MultiBoot Linux+WinXP+Win2K+WinME+Win98

[Keith G. Robertson-Turner]

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:57:46 -0500, Bryan White wrote:

> We have a software testing department that tests Windows CDRom software
> for compatibility with various versions of Windows.  I am trying to create
> a testing system that would allow all the Windows partitions to be on the
> same system and include the ability to reload all the partitions from
> backup images.

Why not use VMWare? (vmware.com).

I'm using it now, so I can testify it works with Fedora Core 1. I wouldn't
recommend this setup for ex-Windows gamers, but for a testing dept, it's
ideal. Have as many OS's as your disk space allows, all on just one
partition if you want, and switch between them without ever rebooting.
Oh and here's a bonus, when (not if) Widows crashes, it's all virtual
(user mode), so no reboot or trashed disks. Also: how easy is it to backup
all the various Windows installations? It's as easy as copying a single
(container) file for each one.

To put into perspective how effective this is, I only have a P3 1Ghz
machine, and I can easily run Photoshop, Dreamweaver and even Sonic
Foundry's Vegas 4 on the emulator, quite comfortably. With more modern
hardware (P4) you might tend to forget you were using an emulator at all.

-
Keith