Of course, you can also do this with
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, freely available from http://www.microsoft.com/
virtualpc/. Depending on your timing, you may even be able to download
certain versions of Windows preinstalled on a Virtual Hard Disk
that you can run in place on your PC; see http://www.microsoft.com/vhd
for details.
Software testbed
Install two copies of Windows Vista on your system??”one for normal
use, and one as a testbed for new software and hardware. That way, you
can try out a potentially buggy product without jeopardizing the main
OS on which you rely. Again, you can also use Virtual PC for this purpose,
but it??™s just so darn slow....
Backdoor
Got disk space to burn? Install Vista twice, and keep the second installation
around to easily access your data in case your primary installation
fails.
For that matter, you can set up a dual-boot system after a Vista installation
fails, and get to your valuable data without first having to repair
Windows.
Windows Vista comes with built-in support for a dual-boot system. The
dual-boot feature, called the Windows Boot Manager, is installed automatically
when you install Vista, whether you set up a dual-boot system or not.
If, at the end of the installation, Windows Vista is the only operating system
on your computer, it boots automatically without giving you a choice.
Otherwise, you??™ll see a menu of installed operating systems, from which you
can choose the OS you wish to use.
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