XP to Mandriva

I want to switch.
After weeks of reviewing the tons of good information on this site, Im ready to try out Mandriva, but how should I go about adding this Mandriva os to my new work HP Vista w/3g comp?
Should I buy a new tower erase the os? could I just add a partition to my working Vista system adding a dual boot to mandriva? any info one can pass on please!

I have had only 2 issues with Vista (driver updates that caused my dual screens to be inop), I actually love Vista it has helped me intigrate alot of the office apps into my network. I would still not purchase Vista for my Network, i dont have time to train beginners and reinstall drivers.