Dual Zorin/Windows on Asus netbook without DVD drive?

Dear all,

I use Zorin on my laptop after being fed up of Windows Vista, scrapping Windows altogether.

My wife wants to buy this for work and home use so needs something small she can put in a backpack...
http://www.numerictus.fr/articles/227-a ... -hdmi.html

She will need Windows 7 and Microsoft Office, but for general day-to-day internet browsing I want to boot up using Zorin as I feel more confident using Zorin on the net. I will only consider a new laptop/netbook if I can use Zorin on it.

I see some posts about netbooks, but none which seem to address my concerns BEFORE splashing out on this new machine. I have questions which I question anyone in the shop will be able to answer:

a) this does not have a DVD drive - can Zorin be installed from a USB stick or is it necessary to buy an external DVD drive?
b) can Zorin and Windows 7 run on the same machine if it is a small netbook thingy?
c) is there a risk it can interfere with the running of Windows 7?
d) if this kind of netbook cannot handle this, then does anyone recommend what kind of small machine can?

If all the above are possible, I am confident then to buy and handle any other installation glitches after.

Thanks for the advice!
Ian.

Hi swarfendor437,

Thank you for your detailed reply. Sorry the link didn't work, but here are more details of the machine but I can only get details in French. Please let me know if translations are needed:

- Processeur AMD Fusion Dual-Core E2-1800, 2 cœurs, 1.7 Ghz
- 4 Go de mémoire vive DDR3, max 4 Go
- Disque dur Sata de 500 Go à 5400 trs/min
- Écran 16/9 de 14" d'une résolution de 1366 x 768 pixels, Rétro-éclairage LED, Brillant
- Processeur graphique AMD HD 7340 intégré au processeur
- Lecteur de cartes mémoire : MMC, SD
- Interfaces : Port Ethernet RJ45, sortie HDMI, sortie VGA, port USB 3.0, port USB 2.0, sortie casque, entrée microphone
- Communications : Fast Ethernet, WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- Haut-parleur Altec Lansing
- Webcam VGA
- Clavier Chiclet, Touchpad Multi-Touch
- Batterie Lithium-ion 6 cellules d'une capacité de 4400 mAh
- Dimensions (LxPxH) : 34.4 x 24,1 x 2,4--3.0 cm
- Poids : 1.76 kg

I wish I could find examples of people who did it before. Closest I found is this:
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/asus.html

I cannot find details of the partitions searching in French or English. If it does have partitions, does this mean it is going to be problematic installing Zorin and/or recovering Windows when needed, possibly having to get rid of the partitions?

If I understand, any kind of flash drive will do (if at least 4GB), because it is the multisystem software which makes the flash drive usable whatever the brand?

My general impression after posting my question and searching more is it seems worth trying as there are alternatives or different set ups to try.

Thanks again,
Ian.