How to dual boot Windows XP and Linux (XP installed first) -- the step-by-step guide with screenshots

How to dual-boot Windows XP and Linux, on a system where you have already installed XP. Easy step-by-step tutorial that doesn't assume prior knowledge of Linux.

As we're assuming that XP has already been installed (either via an OEM or self-installation) I won't run through the XP installation process. We'll further assume that XP has been installed to a single NTFS partition which takes up the whole disk.

One interesting thing to note though - Ubuntu is happy to read NTFS partitions, so one potential configuration option is to either create a 2nd NTFS partition which will house data for access by both operating systems, or simply a 2nd hard drive, again formatted with NTFS.

Install Ubuntu

You'll need the latest desktop ISO of Ubuntu (8.04). You can choose a list of download mirrors from the Ubuntu website, or use this link from Planetmirror. Download the ISO and burn it to CD to create bootable Ubuntu CD.

Boot the XP machine from the CD and select "Install Ubuntu" from the boot menu.

Once the Live CD has loaded, on the Welcome screen choose your language and select Forward.

On the "Where are you" (timezone) page, select your location and then Forward.

Ubuntu will then load the disk partitioner to determine where it's going to be installed. The default option is that Ubuntu will resize the Windows XP NTFS partition to make space for the Ubuntu install. You can drag the dividing line left or right to increase or decrease the amount of space to be freed up.

Once you're happy with the selection, click Forward.

Ubuntu then prompts you to commit the changes (despite what the warning, it won't take very long). Click Continue - the screen disappears and then click Forward again.