In most distros just issue:  uname -a and see what that architecture install is, you can also just issue uname -m to get the arch, x86_64 is what you are looking for, if it is anything else you have 32bit installed ... you can also grep from the kernel source directory out of the .config file.

The easiest and in my opinion best way to manage multiple OS'es is VMWare ... you can install VMWare Workstation/Player (depending on if you wish to pay) player will give you 30days to install as many OS'es as you like ... you then just launch VMWare with the install medium in the drive and you install Windows in a virtual machine while running in Ubuntu/Gnu-Linux

ok, thank you for the reply! VMWare is a cool application, but I would like to use both system at full capacity, since I'll use them for different (and heavy) engineering softwares.

But I guess that I will have to make a clean install of my XP, and just then (re-)install Ubunto...

I just wonder how I could do it without losing the MediaDirect feature. I never used it and maybe isn't that useful, but I would like to keep it...

and for all this I want to use the 64 bit version for both OS... But maybe I would not be able to, due the drivers...

VMWare will use all your system resources so long as you instal vmtools and enable in your BIOS dual-core VM support.

You can resize you current NTFS/VFAT partition containing windows and then install Ubuntu on the remaining free space without losing your data ... you would need to boot into a Live Linux CD/DVD distro and use gparted or another partitioning manager to resize the NTFS and then format the remaining space as another deivce (e.g. /dev/sda2) and format as ext3 FS.

You can also run various Windows-based tools to partition your harddrive, you should run a defrag first on your current drive before you run the partition editor and resize...you will be told on the subsequent reboot after the resize that the C:/ drive contains errors and needs to be fixed, this is normal ... you may also want to backup any essential data as when dealing with such things as a disk repartitioning you may lose data or screw something else up ;-)

Enjoy

FYI - I use VMWare to run 3 different OS'es on one workstation in a production environment without any issues so don't be too concerned about resources if you have enough to go around to begin with.

Interesting, PhillyFloyd.

But I would like to keep on the old way, that I'm used to, to install 2 separated (independent) OS...

I was oriented in other forum to install first XP and then Linux. And it matches with I already have heard about, but this creating-new-partition-and-installing-Linux is just what I was thinking at first...

I will not have anything to backup, since I don't even have the notebook yet. Then, I guess it would be better to make a clean install of XP and then Ubunto... But I would like to hear the opinion from someone else, maybe a Dell tech?

And thank you for this opinions, PhillyFloyd!

And when I get everything working I will test the VMWare... 

Best regards!

Ok, as no one else have replied about the other option, that I would prefer, I would like to have some more details on VMWare for Linux...

If I get the Linux system that I got from Dell and install VMWare on it, will I be able to use a virtual machine of WinXP that will use all of the hardware? What kind of configuration I need to do (any besides this on the bios, that I am not sure that I will find) and the drivers are the same for the real installation?

I do not have much experience with VMWare, have used on my desktop to run Win98 and I had some troubles to get the sound and other drivers working... It was an old version of VMWare, I guess, and I did not tried hard to get them to work 100%.

Download the VMware Workstation package, you will need to register and it will give you a 30day trial liscense ... you then launch VMWare once installed and insert the WinXP install CD ... then launch the CD in VMWare and it will open a window like a separate computer with the windows installer

It can take a while to install ... but it runs fast once installed

Once installed you can download VMware tools ... ensure you use host Ethernet option

Send me a private email via this Dashboard in this forum and we can chat offline if you need more assistance

Ok, thank you for this help!

I just got an e-mail from Dell saying that the delivery of my laptop was postponed :smileysad:

I'll send you a message if I need any help. 

Best regards