Better options than XP Dual Boot?

[machu]

I'm a web developer and an avid gamer. I just put together a new system which is suppose to be both: my gaming system and a workstation. For my work I need to install a lot of software packages that are not game friendly (SQL server hogs all the memory it can). Also, very often I need to install 'com' objects so after a while my workstation becomes very slow.
I'm thinking about going a dual boot road, but installing 2 boots of XP Proffesional seems kinda stupid.
Is there a better way?

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: machu
I'm thinking about going a dual boot road, but installing 2 boots of XP Proffesional seems kinda stupid.

Can you explain what you don't like about that option considering that it is free?

 

[soni]

Run Virtual PC or VMWare for you workstations part.

Requires a bit more RAM , but that it.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: machu
I'm a web developer and an avid gamer. I just put together a new system which is suppose to be both: my gaming system and a workstation. For my work I need to install a lot of software packages that are not game friendly (SQL server hogs all the memory it can). Also, very often I need to install 'com' objects so after a while my workstation becomes very slow.
I'm thinking about going a dual boot road, but installing 2 boots of XP Proffesional seems kinda stupid.
Is there a better way?

Yeah, stop any services related development when you game. SQL Server doesn't take up any memory when it's not running.

 

[Googer]

There is no need for dual boot in your situaton, all you need to do is create from scratch two user accounts. One for Work and the other for play. Windows will only load the software required by each user as long as it was not installed by the Adminitrator account. Both accounts can have adminitrative privileges and install software that is unique to that accounts needs.
By the way Dual Booting on a partitioned hard drive is a real performance killer. Instead use two independant
drives for dual booting.
c:\BOOT.ini

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Googer
There is no need for dual boot in your situaton, all you need to do is create from scratch two user accounts. One for Work and the other for play. Windows will only load the software required by each user as long as it was not installed by the Adminitrator account. Both accounts can have adminitrative privliges and install
software that is unique to that accounts needs.
By the way Dual Booting on a partitioned hard drive is a real performance killer. Instead use two independant
drives for dual booting.
c:\BOOT.ini

I was just about to post this. 2 user accounts.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: Googer
There is no need for dual boot in your situaton, all you need to do is create from scratch two user accounts. One for Work and the other for play. Windows will only load the software required by each user as long as it was not installed by the Adminitrator account. Both accounts can have adminitrative privileges and install
software that is unique to that accounts needs.
By the way Dual Booting on a partitioned hard drive is a real performance killer. Instead use two independant
drives for dual booting.
c:\BOOT.ini

I was just about to post this. 2 user accounts.

Darn, I was just about to post that.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Googer
There is no need for dual boot in your situaton, all you need to do is create from scratch two user accounts. One for Work and the other for play. Windows will only load the software required by each user as long as it was not installed by the Adminitrator account. Both accounts can have adminitrative privileges and install software that is unique to that accounts needs.
By the way Dual Booting on a partitioned hard drive is a real performance killer. Instead use two independant
drives for dual booting.
c:\BOOT.ini

Except this won't prevent system level services (such as SQL Server) from running for both accounts. Those will still need to be stopped manually.

 

[jterrell]

Dual boot with Linux.
Much better for development work anyway.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: jterrell
Dual boot with Linux.
Much better for development work anyway.

Yeah I'm sure he'll have no trouble getting SQL Server running on that. :roll:

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: soni
Run Virtual PC or VMWare for you workstations part.
Requires a bit more RAM , but that it.

My thought too. I put all of the development services (sql, the mail server, etc) into a VM, now a days I usually put the DevStudio into it's own VM (it installs soooo much stuff) and terminal services in (even tho they are on the same machine, I find TS better than Vmwares or MS's console windows) and work that way.

Bill

 

[Googer]

LOL! Anyways if he is going to dual boot, Get a second hard drive just for that purpose. Two OS' on the same drive is never a good idea. Use a cheap drive for games and some thing enterprise class for your work. Trust me you want to protect your work data with some thing that has a 1,000,000 hour mtbf. Games can take a back seat to that.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: soni
Run Virtual PC or VMWare for you workstations part.

Agreed.