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[wierd]

1) Install windows.

When doing the windows install, do an "advanced install", create a new partition that is NOT 100% of the drive, and then select that as the destination for installing windows.

2) After installing windows, install whatever linux you have picked.

Most desktop friendly distros will automatically detect that windows is installed, and will present you with an option like this one:



Ignore the green boxes, because I lifted this from an advanced tutorial--- You would want the first option "Install along side them".  The installer will make all the needed additional partitions for Linux, install the GRUB2 boot loader, and set it up with a nice, useful "Start windows" option in the boot list-- all without your direct interaction.

The windows installer on the other hand, is less polite.  It does not recognize linux, and if linux is installed, it will blow away grub2's loader in favor of its own, and without extensive prodding, will not chain load boot loaders. 

That's why you install windows first.

[AzyWng]

1) Install windows.

Don't get me wrong, the info is nice to know, but... the laptop I'm thinking of installing the Linux OS (I've decided to go with Mint for now) on already has Windows installed

[Maximum Spin]

In that case, if you don't want to overwrite the Windows partition, you can use the boot CD to shrink the partition so you have space. This is somewhat more complicated, but I'm confident you can do it.

[wierd]

Ahhh..


Ok then!  What you need to do is this:

1) install and use a quality defragmentation tool (Ultradefrag, ultimate defrag, defraggler, et al) to consolidate all of the free space on your drive at the bottom of the drive.

2) Use either disk management (right click on "computer" in windows explorer, and choose manage, then go to disk management) or the diskpart program (command line only!) to "shrink" the windows volume.  This will create some unpartitioned space into which you can install linux.

3) install linux, and choose the "alongside" option.

[Trekkin]

Also, if you run into trouble with dual booting, you might want to check out boot-repair; like any linux program it has an army of unnecessarily smug detractors who will be along shortly, but as panic buttons go it's probably among the more readily accessible.

[feelotraveller]

A grab bag of random comments:

1) Backup your data.  Hopefully you already are, seriously.  It is your data that is special not the OS.  Think of it this way - if a game you are playing gets corrupted you can easily reinstall the game, but if your gamesave gets corrupted your f'ed. 
2) Learn how to boot into BIOS.  Internet search is your friend.  Then poke around (without changing anything) to see your options.  It is worth knowing... before you need it.
3) Not to discourage you but dual-booting causes its own fair share of problems.  For example windows updates have a tendency to hijack grub - ah delingofying - that screen where you choose which OS to boot.
4) Pick your linux distro as much on the associated forum as the software.  That's the place you go when something does go wrong.  No paid support but massive community goodwill.  Might need adjustment to expected interactions though.
5) Beware that it is a one-way journey - you will never go back. 

[Il Palazzo]

5) Beware that it is a one-way journey - you will never go back. 

Snake lies. Not everybody likes the fruit from the tree of good and evil. Some of us prefer going back to frolicking naked and carefree in the Garden of Windows, while the loving Microsoft watches over our dangling genitalia. You just have to accept it in your heart, and it'll always let you back.
Microsoft is Jesus, is what I'm saying.

[Ziusudra]

Microsoft is Jesus, is what I'm saying.

Wait, which one is Tool's Opiate about?

[AzyWng]

5) Beware that it is a one-way journey - you will never go back. 

Snake lies. Not everybody likes the fruit from the tree of good and evil. Some of us prefer going back to frolicking naked and carefree in the Garden of Windows, while the loving Microsoft watches over our dangling genitalia. You just have to accept it in your heart, and it'll always let you back.
Microsoft is Jesus, is what I'm saying.

I'm fairly certain Jesus doesn't stare at people's dicks. I don't know much about Christianity, but I know that much at least. Well, good to know if I decide I've made a terrible mistake I can go back...

[Il Palazzo]

I'm fairly certain Jesus doesn't stare at people's dicks. I don't know much about Christianity, but

Oh, you sweet summer child. He does. He does all the time.

[nenjin]

Which distro will give me maximum smugness with the least performance hit?

[ChairmanPoo]

I'm fairly certain Jesus doesn't stare at people's dicks. I don't know much about Christianity, but

Oh, you sweet summer child. He does. He does all the time.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[George_Chickens]

Which distro will give me maximum smugness with the least performance hit?

GENTOO

If Gentoo is too complex, do what everyone else who can't install Gentoo and is embittered by the fact does, and install Arch. 

[RadtheCad]

Which distro will give me maximum smugness with the least performance hit?

GENTOO

If Gentoo is too complex, do what everyone else who can't install Gentoo and is embittered by the fact does, and install Arch. 

To be fair, these days Gentoo has a pretty comprehensive, step-by-step installation guide on their wiki, with a command-line livedvd available.  For any not-too-out-there hardware, you should be okay.

Not that I would recommend it to someone first making the jump from windows, given you have to acquire the parts for a desktop environment, get them working, etc.  On the upside, once you've done it, you're allowed to be incredibly, incredibly smug.

One thing you should probably know, OP, is that if you have a graphics card in your PC it'll probably/might not be working/used by default.  I'm not really sure, maybe the more newbie-friendly distros like Ubuntu set it up automatically, but my first distro was debian and I remember having to download and install nvidia drivers.

Anybody else know about that?

[wierd]

Debian is very hard-core about the "NO, CLOSED SOURCE BAD!" angle.

nvidia's driver uses a closed source proprietary KMS blob, which makes the debian maintainers cry.  For this reason, they default to the nouveau driver, which lacks certain features. (as nvidia has been less than helpful when it comes to requests for clarification or whitepaper documents about how nvidia's chips operate. See also, Linus Torvald's famous one finger salute to nvidia concerning their position on open source drivers.) 

Other linux distros are not so hardcore on that position. Ubuntu in particular I understand has a tool to help you get proprietary drivers installed.