New to Linux\Ubuntu - Need help

[Unenviable_moniker]

Hi everyone,

I would like to try ubuntu on my pc. But i have some doubts

Hardware spec

I have 1 TB & 250 GB internal HDDs. 1 TB has windows xp running & 250 GB has server 2003 enterprise running. I change boot order in bios to access one at a time. Also i 've NVIDIA graphic card + 4 GB ram.



Also i 've an empty partition. Or even make many if needed as my 1 TB hdd's 80% free. Now i would like to install ubuntu on my computer without messing up both the windows operating systems. How can i do that?

One more thing. I hate to install softwares, so i use portables a lot. Can i run MS Office & other portable softwares in linux\ubuntu like i'm doing that in xp?

Waiting for replies, thank you in advance.

[Quackers]

Run the live cd/usb and select "try ubuntu" to see how it runs on your hardware first.

[Idefix82]

If the test run off the CD goes fine, then you can go ahead and install Ubuntu and it will not mess up your windows installations.

As for MS office, you will be better off using Open Office under Ubuntu. It can read MS office documents and even save in the same format, although some fancy formatting might get slightly botched up when saving. At any rate, there is no risk in installing it and seeing how you like it. I was worried about compatibility with Windows once upon a time, now I almost never need windows and this is a non-issue.