If you use separate drives, you can do as many independent boots as you like. I have a home built machine that is still a triple boot - Vista HP, XP, Ubuntu (not yet removed). I use the BIOS to adjust the boot, but on many aftermarket BIOS's you get an F12 option on the POST options at the bottom of the screen to go to a boot menu. Delete will take you into the BIOS setup, but F12 (on mine) takes you to a menu where you select the boot device. Unfortunately I was going to use identical HD's, but the listing is by drive Manufacturer and model number, so I had to use different size drives. This is the cleanest was to do a dual boot because one does not impact the other.

You can do a dual boot with one drive. Here is a Document that discusses dual/multi boot configurations. As I said, I did not want to mess with the various problems of which to install first and which to install second, etc. I used an 80GB HD for on OS, a 120 for the second and a 160 for the third. All but two of my current drives are Seagates so I had to use size. The two non Seagates are two 500GB Samsungs that are spares for my Network storage. Currently you can get an 80GB drive for around $50.

Before you open the OEM install package for Vista, you might contact Microsoft and see what they will charge for a 32 bit disk and COA. Worst case, you have to buy a second OEM disk unless you want to stick with a single 32 bit install. Looking at some of the comments on the 64bit version of the Ultimate OEM diskc on new it was generally liked even though there were some incompatibilities. They did mention some games that ran in 64bit.

I do not know of anyone who has attempted to dual boot 32bit and 64bit on the same drive. I do not know if it is even possible given that it is slight variations of the same OS. I do know that you can do it on separate drives, and it may cost you as much as $170 for the OS, small drive and shipping. Remember that regardless of which drive you boot from, you can see the files and folders on the other. So if you decide that you want to use the 64bit version for you main boot with the games, you could use the 32bit for other applications that will not run in 64bit yet, but can still sell all the data on the big drive.

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When mounting the system board, replace all the metal standoffs in the case with nylon or plastic ones. This will save you a lot of headaches initially and in the future by preventing shorts of the power supply, which is the most common problem I see in new builds by both beginners and experienced builders.

Hi dhill1984, I know you said outside of windows, but if you are going to be doing some heavy gaming, Music and video stuff, I would recommend XP Media Center Edition 2005. (32 bit). You have probably opened the door for a whole host of suggestions, all which will probably be good and each individule's own preference, myself included. It depends on what your plans are. Judging by what you've listed, I'm assuming gaming is on the agenda. In my opinion, XP MCE will allow you to play with fewer headaches than Vi$ta. coastie65

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eMachines T5212.... Intel Pentium D 945 3.4Ghz..... evga 8600 GT 256 Mb PCI-E video card..... Realtec HD audio......2 Gb 533 Mhz DDR2 memory..... Lite on CD RW; DVD +R / RW DL optical drive...... Windows XP MCE 2005....... Antec Basiq 500w PSU......200 Gb PATA HDD

Before you seriously consider XP MCE, check out the user comments on XP MCE on the Newegg website. You may or may not be aware that users can enter evaluations (1-5 "eggs" based on their experience with the item). XP MCE is only avatilabe as an OEM installation, and comes on 2 CD's not 1 like the rest of XP. Apparently the installation is to be polite quirky and involves swapping CD's, and there is apparently an error in the install sequence.

XP MCE mainly came preinstalled from the factory on new manufactured PC's. It was a pre-install on my HP Media Center and although I had problems, I think it was mostly Norton's Internet Security which was also pre-installed. That program really gave me fits. I liked the graphical front ent, which I would describe as pre-Vista. The corners of the windows are rounded, not square like Home and Pro, and when you move a window it goes transparent. It has better wallpapers as well. MCE is basically XP Pro with the Media Center grafted on.

You have ordered Vista Home Premium 64bit, so I would tend to go with Vista Home Premium 32bit for 32bit compatibility and then you are not trying to keep two different OS's straight. Ever since I installed the free Vista upgrade (my Media Center qualified for the upgrade program), my Vista machine has taken over as my main machine from my old XP Pro desktop. Most of the time, the XP desktop gets fired up to answer a question or run a few programs I have not upgreaded, and in fact I still have an old Win98 machine I have to hook up once in a great while to run one program that will not run in XP.

Why don't you consider this - go ahead and install the 64bit version of Vista. It comes with its own special version of IE7, and see how your games do. Then install what other programs you may have. Be aware that at any point you may find a game or program that will not run, and if you have enough, you can then consider which 32bit OS to install. I would also recommend a book called Windows Vista: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and published by O'Reilly publications a large computer orieted publisher. I found the book most helpful to me in making the transition. I also have the XP Pro book as well as the Win2000 and Excel 2007 books as well. The series if detailed, well organized and informative without treating you as a dummy. The Vista book is almost 800 pages.

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Sometimes I get confused meeting myself coming around the corner. I use a crippled version of Windows2000 at work. (IT has locked out the control panel and you can't install any programs - they did this to keep viruses from coming in behind the firewall. We had a lot of problems before they did that.) Then I go home and shift gears between XP and Vista all night. The one I use 90% of the time now at home is Vista. I tried Ubuntu to see what everyone was talking about, but it was so foreign and I didn't need a fourth OS that was just so different right now - so I have dropped it for now.

I would be interested in your long term experience with MCE because it is definitely the most pleasing of the XP operating systems. I never used the actual Media Center on MCE, but have in Vista. One of the problems with MCE, is that there are no real MCE book on it that I have seen. In fact not until I read through the Media Center chaper in my Vista book did I really understand MCE.

When you get the system balanced out and functioning to where it pleases you, seriously consider cloning the hard drive. Then operate off the clone and put the original away (or leave it in the machine but disconnected as an in place backup). Here is a link to a Document on cloning. If you run Acronic from the recover disk I think you can clone anything, I have even sucessfully cloned an Ubuntu installation as a test. You can't install it, but it in Ubuntu, but you can boot from the CD and run it from the CD.

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