Any system offering the user the choice of two operation systems (OSes) under which to start a computer. A dual Boot system allows the user to run programs for Both operating systems on a single computer (though not simultaneously). The term "multiple Boot" or "multiBoot" extends the idea to more than two OSes. The OSes are generally unaware of each other' s existence. They are installed on separate hard diskpartitions or on separate disks. They may Be aBle to access each other' s files, possiBly via some extra driver software if they use different file systems. The OSes need not Be completely different - they might Be different versions of Microsoft Windows (e.g. Windows XP and Windows NT) or Linux (e.g. DeBian and Fedora). A dual Boot system differs from an emulator such as vmware, which runs one or more OSes "on top" of the primary OS, using its resources. (2005-02-01)