How to dual boot .?

Hi Friends,
I am so tried ti dual boot in my system . i m using windows xp but i m installed new opreating system linux. but i m not installed linux in my system.
mu pc configuration.
intel chipset dual core.
1gb ram
320 gb hdd

please give me any sugeestion.

how to installed linux in my system,?

I use two separate drives, one for each operating system. I use the systems BIOS to select the drive I want to boot from when the system starts.

When I installed Ubuntu I unplugged the drive that Vista would be on. When I installed Vista I unplugged the drive Ubuntu is on. I don't have to keep unplugging the disks, I just did it while installing so the installer didn't worry about what to do with the other disk.

Neither operating system tries to hijack the others boot stuff this way. Both operating systems boot up like they normally would if they were the only operating system on the computer.

Joebert's smart but a little paranoid.

You don't need two physically separate drives and to switch with the BIOS.

Installing linux after windows is easier than installing windows after linux, because linux will respect the windows install whereas windows may not do the reverese.

Most distros now do a decent job of detecting what's on your disk and resizing partitions to make space for itself. Then a boot menu is installed allowing you to choose which operating system to use.

Of course, if you are smart and a little paranoid you can do the partitioning yourself, if windows allows you to resize while running (or if you already have an empty partition).

If you use Ubuntu, choose the "custom" option to set your drive sizes the way you want. It's auto functioning is a little gimpy IMO.

ADVANCED TRICK:
If possible, keep backups of your "Master Boot Record". I don't know how to do this via windows, but the MBR is the first 512 byte physical block on the drive. The BIOS uses this to understand the format of the drive and to load the OS. It will be rewritten whenever you install an operating system. If something goes wrong, don't worry too much -- it is almost certainly because of the MBR, which can make it appear that one of your partitions is gone, etc. It is unlikely that linux will do this, however.

FYI, to backup the MBR using GNU/linux:

"/dev/hda" refers to the drive, not a partition like /dev/hda1 or hda2, etc. You can restore an old MBR like this:

Presto!