Can I partitition my drive in XP to allow installing Win7

Thanks Bob,
Now I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed on this stuff, but I do understand that you want me to shrink the existing partition down to allow my install to be on the open space. When I do the Win7 install, how do I direct it there?, and how do I boot to it rather than the XP OS? If I can load things cleanly and the drivers all seem to work fine, then I want to delete the XP OS and just use the Win7. Does that work??
If all this makes any sense, I'm still stuck on how to change the existing partition. Can this be done somewhere from Disc Management within the control panel? I haven't been able to find how to change it.
Again, thanks if you think you can help on this.
Adrian

But it's your machine and you choose how to tackle this. I will share how I do this but at no time will I tell others exactly how to accomplish this. I can't. There are far too many ways to skin a Windows cat.

If you want to delete XP later, then all my advice changes as it will blow up the moment you remove XP. That does not work.

And no. XP's disc management does not do this. That's why we need tools as I noted. These are free, pretty easy to use and work great.

I don't understand where you are stuck. If you are trying to change the XP partition size I have to assume you have a backup so if it fails you are ready to restore.

In GPARTED I only need to grab the mouse and drag the partition size or right edge down. Then it's some button (I won't tell which one as it's right there) to commit the changes.
Bob

So, I can't have both OS's concurrently on the hard drive and boot off of either one? I thought I could. I'm concerned that if I commit to win7 that it will be a nightmare getting back to XP if I don't like it, or somehow I have trouble that I don't forsee. I know that I need to load my programs back for Win7, but I hoped I could load 7 and still access my personal files and then delete the XP portion later if all went OK. Apparently not!??? Are you saying that if it works OK, just use Win7 and leave the XP stuff there but not used? If so, how do I tell it to boot on 7 and not XP?
If all this smacks that I just don't have enough smarts to do this, then OK, but I don't give up easily. I know if I know enough, I won't have trouble doing it..... just need to know the pitfalls that I might expect and get enough direction to do it right.

You asked about removing XP after you got your dual boot installed and working.

Dual boot is supported but removing an os is done in the order you installed them in reverse. You have xp so that would be the last to be removed. Sorry but it's not that big a problem really.

-> What is the big problem is you seem to be intent on not backing up your files. That is you seem to be asking me how to partition, install OSes and avoid backup.

That never ends well. The owners lose all their files and them burst into flames and get upset at anyone that helped them jump down the well.
Bob

Then install 7 on the next drive. I've yet to find anyone yank the XP drive and get 7 working without a reinstall of 7.
Bob

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I will read and digest them all. To Bob... thanks also, but just because I didn't specifically respond to your back up comments doesn't imply that I don't agree, but was because it wasn't critical to my question I was asking. I have already backed up my drive and was probing beyond that point. I apologize that I didn't make that clear to you, but. .. like you I wouldn't proceed down this path without that. Rest assured that we agree on that basic point. Back to the point at hand. ..I have no interest in
Keeping XP assuming Win7 works, so if I need to remove the last OS first then it makes no sense to add Win7 to the same drive. If you agree with my interpretation of what I think you said then I won't waste my time going down that path.

there is no issue at all to delete XP once you're satisfied with Windows 7. In fact, that's easier than having it on 2 drives.

Kees