Dual Booting Windows 2000 and/or Linux with other Windows Operating Systems

YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL! ... IF YOU'RE READY
Are you a Windows user? What's your preference? Windows 95, Windows 98, or maybe you're a stodgy old-timer still using Windows 3.1. Perhaps you've grown familiar with the environment and are hesitant to change in spite of the good things you've heard and read about Windows 2000 and Linux. Microsoft's older 32-bit operating systems have their strong points, there's no doubt about it. The amount of software available for Windows 95 and 98 (commonly referred to as Win9x) is staggering. Games, any game, will run in Win9x. However, probably its strongest selling point right now, is that you already have it installed, you're familiar with it and everything is working ... well, working pretty well, right?.

So what's all the fuss about Windows 2000 and Linux then? If there is so much good software available for Win9x, and if it's so popular, why in the world would someone even consider using Linux? And while the enhanced security of Windows 2000 (commonly referred to as Win2K) might be necessary for businesses, why should a home user consider switching? Those are valid questions expressing real concerns, so let me put this as succinctly as I can: Compared to Windows 2000 or Linux, Win9x just plain sucks.

I know, I've besmirched the honor of your favorite operating system. Unfortunately though, I'm right. Still, you're familiar with your Win9x installation, maybe even semi-happy with it. No reason to switch, right? So don't. I wouldn't dream of depriving you of your old faithful. What I am suggesting though, is that you can have both, right there on that same computer. In fact, you can have the best of both worlds and you'll be astounded at how simple and easy it is to configure a dual boot system. Microsoft may be criticized for many things, but one thing they got right is how they've set up Windows 2000 to dual boot with any of their consumer-oriented operating systems. It's a cinch to do. And I know you won't believe this, but Linux is just as easy to set up. Maybe even easier.

The only requirements are that you have your Windows 9x or 3.x operating system installed on the first partition of your primary (Master) hard drive - the C: partition - and that you have an additional partition in which you can install Win2K or Linux, or you can install both, each in their own partition. The bare minimum requirements for Windows 2000 are a 133MHz Pentium class CPU, 48MB of RAM and a one GB partition. Check the specifications for your choice of Linux distribution, but as a rule, if Win2K will run on that machine, so will Linux, only faster.

If you want to dual boot two copies of Windows 9x or Windows 9x and Windows 3.x you must use a third party booting software package. Follow the instructions provided with the software as this arrangement is beyond the scope of this article. You need no additional software in order to dual boot Win2K with one of Microsoft's consumer operating systems. The same goes for Linux. These operating systems are designed to be easily installed as the second, or in Linux's case, even the third or fourth operating system on one computer. When either Win2K or Linux are installed on a computer that already has Win9x or Win3.x installed, the dual boot software is automatically installed, so there's nothing for you to do.

MAKE LIKE A BOY SCOUT -- BE PREPARED
Before you do anything, back up your data. Copy anything you cannot afford to lose to some form of safe removable media. With the extremely low cost of either recordable CDs, ZIP disks or tape there is no reason not to do this. Remember to back up your address books and your Favorites. Find an article or two on how to backup your system and do yourself a favor and read it. You'll be glad you did.

In preparation for the installation, you should also review the Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List at the Microsoft Windows 2000 Compatibility web site and use Microsoft's Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer. Also, check with the manufacturers of the software that you intend to install in Windows 2000 to make sure it will work. You should take the same approach with Linux, but the hardware compatibility list is dependent on the distribution you choose to use. In this article I'll focus on Linux-Mandrake as I am familiar with it, but each distribution should have a Supported Hardware page.

Next, make sure you have Win2K compatible drivers for all your hardware. Linux provides a huge array of drivers with the operating system, so it shouldn't be a worry for you as long as you see your hardware on the hardware compatibility lists. Windows 2000 is remarkable in its ability to recognize and load at least the basic generic drivers for a huge variety of hardware. Nevertheless, it's better to be prepared just in case the installation simply doesn't recognize some esoteric piece of hardware you have, or if you'd prefer to use the full-boat drivers that came with your fancy sound, video or network card. If you elect to go with the fancy non-generic drivers, get the most recent versions from the manufacturer's web site.