Multi-Boot Scenario

Try it this way
1. remove existing drive
2. install vista on the new drive. (the whole drive it doesnt really matter)
3. install ubuntu on the new drive (you can set how large the partition is in the installer)
4. install the drive
5. in your boot selector choose to boot from the slave drive if you want to use xp or boot from the master and select between ubuntu and vista.

Install ubuntu on remaining unpartitioned space on the old one and then add a new drive and use it... (partition it some part for storage of files in ubuntu and remaining space for vista)

It works fine with me and I have set the old hdd as master and new one as slave..

LOL, you'll get about as many 'best ways' to do this as there are liux users. In fact take the number of linux users you find add 1 and double it and then you'll probably be getting close to the number of ways you get advised!

My preference would be to swap your original 3 and 4 around so that Ubuntu automatically includes the Xp in the multiboot it sets up when writing to the mbr and saving the grub files to sda2 (or sda3, whichever one it lets you use)

1) remove existing drive.
2) install new drive and install Vista (using say all but 25Gb)
3) set original drive as slave and add to system
4) install ubuntu on remaining unpartitioned space, perhaps creating a linux-swap
5) this step already done but may need to tweak "menu.lst" to make it prettier

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

A couple of links it sounds like you don't need but here they are anyway. Actually maybe about halfway down the 2nd link might be something worth a quick glance.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

The reason for removing the original drive is to keep it safe from all the horrible things that could go wrong if you get seriously unlucky. At least with the Xp drive removed you can always put it back in as the only drive and all should be just as it was :) Also the new drive is best as Master because it'll probably be a lot faster?

Windows can't read linux partitions but linux can read Windows so even just 8Gb for Ubuntu should be fine but 8Gb is a lot too cramped really so giving it decent elbow-room seems a good plan. 15Gb is usually plenty.

A linux-swap partition is really only for Suspend/Sleep/Hibernate Mode which is worth avoiding anyway imo although some people think its great 'for environmental reasons' and such. However, if your Ram size is less than 2Gb then it'd be good to have a linux-swap about equal to Ram size or maybe as much as double ram-size.

The linux-swap can probably be made more easily in "Manual Partitioning" rather than in "Guided" but that's all about halfway through and i think there's a back button if you try the other way first and find it's not working as required. It'd be interesting to know.

Tweaking menu.lst is another question and you'll find lots of "Solved" answers in here about that but feel free to post your own question if the need arises because every case is slightly different. It probably wont need tweaking but i dont like blue and that's sometimes an issue for me ;)

I think most of this post was just re-stating the obvious and we seem to be in agreement about it all anyway - except maybe the space we should give Ubuntu ;) I just wanted to say thanks for asking us before trying and also a big welcome to linux-land, especially the Ubuntu corner :)

Regards and good luck from
Tom :)

wow .... thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I do appreciate it.

I will be attacking the issue over the next few days ..... will make sure I post my results back here.
Feel free to add any more comments. I always like to be well informed.

Of course there's only 1 right way really - and that's to do it my way ;) lol.

Missing out on installing Vista would save a lot of time. It doesn't have decent office apps or anything in the standard install? Also why bother with it when Ubuntu is so much better? Xp or just 1 Windows makes sense because some games and things still work a little better in Windows (grr), also good to have a familiar environment so you can explore linux at your leisure. Xp is kinda great now they've got all the patches and service packs. Also being a little older helps reduce the virus assaults. Win7 makes sense to see what a joke they've made this time heheheh

Errr, i was wondering if you have tried Ubuntu as a LiveCd ? (means without installing anything to your system). Doing so is usually a good thing to try with any linux distro before installing just to see if there are any things you need to be aware of given your particular hardware and personal tastes. Bear in mind that usually people have no experience of installing OS's and are sometimes surprised if it's more complex than watching tele. Trying the LiveCd alerts you if you happen to have found some rare combination of hardware that doesn't work perfectly "straight out of the box"

I think we keep forgetting this in Ubuntu because more than any othe distro this one almost invariably "just works" extremely well.

If you're nervous about trying a LiveCd then maybe take your hard-drive out or try a distro that has a main focus of working as a LiveCd, such as Wolvix
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=wolvix
However Ubuntu also defaults to not installing anything and is really easy to use. Running from a Cd will mean it's a lot slower than a proper install of course but it's good to have a quick scout around in there ;)

Regards from
Tom :)

PS are there any courses on writing short answers? Mine seem to grow quite long even when i have nothing to say!

Well my way wasnt all that hard to work even for non-technical people.

Shane, i was just joking. There are a lot of great ways to do this. Yours was superb and soemthing i've not thought of before. Bhavani's is roughly what i usually do and works well. the original idea was great and would work fine too - we could easily copy&paste an answer for step5 easily enough.

It's one reason i like linux so much. There are so many different ways of doing things and it's not really hugely difficult to change things around if you're unhappy. Compare that with M$ where the option for people at my skill level is "pay the man at the shop" and "don't mess with what you don't know" - wonderful educationally

See, i'm doing it again! Keep up the good work Shane and all, it's much appreciated
Regards from
Tom :)