WinXP Pro/ 2003 dual boot install

I was going to install server 2003 w/ my XP Pro so I can mess around with it before I install it on my server. Is this easily done?

 

Yes. Install XP, Install 2003 to a different partition. 2003 will setup the boot menu for you.

 

Been dual booting XP Pro and 2003 for about 6 months now. Works fine, although be carefull loading some XP software and drivers in 2003 as it's a bit fussy. MOST will work fine but others will cause a BSOD. A good way as you suggest to get to know the OS before implementing it into a server environment.

The following site shows how to convert 2003 to a workstation so it looks and feels like XP Pro, and none of the proceedures are cracks or hacks, you are simply turning on options MS has turned off for stability. You will probably notice how much faster 2003 is over XP Pro as well.

Note though that running the workstation tweaks in a server environment is not recommended as system stability may be compromised. But it's an interesting learning excercise before final implementation.
http://www.msfn.org/win2k3/