I am not the timid type and I learn by doing (and re-doing, and re-doing, and....)so I just jump right in. But for the more circumspect I suggest that you back up everything on your computer that you want to save(i.e. address book, documents, music,etc) on a cd or dvd, then make sure you have all of your original installation disks for your programs other than your operating system, and thenread the instructions!. It's not too difficult and it is very difficult to damage your hardware.

I've never used Partition Magic but I have used the utilities that you can download for your hard drives brand website that will do the same thing for free. For instance, if your drive is Western Digital you go to their site and look for "downloads". These free utilities require you to format your hard drive thus erasing EVERYTHING you have on the hard drive, thus the need to backup onto a disk. Once that is done and you have created two partitions, name them (usually "C" and "D"), then you can reinstall your operating systems specifying which partion you want them to install onto.

If Partion Magic is easier then spend the money and be safe. You can also search the internet for a "How to" site on which you can find detailed instructions. Good Luck!