both operating systems 20 and 20. Will Partition Magic 6.0 work with XP?...and will I run into any problems with this combo? >>
As you are using FAT32, you don't really need PM. Of course it will work but its main feature is that it can handle NTFS. If you don't want to spend the extra bucks, there are plenty free software that resize ( I also assume that you wanted to do this, right) a FAT32 parition. Like fips.
And you can't just have 20G + 20G = 40G. Linux at least need two seperate partition - root and swap.