[Question] - To VPC or Dual Boot

[cutie_pyie]

Hi all,

I have a isssue that I need help with please.

I am a single mom with 2 kids and only one computer,

a Dell P4 with 1.3GhZ CPU and 256KB RDRAM, running Window XP Pro SP2. The Hard drive is partitioned into 5 different partitions:

C:==for the OS only;

D:==for application programs, MS Office, Nero, etc.;

E:==for temp files & TIF's;

F:==for my documents, music, pictures, etc.;

G:==for future use, unused at this time.

It was done this way by a friend to make it easy for me to backup my data & such and to make whole system backup easy. I use Acronis True Image to make backup images of each partition as necessary.

I do not have a problem with my kids using the computer but lately they have been doing stuff that seems to mess it up - they use Kazza and Emule to do P2P file sharing and such with their friends and others. I have been told that those applications can really mess up a system and infect it with all kinds of stuff.

I want to know which of the following scenarios would be better for me (and keep me from killing the kids).

1.) Install a second copy of Windows XP Pro to the unused partition "G", so they can do what they want (mostly surfing and these P2P programs), and I don't have to worry about it infecting the other Operating system. I would be interested in knowing how to keep this second OS from writing anything to the other partitions if I do not want it to though?? Some type of file sharing?? *** Please comment as necessary. ***

After I install this 2nd OS and update it with all hotfixes, etc., I would make an image of it and save it to CD/DVD's so if they really mess it up I could just reinstall from the image (which is pretty fast), and they would be back to where it started from.

2.) Use the above scenario but with the addition of MS Virtual PC and have the 2nd copy of XP Pro running inside VPC? But remember, this PC only has 256KB of memory and it is really too expensive for me to upgrade it as my friend says RDRAM is costly.

3.) Use as is (with only one instance of Windows XP Pro) but install a program called "SANDBOXIE", $20.00 shareware, http://www.sandboxie.com/faq.php and have the kids run their P2P programs and do their surfing from within this program? Not certain if this program is a finished product or a work in progress?

The cost of the 2nd copy of Windows XP Pro is not an issue as I already have an extra copy, and I also already have a paid copy of MS VPC, I hear it is now free from Microsoft.

Thank you for you time and I anxiously await all comments and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Sue

[LLXX]

256KB RDRAM

...

But remember, this PC only has 256KB of memory

Are you serious???

Anyway, I recommend a dual-boot. I wouldn't recommend VPC for constant use, as its performance is less than ideal especially on a machine like yours. It's more for testing purposes.

[pmshah]

First & foremost you have not mentioned the size of your hdd. This can be the determining factor for the approach.

I have used a slightly different approach. I have multiple boot partitions on my a20 gb hard disk. One each for me, my wife & my daughter. I use BootItNG boot manager to select the boot partiton. It can selectively expose /hide the partiton for each selection. I leave the programs on the c: drive so these don't interfere with other boot partitions. Once one partition is properly configured & activated it is a simple matter to clone the partition so it is ready to go. You can resize the partition so that all the kazaa & other shared files for your children remain on their C: partition. The boot manager will also allow you to create image files for easy restoration. These images can be on unused portion of the hdd & can be set so they can never be accessed under windows so these remain safe from all OSes.

So far as safety of your data is concerned I would move it to a different partition, preferably a fat32 one, for easy retrieval even under DOS.

[prx984]

I do not have a problem with my kids using the computer but lately they have been doing stuff that seems to mess it up - they use Kazza and Emule to do P2P file sharing and such with their friends and others. I have been told that those applications can really mess up a system and infect it with all kinds of stuff.

god kazaa is terrible, dont use it. its full of spyware and stuff. the best one is either gnucleus (hard to set up) or bearshare lite.

but i would recommend doing a dual boot and not having your drive partitioned 5 ways. just make 3 partitions, 1 for each OS you need, then one for backup. that way your not running all over the place to find stuff. plus the drive constantly searching for the programs on the disk will severly degrade performance on a machine like that.

my laptop has one 40gb hdd and i just use it as one partition, same on my desktop but that has an 80gb in it.

anyway, hope you get it working the way you want it.

regards, cygnus

256KB RDRAM

...

But remember, this PC only has 256KB of memory

Are you serious???

i think she meant 256MB

Edited July 15, 2006 by Cygnus

[IcemanND]

Must be a Dell GX400, for a relatively cheap source of memory, contact your local university. A lot of them had/have gx400's and are now replacing them. And said universities usually have a surplus department which offloads the now unused computers, furniture etc. The local university to me has about 50 gx400's they are selling for $100 to $150. You could even end up with a better cd/dvd/cdrw hard drive or other componetnts this way.

As far as what to do I'd go with pmshah's idea, or get a copy of DeepFreeze and then they'll have to reinstall the application everytime they need it. But when you want it gone just restart the computer.