Partitoning vs. Virtual machine solutions
Disk partitioning is the only serious competitor solution to machine emulation software but it is inferior in many respects. Anyone familiar with the use of disk-partitioning methods in the creation of multiple-OS machines will be able to calculate the amount of pain that virtual machine software can circumvent. Disk partitioning has become easier since PowerQuest developed a civilised GUI for its disk partitioning application, PartitionMagic, but the process of creating, formatting and organising partitions is still a slow process. And, for the amount of data-risk it carries, medically it could be compared to major surgery.
There are secondary advantages associated with using Virtual PC. Dual-boot systems don't offer the ability to run operating systems concurrently and require the user to re-boot each time he or she wishes to access a supplemental operating system. Switching between operating systems under Virtual PC is as easy as switching applications.
Virtual PC offers more freedom to experiment and take risks with supplemental operating systems; if a partitioned operating system is destroyed it takes a long time to re-create it. Virtual PC corals each separate operating system in a single file making them easy to discard or replace - the software includes a feature that gives the user the option to save or changes to each guest OS after closing each session.
Virtual PC lets you use disk space more efficiently. It lets you drag and drop files between the host and guest operating systems so there's no need to waste disk space, setting it in a partition of fixed size. You need only set aside as much as is necessary for the guest operating system source file and store data files as and where you think fit. If you do wish to have operating systems within separate partitions they can be incorporated into Virtual PC's boot manager.
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