Installing question

Before I ask, I'd like to apologize if i sound stupid.

If I install this, what happens to my current OS? Does this become a bootable OS off of a hard drive partition, or does it become the sole OS my computer runs from?

Again, sorry if I sound dumb. I'm just a wee bit confused here.

 

That would depend entirely on what 'this' you are talking about.

 

Sorry. I'm thinking of trying out Gutsy Gibbon, and if I install it, will it overwrite my current OS?

 

It has an option during the install to re-partition your drive and will create a dual boot environment for you so you can choose on boot which OS to use...

 

sweet. thanks. that's what i wanted to know.

 

Okay, now i have another question. I tried to install it, but when I selected the Install option, it loaded fine until it started looking for hardware drivers i think, then it started listing all these errors. what'd i do?

 

What kind of hardware do you use? Is it standard hardware, or is it some brandnew laptop or stuff like that?
What error messages do you get?

 

im trying to put it on a laptop i bought in july.

its a new HP dv6000 or whatever, i can't remember and i can't find a trace of it actually existing online...

is my hardware a problem?

 

Normally HP hardware makes no problems with Linux...