Recommend good os to study/tinker with

[spearman914]

I don't use Partition Magic. It has screwed up my partition table more than once. I use Acronis Disk Director for resizing.

As far as Linux, there are a few distros good for a beginner. Ubuntu is only one of them. There is also Kubuntu, which uses a different desktop, one that's a little more similar to a Windows layout, but it is still based on Ubuntu.

Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Kubuntu: http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php

Personally, I like Fedora the best. Very easy to use, and more compatible with 3rd party programs, in my experience.

Fedora: http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora

I suggest downloading a "Live CD" first. It allows you to try Linux, without having to install it. It runs right off of the CD. If you like it, most will let you install right from the live CD.

The Acronis Disk Director sounds good. I'll maybe try it. But honestly Partition Magic is the best so far.