vista linux partitioning questions!!

So my Raidmax Smilodon with a black and green scheme got here today, let me tell you it is definitely eye candy

anyway that's beside the point, the rest of my rig will be getting here tomorrow with a copy of Vista Home 32bit and I have always been interested in Linux and I want to double boot but since I will only have one HDD I will need to partition the drive and these are my questions.

How do I partition my drive?

Do I install vista first then partition or can I partition before installing any Os?

Which of the zillion versions of Linux is the all around best?

Will my PC automatically ask me what OS I want to boot up or does that need be manually set?

So my Raidmax Smilodon with a black and green scheme got here today, let me tell you it is definitely eye candy

anyway that's beside the point, the rest of my rig will be getting here tomorrow with a copy of Vista Home 32bit and I have always been interested in Linux and I want to double boot but since I will only have one HDD I will need to partition the drive and these are my questions.

How do I partition my drive?

Do I install vista first then partition or can I partition before installing any Os?

Which of the zillion versions of Linux is the all around best?

Will my PC automatically ask me what OS I want to boot up or does that need be manually set?

insidious13

I'm currently dual-booting Vista and Ubuntu. My computer came with Vista pre-installed on the partition where the rest of my documents and stuff are (dunno why), and I didn't feel like re-partitioning and re-installing Vista, so here's what I did.

I used the Shrink Partition tool to shrink my main partition with Vista and all my other stuff on it. You go to Start, then right click on Computer, then click Manage. Then, you click on disk management, and right click on the partition you want to shrink. Then you put in the amount you want to shrink it. The amount you shrink it by will become your Linux partition, so you should make it about 10 GB or so. You then boot your computer from a Linux cd, and go through the installation process, choosing to install the OS on the largest amount of continuous free space, which will be the place you shrank earlier. Your computer will be automatically be set to boot into Linux when it boots, but you will have an option to choose Vista before it boots into Linux.

Note: This is based on Ubuntu. I don't know if other Linux OS's work this way.

How do I partition my drive?

insidious13

Do I install vista first then partition or can I partition before installing any Os?

insidious13

Which of the zillion versions of Linux is the all around best?

insidious13

Will my PC automatically ask me what OS I want to boot up or does that need be manually set?

insidious13

Normally, No. Some installs provide their own bootloader.

Vista likes control of the drive. To dual boot you will need to more then likely use Grub to boot. You will need to install this under linux and setup from there.

You will need to ChainLoad VISTA

ok so build the rig install Vista

partition the drive saving about 10gb for Kunbuntu

boot the live cd and install in proper partition

......then ?

Note: This is based on Ubuntu. I don't know if other Linux OS's work this way. SirFrosty

It'll depend on the partitioning tool included with the distro, not the distro itself..but yeah, most others should work similarly. You may not have the 'wizard' options with some tools, but manual partitioning is pretty straightforward anyways.

ok so build the rig install Vista

partition the drive saving about 10gb for Kunbuntu

boot the live cd and install in proper partition

......then ?

insidious13

Let the install run its course.

Ubuntu/Kubuntu will install the GRUB bootloader in the process. Your machine will reboot, and you will be presented with a bootloader selection screen, with a chained entry for Windows Vista (takes you to Vista's bootloader) and an entry for Kubuntu (which it will probably default to.)

Select one, and the respective OS will begin booting.

That sounds too easy....

Will the partitioning be fool proof... I wont be able to partition it in a way that half of vista is on a different one or something how many should I make?

oh and should I go with the 64bit with linux ?

While Im here this is my rig

E7200 Wolfdale 2.53ghz

Gigabyte GA GP35 DS3L

G.Skill 2gb cant remember speeds

160gb 7200rpm

and evga 8800gs (i was on a tight budget)