switching OSes

[trebor]

I have a dual boot system with WIN 98 and WIN XP. Is there a simple way to go back and forth from one OS to the other - short of restarting the computer?

[DaveA]

<big><font color=red>NO</font color=red></big>

[WyllyWylly]

Depends on what you want to do, really. You can get what is known as a virtual machine to run Windows 98 inside of XP, just as you would, say, an email program. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.vmware.com>VMWare</A> is probably the most popular of these programs. Connectix VirtualPC is another.

Keep in mind that you do not have a true OS this way - autoplay on CDs can cause problems, and it will put a serious dent in your system resources. I certainly wouldn't try to play a game in a virtual machine containing Windows 98 on top of Windows XP. Nor would I want to do something like Photoshop.

If there are specific reasons that you are keeping Windows 98, other than uncertainty, you're much better off with a dual-boot. I found that on my desktop PC I really didn't need 98, and it was just consuming space. I use it elsewhere but not on my personal workhorse PC. Consider switching to one or the other.