Skip to main content

How to install two or more operating systems on one PC?

Chidi Okwara asked "Can one run several operating systems in one computer?"
Not only can you do it, but it's reasonably easy. Of course, all of the operating systems must be compatible with your hardware. Assuming your PC is less than five years old, it should be able to take Windows 7 and 8, along with almost any type of Linux. Just remember that you'll need paid-for licenses for each version of Windows you install (not an issue with free Linux).
I'll walk you through installing Windows 8 onto a Windows 7 PC. With minor differences, this should work with other operating systems, as well.
But first, you need to protect your system by creating an image backup--either with Windows' own tools or a third-party backup program. Don't follow any of the directions below until you've created that backup.
Once the backup is complete, create a new partition on your drive. According to Microsoft, you'll need at least 20GB on the new partition. I wouldn't try anything less than 60GB.
When you've prepared the new partition, boot from your Windows 8 DVD or flash drive. As you go through the installation wizard, keep an eye out for these two questions:
  • Which type of installation do you want? Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

  • Where do you want to install Windows? Select the new partition you just created.
    You can make your own choices for everything else. Only these two will affect the dual boot.
    After the installation is over, booting your PC will bring you to a menu where you can choose your operating system.

    • here's another option besides using partitions. You can install a virtual machine program such as VMWare Player or VirtualBox, and then install the second OS inside that program. This doesn't require you to alter your main environment as does the instructions above, but virtual machines have their own problems and headaches. Not everything works in them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Secure Are You Online

Think you do enough to secure your passwords, browsing, and networking? Prove it. Not all computer security is about tin foil hats and anonymous browsing. Everyone who uses a computer has a horse in the security race. For the purpose of this post, we're breaking down online security into four essential parts: passwords, browsers, at-home Wi-Fi and networking, and browsing on public Wi-Fi. Within those categories we'll give you a checklist of everything you should do, from the bare minimum to the tin-foil-hat best.Think you've done your due diligence with your security? Jump to any of the four sections below to see how you stack up (and boost your security where you may be lacking): Password Security Checklist Browser Security Checklist Home Network Security Checklist Public Wi-Fi Security Checklist Password Security Checklist Password security has been  popping up   a lot   in the news  recently, but how much you should care is entirely depen...
Post a Comment
Read more

How AI Is Helping US in Fighting Against COVID-19

  O n December. 31, BlueDot, a Toronto-based Company that uses artificial intelligence to track the spread of infection diseases, alerted it's customers about a cluster of unusual pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. Nine days later, the World Health Organization confirmed the discovery of a novel Coronavirus, later named COVID-19 , in Wuhan.  Today, COVID-19 is a pandemic that has spread to 180 countries, claimed more than 83,000 lives, and Triggered a near global lockdown. And for the moment, the best solution to contain the spread of the virus is to improve personal hygiene and exercise social distancing.  In the meantime, politicians, scientist, and researchers are teaming up to find systematic ways to fight the virus and care for patients. And they'r getting some much-needed help from artificial intelligence. Bengaluru: Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping doctors, researchers and government fight the COVID-19 pandemic, technology giants said while discussing solu...
1 comment
Read more

Dark Web

 What does  Dark Web  mean? The dark Web is comprised of websites that are visible to the public, but their IP address details are intentionally hidden. These websites can be visited by anyone on Internet, but it is not easy to find the server details on which the corresponding site is running, and it is difficult to track the one hosting the site. The dark Web concept is achievable with the help of anonymity tools. Some popular tools are Tor and I2P. The dark Web is popular for both black market and user protection, so it has both positive and negative aspects. The dark Web ensures one’s privacy by effectively hiding the server or IP details from the public. The dark Web requires special kinds of software to access. This software acts as a gateway to the dark Web. Once the user gains access, then all the dark websites and other services can be accessed in a simple way with help of browsers. The dark Web includes a wide range of networks, from small, frie...
Post a Comment
Read more