How can you choose between dual-boot and virtual machine configurations? (2024)

Dual Boot allows to choose which operating system to use when you start your computer. It's a common practice for users who want to run multiple OSes, such as Windows and Linux, on their machine without having to use separate computers.I used dual boot during college, as it allowed to use multiple OS on a low end low cost PC with low resources.. Precisely CPU and Memory on a low end chipset.

Dual boot was a thing of past as only one OS could run on a given hardware at a given point in time. With Virtualization we can run several VMs with different OS on them with no impact to performance due to the Hypervisors being type 1. Dual boot also poses challenges with installing OS updates and Upgrading the OS and hence should be avoided unless it is the last resort.

Choosing between a dual-boot and virtual machine setup depends on your specific needs and preferences. Dual-booting provides better performance and isolation, making it suitable for resource-intensive tasks, but requires rebooting to switch between systems. On the other hand, virtual machines offer convenience, resource sharing, and features like snapshots, making them useful for rapid environment switching, testing, and compatibility. Consider factors such as hardware capabilities, software requirements, security, and backup strategies to determine whether native performance and isolation or the flexibility and convenience of virtualization align better with your use cases.

It's a good idea to have a multi-boot system to separate your jobs and projects independently. But your storage space would be limited to be accessed.

Using virtual machines gives you a chance to test and confirm the projects on different platforms and OSs. But it wouldn't be perfect solution till you have a sufficient hardware resources to specify.

Virtualisation is a powerful tool, type 2 virtualisation such as VMware, virtualbox is most suitable for testing environments. where you have different versions of software to test using different scenarios it is most convenient to deploy type2, whereas dual booting goes easy on hardware and system resources but it’s not very practical for our modern applications.

With modern server hardware the perf increases that you get from running on bare metal are negligent depending on workload, you would NEVER want to run servers dual boot, standing up virtual environments for user based applications and web apps is better than having to re-boot and re-purpose a machine. For Workloads where bare metal is required there is no instance where I could see dual boot become a viable option.Rebooting on bare metal is painfully slow. So the time saved in the workflow or workload that you would gain by rebooting needs to be weighed against the time you will save by the execution of the workflow.The only scenario where dual-boot is viable is test lab, and again these are better in virtual environments.

I made my comment to this then I found a good reason to do dual boot on a server.. Often times server hardware has a bunch of messing around that you have to do with firmware updating the management layer such as idrac (dell) or iLO (HP) and whatever platform that you are running the server hardware does not have very good support for the flashing tools. This comes into play when you add custom hardware that the management platform is not going to necessarily know about, like TrueNas UnRaid Proxmox ESXi etc. It is good to have a small partition with the operating system that can service the hardware outside your operational environment. I ran in this recently when putting together a large data store on a purpose built utility distro.

dual-boot gets you to a system that is identical to what someone would experience if they had only one operating system installed. You also get the full power (100% cores and 100% RAM) of your system whatever the OS you pick.Claiming that systems are isolated from each other should be mitigated: it is technically possible to access any disk partition from any OS, given proper credentials on that OS. Interference between OSes can be made unlikely, and happen only through deliberate, admin-level operation, but I'd always consider it less secure than a proper hypervisor running two guest OSes in their dedicated context.

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Even with dual boot, once you boot up to a bare metal image, you can run several virtual machines on top, so long as there are enough resources available. A virtual machine adds a layer of complexity that manifests in decreased performance. Virtual machines are more versatile than dual-boot (bare metal) because they are designed to be run independently of the underlying physical hardware.

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Pros? Flexibility, my friend! You can experiment without fear – break stuff, it's just a virtual machine! Cons? Sometimes, it feels like having a fancy neighbor whose party noise leaks through the walls. Resources, you know?

It's all about what is the right tool for the job. Kind of not reasonable to say one or the other has specific advantages. The real cost is the human's time that is servicing the hardware, whatever tooling is going to save time for the human in most cases is the best choice.

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It's like picking between a convertible and a sleek sedan. Do you want the full driving experience (dual-boot) or the convenience of an adaptable ride (virtual machine)? Both have perks; it's all about what suits your road trip.

Simultaneous access to both operating systems instead of one at a time, inclines me to opt for virtual machines over dual-booting. Virtual machines offer convenience, isolation, and easy OS switching, making them ideal for testing, development, and running multiple OS environments simultaneously. While dual-booting provides maximum performance and direct hardware access, it requires reboots and carries a higher risk of issues affecting both OS installations. Considering my priorities and existing infrastructure, virtual machines seem to be the better choice, allowing me to efficiently manage and switch between different operating systems without disrupting my workflow and leveraging the benefits of VMware virtualization technology.

It's often also a possibility to "dual-boot" a system using a temporary device.This may be obvious to a lot of techs but wouldn't hurt to mention.I use temporary booting from a USB stick (even CD, DVD or floppy drives in rare occasions) all of the time.I almost always use Memtest, Linux mint, or one of my recent favorites Sergei Strelec's WinPE...It's an excellent way to backup data, make changes that cannot be made while the operating system is running, upgrade certain firmwares, troubleshoot and diagnose a system.While this can be done from a USB stick it's also possible to place these operating systems in a partition or disk alongside the main operating system.