No matter how much you love your current OS, you still need room to experiment. For example, Windows probably supports your favorite software, but you might be curious about Linux. Or perhaps you want to upgrade to Windows 2000, but your favorite old games run only on Windows 95. Well, grab your fork, because you can have your cake and eat it, too--all without shelling out dough for a new machine.

Thanks to today's huge hard drives, most Windows PCs have room for two operating systems on the same machine, known as a dual-boot system. If you have gigabytes to spare, we'll show you how to partition your hard drive to make room for a new OS, prepare your Windows PC for a safe dual boot, and install your second OS. We'll even recommend some software to make the job easier.

Before You Begin
Better safe than sorry. Back up your hard drive before you split it up.

Dual-Boot Your Windows 95 or 98 Machine
Add new alternatives to the old standbys.

Dual-Boot Your Windows 2000 Machine
Add an older OS or simply diversify. It's easy!

Show me how to get started!