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View Full Version : Dual-Booting and Virtualization



capester24
October 7th, 2008, 06:19 PM
Continuing my research for my school project, thanks to shifty_powers, I am now looking into virtualizaion and how it compares with dual-booting. Please tell me which method you use and why as it will help everybody else understand the similarities and differences, please vote in the poll

bhadotia
October 7th, 2008, 06:28 PM
Continuing my research for my school project, thanks to shifty_powers, I am now looking into virtualizaion and how it compares with dual-booting. Please tell me which method you use and why as it will help everybody else understand the similarities and differences, please vote in the poll

Tried to set up a windoes virtual machine , I think, three times using virtualbox but still did not quite like it - it always missed some thing (sometimes unable to read cds sometimes anything else).

I would say (according to my experience with windows virtualization) dual-boot is better, never tried a linux virtual machine though.

shifty_powers
October 7th, 2008, 06:31 PM
right now, i use neither, as i only use kubuntu (8.10).

i have used both in the past but tend to prefer virtualisation.

both have their advantages and disadvantages.

if you dual boot, windows will be a full deal install, direct x and all. This means that gaming is a possibility.

virtualisation is in some ways safer. It creates a ringfenced sandbox for the os to run in. So i can run windows within ubuntu, with no possibility of virus or malware going over to windows. (even if it were possible :D).

however, you need a decently powered pc, preferably a dual core with virtualisation supported at the hardware level, to get the best out of it.

bodhi.zazen
October 7th, 2008, 06:32 PM
Dual booting = either or.

Either you run Windows or Ubuntu.

Virtualization = both at the same time. The primary limiting factors are either RAM (you need RAM for your virtual machine) or limitations of the virtualized hardware (ie your virtual machines do not directly use your videocard).

Dual booting is best for games and graphics intense programs, virtualization is for the rest.

JohnSearle
October 7th, 2008, 06:32 PM
both.

drokmed
October 7th, 2008, 06:41 PM
Neither

Delete *******, install linux. I deleted ******* off of the last 3 machines I've bought.

I try virtualization every once and a while, but honestly, I don't really need any ******* apps. I usually delete it afterwards.

shifty_powers
October 7th, 2008, 06:45 PM
*******

neither big, clever or funny....

jpeddicord
October 7th, 2008, 08:19 PM
Virtualizing. It's slower than dual-booting, but it is so much easier to just use something like VirtualBox and create multiple OS images rather than mess with partitions all of the time. If I don't like one of my OSes in VirtualBox, I just delete the file it is stored in. If I don't like something on one of my partitions, I'd have to format it and install overtop of it.

billgoldberg
October 7th, 2008, 08:23 PM
One computer (laptop) is Ubuntu only.

My main computer has a big Ubuntu partition (230gb) and a small xp partition (30gb).

I also use multiple vm's.

One of them is windows xp. I sometimes (once or twice a month) use it to play poker.

The winxp partition is used for Counterstrike source.

So I can't enter in the poll.

DarkDancer
October 7th, 2008, 08:38 PM
Actually I do both. I boot into Windows to game and get videos off of my camera (I rarely take video, but I can't access them from Ubuntu. I use the virtual Windows for viewing flash video, as neither FireFox nor Epiphany will even try to view a flash video any more (I just get a grey box now), and Chrome will, but it will die on every other page.

BTW I put in 4 gigs of ram and I wouldn't know that I wasn't booted into Windows when I am virtual, if I didn't know. It screams.

UbuWu
October 7th, 2008, 10:30 PM
I did dual booting until recently when I got a new pc that came without an operation system. First I actually installed windows xp on it, but now I have an optimized version of xp running in virtualbox that actually runs faster than the native xp, so I switched to virtualization only.

bufsabre666
October 7th, 2008, 10:45 PM
i use both, with the new vmware its really easy to set it up to use my usb devices that are windows only, some still dont work like the web cam, but my usb tv tuner does ((works natively with linux too but it only picks up hd channels with windows))