Virtual Computers to Run Multiple Operating Systems

Virtual computers help you out when there are times when you want to try out a different operating system,





but perhaps you don't have an extra computer to try it out on. That's perfectly fine; in fact many people seem to have this issue.

That doesn't mean that you should give up though! Perhaps some new Linux distribution has been released, or you've been accepted into some sort of beta testing. No matter what it is, you need to give it a try before you commit to it. That's why there is such a thing as virtual computers.

With virtual computers, all you need to do is install a piece of software to your machine and then you can actually install the operating system to that particular piece of software.

From there, you can boot the secondary operating system from within the first, making it as if you are looking through a window into another operating system! It really is nothing short of a virtual install.

But does it have any other application, aside from testing out other operating systems that is? Well as a matter of fact, it does. Two of the more practical uses out there are for virtual hosting server and backward compatibility.

This might work, though there are some who would say that because Windows 98 is running on top of a later NTFS based system, the same rules apply to it.

The biggest difference between these is that Virtual PC is free while VM costs money. VM is also a cross platform application, meaning that it will run on the Linux operating system.

You will be able to run a Windows based operating system within Linux if you so desire, though some might wonder why you would even want to do that.

The problem with running these virtual operating systems is that it can sometimes be difficult to move drivers to them. You can burn a disc, and this might work, though sometimes the virtual PC will have trouble recognizing optical drives.

You may also occasionally have difficulty moving from the virtual PC console to the proper PC desktop. In any case though, these are very useful.

Whatever you choose to use virtual computers for, know that there are great emulators out there that you will be able to take advantage of.

In most cases the free version of Virtual PC will work for you, but VM ware is well worth a look, especially if you need to go outside the realm of Windows. In any case, have fun running your virtual machines.

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