Dual-Booting between OSs

With all the different operating systems out there, you may be wondering how you can test all that software without needing several computers. Fortunately, there is a way: You can run more than one operating system on one computer. The idea is especially useful in test environments where you have limited access to equipment. For example, say you have one computer at home and you want to learn Windows XP Professional and Linux. You cannot run both operating systems concurrently, but you can load both operating systems on the same computer and, depending on how you start your computer, access one operating system or the other.

dual-boot

Having two or more operating systems on your computer. At system startup, you can select which operating system you will boot.

Tips for Creating a Dual-Boot Configuration

It probably shouldn't have to be said, but different operating systems don't work well together. Even Windows Me and Windows XP Professional can be pretty mean to each other if you don't take some initial precautions. The best way to create a dual-boot system is to create multiple partitions on your hard disk. If you have multiple hard disks, that will work as well. Using multiple partitions reduces the possibility of conflicts. In the case of dual-booting between Linux and Windows XP Professional, the operating systems must exist on different partitions or disks.

Check the vendor documentation to see whether there are any recommendations for configuring the dual-boot. For example, if you will boot between DOS and Windows XP Home Edition, you should install DOS first.