When setting up a dual-boot system, you must make some important changes to the way your computer operates. While these changes are routine, there is the possibility that they could go wrong. By planning your dual-boot setup you can reduce the risk of error.
In order to decide how to partition your hard disk ready for dual-booting, you will need to know how it is currently partitioned.
You need to find out the total storage capacity of your hard disk drive and the layout of the current partitions. This can be done from within Windows XP by using the Disk Management Snap-In.
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Press → . The Run dialog should appear.
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Type diskmgr.msc into the box provided and press .
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The Disk Management Snap-In shows the status of all of the storage devices connected to your computer. Find the device with the C: drive on it. This should be your primary hard disk (if you have more than one installed).
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Note down the total capacity of the hard disk and also the order and size of all of the partitions on the disk (if there is more than one).
Windows will probably use one or two partitions only, though these are likely to take up the entire hard disk. You must decide how much disk space you will need for Windows, and how much you would like to be able to use in Ubuntu.
![[Note]](../../images/admon/note.png)
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Recovery partitions |
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Many computer manufacturers install recovery partitions onto their computers to allow you to restore Windows in case of problems. These tend to be small partitions which are inaccessible from Windows. Because these partitions may be the sole method of recovering Windows in case of a problem, it is recommended that you do not attempt to change or remove such recovery partitions. |
