uncfan_2563 :
does it do it automatically because i'm paranoid about editing things that deal with booting because i mess everything up
The simplest, and most foolproof way is to use a 2nd hard drive, so you don't risk playing with your existing installation and data. Only slightly more difficult is using a product like Partition Magic to set up a spare partition.
Boot to the installation DVD and Install Win 7 to the new drive/partition
When the system reboots it will recognize only Win7 - Don't worry about it just yet: let Win 7 update itself, make sure you ahve the latest drivers, etc etc etc.
When you're done: Boot to the Win 7 installation disc again. Select Install - On the Second screen, in the lower left is an option to "Repair". Select that, and let it do it's thing. It'll tell you it found a problem. Tell it to fix the problem.
When it restarts, you will be presented with a screen to select which OS you want to boot to.