Trying out a different OS on a PC
 

I kind of want to dabble in a differnet OS, and if I can I want to be able to do it safely so I could go back to XP.

I'm trying to figure out how to set up two operating systems on one pc or be able to boot the free one, such as Fedora or Ubutnu, off of a disk or even an external hard drive.

I'm hoping that I can just have two OSs on my PC and just get rid of one or the other, or neither. How can I set this up?

try Virtual PC or VMware install any OS without restart pc or make it in one partition.

I would setup another partition and install the OS there. Avoid the virtualization method, you would have to deal with the compatiblity issues there too (plus the ones with the linux kernel).

Keep in mind though that usually you need more than one partition for a sane linux distro setup. main partition and swap partition, or even more (home directories, user data, etc.).

I had tried Linux before on the same hard drive as XP, it automatically partitioned it, and when I decided to delete it, all I had to do was run Window's Recovery and use the fixmbr tool. Than I just used the partition manager in Windows and deleted the Linux partition. The only problem is that I can't extend my NTFS partition while I am running Windows, so I am going to have to put it in as a slave drive and extend it while I am running Windows from another hard drive. No biggie.

GParted can repartition the drive back without having to stick in another drive.

Really, it can extend the partition that Windows is currently running off of?

Paragon partiton manager, or partition magc, can extend/shrink it. Of course, no data loss, unless your power goes out while the drive is being rearranged.

I don't have oodles of experience with partitions, so I usually tend to avoid using them. I will have to try one of those programs when I am home. Obtaining it legally of course...

If it is Linux you want to try out, did you try using a LiveCD? They boot directly from your CD ROM drive, and you can create a "home directory" to store your files on a USB Pendrive in most cases. That lets you try a new OS without any change to your existing setup.

I have tried that myself, the only problem is that unless you have a really fast CD drive it runs really slow and you don't always get every single feature. I think Ubuntu's LiveCD lets you install right from the LiveCD if you want.

You need a lot of memory for disk cache to get LiveCD to run smoothly. Even more with a LiveDVD, however I think 2GB of memory should suffice for most distro live CDs. At least if you're not into that heavy-memory stuff like 3D desktop eye candy..

Ubuntu comes with a Windows installer called "Wubi" where you can simply stick a huge encrypted file in your hard drive and Ubuntu will boot off of it. It's uninstallable.

Most, if not all LiveCD's, can be installed from. Yes, they are slower than usual OS usage, but for testing purposes they're fine. Ubuntu and Fedora, for example, run fairly well with a gig of memory. I've played a few games on LiveCD's and didn't notice any problems.

If you want a good, fast LiveCD designed OS, try Puppy Linux.