A Moving to Linux Question

[Bill Stanley]

> In any case, prudent move for any Windows user is to move
> gradually. For a desktop computer, your best (and rather
> inexpensive) solution is to install an extra hard drive and
> boot into it for Linux use. You don't have to change anything
> on your Windows system: instead of re-partitioning the drive
> and use dual boot, you use your bios to bout from the Windows
> or Linux hard drive. For a laptop computer, dual boot is the
> only option. My suggestion is NEVER to change anything on the
> existing hard drive but instead to create a clone of the
> existing drive, replace the hard drive in the laptop and then
> re-partition and install Linux with dual boot.

There might be some complications with installing a new HD.  I don't know if it 
is still that way but M$ required you to reactivate Windows if you made 
significant changes to your computer.  A new HD was one of these significant 
changes.  To get a  new activation, you often had to jump through many hoops and 
was a pain.  At the very least, you had to be on the phone with a M$ rep for a 
very long time.