I hope everybody had a good thanksgiving, I know I did.

With the Gutsy release coming up, I'm sure there is an interest in a Gutsy + XP dual boot. Just yesterday I did this for my main computer, and so far I am extremely pleased with the results.

First, you're going to want to install XP. Windows XP has a bad habit of not wanting other operating systems to be around when it is first installed. I would back up any personal data that you don't want to lose, and go ahead and format the entire drive using the windows XP cd. It is also important to make sure you have a gutsy LiveCD that you have downloaded before starting this as well.

You are going to make your drive look like this:

Partition 1: 8 GB Windows XP System Files (NTFS)
Partition 2: X GB Windows XP and Ubuntu Shared (ext3 - /home mount point)
Partition 3: 20 GB Ubuntu root (ext3 - / mount point)
Partition 4: 2 GB Linux SWAP (ext3)

Step 1: Install Windows XP onto a brand new 8 GB partition.

Step 2: Insert Ubuntu live cd and reboot into the live desktop.

Step 3: Open GPartEd (Applications > System Tools)

Step 4: Set up the rest of the partitions.

Step 5: Install Ubuntu (note: make sure the format box is only checked for partition 2 and 3)

Step 6:
Reboot into windows XP.

Step 7: Go to this lovely site here: http://www.fs-driver.org/index.html and download an update that lets windows XP read and write to ext3.

Step 8: Check that you are able to boot into Ubuntu.

Step 9: Party!

Note:
This short guide assumes basic knowledge of formatting and partitioning. If you feel uncomfortable doing these things I would recommend reading up on them first, or getting help from a friend.

Note #2:
The size of the partitions can vary. I personally like the extra room provided by an 8 GB and 20 GB XP/Ubuntu root. It allows for some freedom as far as app installation goes, and gives XP some breathing room. I would install all of your files to the shared ext3 partition, it can be a bit of a habit to quickly click through and save programs into the default directory. This will install apps in XP to your 8 GB partition, and we simply don't want that. Get into the habit of providing your own install directory.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to drop us a line at thetechjuice@gmail.com


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