At a time when some organisations are investigating the possibility of running Linux instead of Windows on some or all of their desktops, support departments face the possibility of having to support both operating systems. While there are many ways to do this, one that I think works well involves installing both operating systems on a single machine and dual booting. There are several reasons why it's a good idea. First, you're going to need a Linux machine to run tests on before rolling out Linux company-wide. Second, once Linux has been rolled out, you'll also need a machine that you can use for troubleshooting problems when they occur. Third, if your help desk has multiple techs, each will probably need its own Linux installation for troubleshooting purposes. To save money and space, you can use one machine to boot both OSs. Enter the dual-boot computer. In this article, I'll explain how to configure a dual-boot Windows XP and Red Hat Linux 7.3 system. The VMware option
I know what some of you are saying. Why not just run VMware? While VMware allows you to easily switch between multiple operating systems and perform routine tasks, a dual-boot computer works better for testing and troubleshooting -- especially when it comes to hardware. VMware also has issues with some Windows operating system features, which makes dual booting your only option. What to do first?
This article assumes that you can wipe your machine clean and start fresh. If you can't, and you already have Windows loaded, you will need to purchase a program such as Partition Magic to free up enough space on the hard drive to install Linux. My test machine is a 1-GHz Pentium III with 192 MB RAM and 4 GB of hard drive space. Loosely, the order of things will be as follows:

• Install Windows XP Professional and give it 2.0 GB of space out of the 4 GB available.
• Install Red Hat Linux 7.3 into the other 2 GB.

Simple, eh? Installing Windows XP Professional
To dual boot, you can install Windows XP exactly as you normally would, while making sure to leave room for the Linux partition. For more information on installing Windows XP, check out Brien Posey's articles on basic installation and troubleshooting failed installations. Installing Red Hat Linux 7.3
Once Windows XP is installed, you can install Red Hat Linux 7.3 by inserting CD One of three and letting it boot. Then, just follow the instructions on the screen. When it's time to partition the disk, I chose the default option to Remove All Linux Partitions On This System since I had no Linux partitions (see Figure A).

Figure A

Choose an automatic partitioning option.