Can a PC run more than 30 operating systems? It sure can. Here's how.

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We've all heard of dual-boot systems or even triple- and quadruple-boot systems with versions of Linux, Unix, and Windows. But exactly how many operating systems can you fit in one computer? I decided to find out. On today's show I'll demonstrate how it's done.

This project started with a simple dual boot between Windows 98 and 2000. Then I added some Linux distributions and BeOS. Somewhere along the line, adding operating systems became an obsession. I wanted to see exactly how many I could stuff in one box. It also became a project to prove people wrong. Many people told me that what I achieved could not be done.

How many operating systems?
There are many points of view on exactly what an operating system is. I have concluded that I have approximately 39 separate, fully functional operating systems on my machine (as well as two that are sick at the moment). If you count my 18 DOS window managers, I have a total of 57 operating systems on my PC.

How could anyone have the time to use them all? I mainly use Windows 98 SE and Windows XP, but I do hop around to the others for the fun of it. The nice thing is the versatility. If one acts up, you spank its bottom and boot another OS.

Having many operating systems on one machine does not inhibit the normal functionality of the machine. I can do anything on my machine that I could do before I added these systems, and more.

Here's a list of the operating systems on my PC.

Before you start
Research is the key. Do the research before you start. Plan everything. Decide which systems you want installed and why.

Don't be afraid to start over completely. I had to start over on a number of occasions. It has taken me about a year to do all of this.

Get a bunch of hard drives for your system. I have six. You might need to get a PCI IDE card to expand your IDE ports.

Partition wisely. Map out your partition plans and go over their advantages and disadvantages.

Always, always back up your precious data.

And have a guitar handy. I've had quite a bit of practice while waiting for installers to finish.

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