Bootcamp and partitioning

im planning on a getting my MPB (15'') very soon, and having been a windows user all along, I have a couple of questions about putting windows on my new MPB.

-Win7 upgrade: I currently own a valid copy of XP and a Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade disc. Is it possible to install the XP, then upgrade to Win7 on my MBP? If so, are there any guides/tricks I should know of before attempting?

-timing: Can I install the windows after I've played around in OS X and installed/saved a couple of things there? Will installing windows wipe out my stuff in OS X or is it completely unrelated? My concern here is that I will be getting my MPB before I can get my copy of windows back, and during that time I need to do some work.

-partitioning amount: this kind of ties into the previous question. How much should I partition (% wise) for the windows, and when should I do it?

thanks guys

 

hey man, thanks for the link. I had a look thru the two tutorials, and Im still a bit confused (haha). when it says boot your computer from the DVD, is that just straight from my upgrade disc? In a mac, how do you set it to boot from the disc? After that works, is it just follow the installation instructions? will it detect that there wasnt a prev. version installed or smth? thanks.