Linux at long last
After a somewhat longer gestation period than I had anticipated, I have not only managed to install SuSe Linux 10.0 but also succeeded in connecting it to the internet!
Not being much of a techie, I didn't think I'd ever manage to successfully add a second hard drive and install Linux without deleting WinXP in the process, so for your next computing project give LInux a whirl. It's worth the effort.