booting linux on an windows xp?

I understand you want to use Linux Mint, and the members of my LUG are big fans of it, though I have not tried it myself. However, may I make a suggestion?

If you are worried about not liking Linux, or running into an issue where you might not be able to complete task XYZ, and are feeling a little apprehension about re-partitioning your hard drive in order to dual boot, then why not try Ubuntu w/ the WUBI installer?

What that will do is install Ubuntu Linux into a folder under windows, and make Ubuntu a boot option in the Windows boot loader. If you don't like Ubuntu, it's easy enough to remove it and no har, no fowl, your Windows install is stil intact. If you do end up liking it, and are ready to take the plunge and do something a little more complicated, then you can brave te dual boot, or go all in and remove windows and re-install or try a different distribution. Linux Mint happens to be based on Ubuntu, too, so it should be close enough to get a taste.

Just my $0.02.