Can I have two operating systems on my computer at once like linux fedora core 6, ubuntu, and windows vista Pr

Question

I still want the computer to run fast, will I be able to run both of them seperately but still have them on the computer. I will most likely have windows vista home premium and linux fedora core 6 installed onto the computer. The computer will be an emachine, it will be a T5224 desktop model.

Specifications

CPU: Intel® Pentium® D 820 Processor (Dual-Core)1
64-bit processor with Intel® EM64T Technology
Each core operates at 2.80GHz | 2 x 1MB L2 cache | 800MHz FSB
Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Premium2
Chipset: Intel® 945G DH (Viiv™)
Memory: 1024MB DDR2 dual channel (2 × 512MB), 533MHz (PC4200)
Expandable to 2GB
2 DDR2 Slots (Total) | 0 DDR2 Slot (Available)
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA II (7200rpm, 8MB cache)3
Optical Drive: DVD±RW 16x Multiformat Dual-Layer Optical Drive
Up to 8.5GB with Dual-Layer Media
Write max: 16x DVD±R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 4x DVD+R DL, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW disks
Read max: 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-ROM disks

Answer 1

yes you can you would have to partition you drive into at 3 partitions for 2 operating systems, and allocate enough space to install the operating system into the two smaller partitions and install the operating systems onto different partitions. allocate the rest of the free space into the last partition. when you boot the computer it will ask which os you would like to boot and you can choose. you will need at least partition magic or some other partition program.

Answer 2

Ubuntu is awesome but it might be better to try Mandriva 2009 as their latest distro just shipped last week. You can have the newest KDE4.1 or Gnome or Xfce (which is lightweight) You can check for compatibility issues on the various wine spin-offs sites. I believe i was office 2003 but not 2007 on the list but open office is improved even just recently and has more to offer as Linux becomes more popular. You are the boss when you can access the terminal and tell your laptop what you want it to do. You can modify scripts very easily and learning some development skills are just around the corner if you feel like it. The community is really helpful when you have problems and there some great IRC channels for round-the-clock help (this is if you like to do more than point and click not for the 'blue screen of death' type problems you get with windows. Mandriva for KDE and Ubuntu for Gnome

Answer 3

the installation of the second operating system should not affect the performance of your computer. Windows and Linux run at different times on a dual-boot system and the system not running is an active and does not use any resources other than hard disk space.

to make your system dual-boot, you'll need to first install the Windows system on your computer. Then install Fedora afterwards. The Fedora installer will allow you to repartition your hard drive to make space for Linux. Additionally it will install a boot manager on your computer that will run on startup allowing you to choose what operating system to use.

Answer 4

Install Windows first and then install a Linux distro over it. I'm not sure about Fedora, but Ubuntu's installer can shrink the Windows partition and create its own partitions, so you can have both systems installed. You'll use a boot manager like GRUB, which will give you a menu to choose which OS to boot when you start your computer.

Answer 5

I have Vista Ultimate and Xp Pro running on my server....of course theyre both on different hard drives. I wouldnt suggest running both on the same hard drive.