I am a linux newb. I have 2 hd's. The first one is 100 gigs. It came with the computer and had Windows XP loaded on it. I just got a second hard drive wich is 250 gigs so I could install knoppix onto my system. I am trying to migrate from windows to linnux but in the meantime I want to use a duel boot system untill I am sure that I can do everyhing with linux that I could with windows. I aware that knoppix is sometimes diffucult to work with when you do a hd install. But I still want to try because I want to use the for dummies book that this distro came with. I have not installed the 2nd drive yet because I wanted advice so that this install will go as painlessly as possible. Heres where it gets tricky. I have several ideas I want to try out to make this work.

So 1st question how would I go about making this work

2 Is it possible to find a program that is freeware that will let me make a copy or a clone of all of the first drive including the xp operating system onto the second? So if anything goes wrong allow me to use that to restore windows xp to to the pre knoppix installation state. This first part is for safety.

3 this one ties in with number 2 after I do that I would like to repartition the first drive(the 100 gig one that xp came with) and see if I cant shrink the xp partition. Again that is why want to clone the first drive for safety sake if something should go wrong. I think I know how to do the shuffling but I need the tools and advice to do it right and not mess up. I also to make this drive the operating system drive and the second one the data storage drive.

4 wich leads me to the question of partitioning. Is it possible to have both windows and linnux partitions on the same hd? Will it cause any conflicts? I if question number 2 is not possible. I want to make sure windows does not get wrecked because I use xp to get onto the internet.

5 I have AOL and I was reading that knoppix does not work with it. Is there an emmulator that would let me run it on knoppix?

I need to know if it is possible to do any of this. If it is possible this is how I think I can do it. Please read on.
Note: If you have not already guessed I have plenty of room between the 2 hd's. More than I will probbobly ever need. 350 gigs more than I will ever need. I have 100 gigs on the first and 250 on the second.

Step 1 plan A Install the second hard drive and partition it so that it has a 100 gig partion for the clone partition of xp and the other 150 I will use for knoppix purposes.

Step 2 Shrink the windows partion on drive 1 and put a partition for linnux.

Step 3 If step 2 works I want to install knoppix onto drive one. I will make my second drive the storage drive and the first drive will be for the operating systems. This will allow me better control over my data because all my programs that I install will be on drive 2 as well as any stuff I dload from the net. It will also allow me to speed up my computer slightly because one drive will be the operating system drive and the other will be for programs, utilities and data.

Step 1 plan B If I cant do this I would at least like to be able to have duel boot system with linnux on drive 2 and windows xp on the first drive. I dont know wich one would should be the master or slave drive for this to work so that would be my other question.

Ok I posted here because I thought this was the right place. It is after all a ms windows and new to linux question. I am new to linnux and I want both windows and knoppix to get along well on the same computer. If it is not in the right place please feel free to move it. And thank you all in advance for all the expert advice you can give me in accomplishing this.