Wubi

Wubi is an unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will
bring you into the Linux world with a few clicks. Wubi allows you
to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you
heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you
were afraid, this is for you.

<http://cutlersoftware.com/ubuntusetup/wubi/en-US/index.html>

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A bit of a warning though:
Base executible size is about 9mb,
but the install program is going to load
a whole CD ISO before completion.

I was using Ubuntu's Live CD the other day, and the power went off.  I  
lost everything I had been doing before I had a chance to try it, and  
would have had to start all over.  That was a bit frustrating.

How does Wubi work?
-------------------
Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to
run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the windows file
system (c:\wubi\harddisks\ubuntu.hd), this file is seen by Linux
as a real hard disk.

Is this running Ubuntu within a virtual environoment
or something similar?
---------------------------------------
No. This is a real installation, the only difference is that
Ubuntu is installed within a file as opposed to being installed
within its own partition. Thus we spare you the trouble to
create a free partition for Ubuntu. And we spare you the trouble
to have to burn a CD-Rom.

What are the system requirements?
----------------------------------
If you can run Windows XP, you will have no problem running
Ubuntu, since Ubuntu has lower system requirements than Windows
XP. As for disk space, the installation requires a minimum of
3GB. This space is mostly used by the virtual hard disk file.

What platform is supported?
-----------------------------
For the moment Wubi will only run on WIndows XP, but the
back-end is quite flexible and it can support multiple platforms
as hosts and guests (provided they are debian-based).

What is the performance?
--------------------------
The performance is identical to a standard installation, except
for hard-disk access which is slightly slower. If your hard disk
is very fragmented the performance will degenerate.

Can I run the images within an emulator?
------------------------------------------
Yes, but you will have to use other software to do that. The
intended use of Wubi is to provide an installation which is as
close as possible to a standard one with minimal fuss for the
user.

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I decided against trying this out, because it is unlikely that
my current net access (Embarq DSL) will download one +600mb file
without timing out, and I didn't see an easy alternative for
using my downloader program that can pick-up downloads
in the middle.

I also have the luxury of an extra slot in my motherboard and a
free hard drive laying around to test linux flavours out as a
dual boot option without messing with the C: drive partioning,
so I am not doing the live CD method either.