- One way to have both operating systems on a PC is to install XP and Linux on separate hard disk partitions. When the computer is started, a menu appears asking which operating system you would like to boot into. Some releases of Linux such as Ubuntu anticipate this desire, and include a program to partition the disk drive into separate sections for each operating system. This can be somewhat confusing for some users, who should seek advice before proceeding.
- A guest operating system is one that loads while another (host) operating system is running. This allows both operating systems to run at the same time, making it easy to transfer files between them. Programs that allow a guest OS include WINE, which is a free, open-source software program allowing Windows to run on other operating systems, and Parallels Desktop, which is a commercial alternative.
- With Windows such a widely used operating system, many applications and games are produced for it. The same cannot be said for Linux. Although equivalent programs are available in some cases (for example, Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office files), for other programs there is simply no alternative to Windows. Linux users with a Windows installation on the same computer are therefore able to use a wider range of software.
- Having two operating systems on the same machine consumes more hard drive space, particularly if large programs are installed on each one. Programs like WINE are resource-heavy and less-powerful machines will operate more slowly when they are running. Having a dual boot system means that to get to the other operating system, the whole machine must be restarted, which may get frustrating if a certain task requires programs on both systems.
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