<<< As you can see I currently have installed XP on drive C: and drive D: and all four partitions are formatted to NTFS.

I would like to know if I can image drives C: and D: to keep the present system safe, leave all of my data on drives E: and F: and INSTALL Linux to the NTFS drive C:

Which version of Linux would give the best and most professional performance on a par with XP and can I use Office XP with it and Microsoft AutoRoute?

Many thanks in advance.If Microsoft Office COMPATIBILITY is the biggest issue, you can use Crossover Office (not free) which is included in Xandros Deluxe edition (also not free).

www.xandros.com

If you want compatibility and FREE is the most important thing, virtually ANY linux distro has Open Office which is close enough unless you do a lot of heavy formatting in Excel, etc.

What kind of hardware do you have that you want to install to.

(By the way, Linux cannot write to NTFS partitions - another Microsoft limitation for your pleasure. FAT32 is no problem.)So I need to wait for a Linux system that is capable of writing to NTFS. I do use Open Office as well, which is just as good for most things.

Maybe the Linux programmers will GET together and produce a rival to Vista instead of producing too many separate distros.

I just have an old Windows 2000 computer with a 1000MHz PIII and 768 MB of SDRAM with an 80 GB drive running at 7,200 rev/min.

It does have a good 19" NEC CRT monitor running at 1024 x 768 and 85 Hz

The Xerox WorkCentre M940 has developed a fault and turned into a doorstop though.

Xandros looks INTERESTING. I'll try following it up and see where it leads.

Thanks for the link.Your specs show a VERY usable machine. NTFS is an issue (for a while, thanks to Billy Gates) but will be resolved. Unlike WIndows, there are many variants of Linux. There is bound to be one you will like, and they are all safer on the net.