networking linux to XP

i am very in experianced with networking so i need some help here.
My PC runs XP but because we use linux and unix alot at uni i would like to have a set up where i can use linux red hat or something similar at home. i am very keen not to format my drive and partition it, although that is probably the best setup as i have plenty of spare room.
i have a spare pentII hanging around i am thinking of installing linux on that computer and networking that box to my XP box.

i am just wondering if there are better options.

also, with this method will it be possible to switch into the linux environment or will i just be able to access linux files?

I have a mixed windows/linux network, and I'd use another box for linux rather than any kind of dual boot.

Assuming you have a headless linux box (no monitor), VNC will let you remote-control your linux or windows computers over your local network, or telnet/ssh to use the linux command line. Samba will let you see the linux files in your windows network neighborhood.

this may be a silly question but what is VNC and Samba

VNC is an open-source remote-control program for XWindows and Windows.

Samba is the open-source program that provides windows networking, so your linux box can become part of a windows network.

You can use vmware to have xp and linux at the same time.

thanks for the help fellas. are these programs that i need to download off the internet or would i already have them as part of windows XP?