I dual boot with xp & linux those operating systems are on the same hard drive not a separate, so when I reboot I get the option to choose what operating system I want to run.. I don't see any cons to dual booting, What does Data Doctors say?

There is no difference if booting from a 2 partition hard drive or two physical drives as far as set up goes. You are creating 2 computers in one tower basically.

However in your case you might consider buying a 2 port KVM switch rather than messing with dual booting. A KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch allows you to easily swap between 2 or more computer towers. The advantage in your case is that you already have the second tower, one or both can be running and a simple double tap on a particular key switches you back and forth when the second machine is running.

Dual boots require a shut down and restart to access the other operating system each time. Dual boots become tiresome quickly if you swap more than once a day or so depending on your tolerance level LOL.

However, if you are upgrading the new computer to an LCD monitor and using a digital video card forget the KVM, they cost over $450 last time I checked it out, cheaper to buy 2 monitors. Analog KVM's are much cheaper.

to move from one o/s to the other
Like explained, you have to decide on which os to use when booting. You can set the one you use most as the default and that one will automatically boot, you can also change from the 30 seconds default to make your decision.
There are no cons, except with a single harddrive you'll need to make a partition for the other os.
I have a dual boot with XP-Vista on 2 harddrives and another with dual boot XP-Vista on a single harddrive and both the machines are hooked with a KMV switch so I can switch from one computer to the other and use the same screen.
The first KVM switch I bought for $20, just got one for a friend that cost $10 after a $10 rebate.
KVM switch may be the way to go if you're using the old monitor.
Why screw with the brand new XP machine.
Don't know what hardware items you're talking about, xp has drivers for most anything.
Old software could probably be installed on xp in win 98 compatibly mode.

Thanks, people.

You've given me some other options which I'll think about.

Bob

Central Arizona

You can see down, but you can't see up. From XP, you can access Win98, but 98 cannot see XP. I dual boot 98 & XP on three computers, all are single partitioned drives. The main computer has two hard drives, one is XP and the other is partitioned 98 & XP. I save, share, and retrieve files on 98 from XP all the time but can't do the same from 98.

The only disadvantage I came across is XP will fix or try to fix problems on the 98 hard drive/partition. I let it run until I realized it was deleting needed files. Apparently, it misinterpreted those and called itself repairing the 98 system. I'd say that is a con for sure. From that point on, I just run scandisk on 98 so it can fix itself whenever XP alerts me to a problem.

The switch is a good idea for you based on the way you explained the scenario. WinXP loaded all the drivers I needed, so I had no problems there. If you're saying DW's 98 has hardware whose drivers cannot be loaded to XP, then she can't very well have two of the same - processors, video cards, etc. - only meaning I don't exactly know what hardware items you're talking about. If there are some older model printers or scanners, for example, she can still have them installed in 98 on a dual boot system but of course won't be able to operate them in XP. She'll still have both her systems and all her hardware. Same goes with software programs and games.

If you decide to dual boot, just know programs have to be installed in both systems in order to run them in both systems. For example, don't expect to be able to open a Word file that is in 98 if Microsoft Word is not installed into XP. There will be no recognition or file association. With the program installed on both systems, I create Word documents in XP and save them to 98 if I want and also retrieve those in 98 from XP. Just using Word as an example.

Didn't think to mention the possibility of a network. If you get the switch and toggle between two computers, there will be no communication between the two of them. Just two separate computers. But, if you decide not setup the dual boot, you can still have communication through a network. Each computer can see the other, and she'll be able to open, retrieve, and share files between them, as in the case of dual boot.

Thanks to all for your comments, suggestions and recommendations.

The objective is to continue to use some older WIN 98 software that will not run on XP. I've searched for updated drivers and attempted the XP Compatability Wizard and simply can't get them to run. Also involved is a decent HP digital camera that won't load onto XP.

Were it not for a space issue I would keep the entire WIN 98 machine with monitor and keyboard et al. But the makeshift computer room is getting crowded with books and file cabinets and scanners and fax machine and external drives and so forth.

The most viable scenario is the KVM switch. So that is what I'll do.

Thanks again for your imput. I'm sure there are many other forum lurkers who have read and appreciated what you have provided.

Bob
Central Arizona

rrcrossing you might consider getting yourself a cheap card reader for the digital card from your camera. Most of the software that comes with cameras is loaded with bloatware anyway.

Connect the card reader to a USB port and insert the digital card. After a few seconds the wizard starts and guides you through the process of transferring the images to a folder you designate on your hard drive. Sweet and very simple to do.