Two windows installations running simultaneously

caleb1 · March 25, 2022

I tried googling but found no good results, maybe I do not know the terms to search for.

But I am wondering if there is a way to run a second windows installation running at the same time.

I know I can have two OS installed, but I would have to select one or the other at boot.

But I am wondering if there is a way that they can both be booted and running at the same time.

I basically want to mimic the experience that I would have by viewing a virtual machine on my PC, but where it is all installed locally on the same device.

Hopefully this makes sense.

Anyone know if there is a way to do this?

Thanks.

C2dan88 · March 25, 2022

Yes. Using unraid you can have multiple instances of windows installed and running at the same time.

This requires having duplicate hardware (such as mouse, keyboard, monitor, gpu) etc for each windows instance

Some past ltt videos about this

The original concept being 2 gamers 1 pc video way back

And the crazy 7 gamers 1 pc

GoodBytes · March 25, 2022

No. Impossible.

CPU run as supervisor (administrator) the first software that is loaded by the BIOS.

That software is typically an Operating System (OS) (well... technically speaking you have the bootloader but that is opening a can that contains multitude of cans of worms. So let's just say OS as typically it is all packaged together, for simplicity sakes). This OS, needs to have full privileges of the CPU to... well... operate your system, as its name suggests.

Assuming you have a CPU with 0 security, and everyone runs ad admin. Another issue is dealing with conflicts requests by the 2x OS who won't be able to communicate between each other. In other words, you need something bellow them.

As you start thinking and dealing with these issue, you'll end up with VM environment.

In other words you'll end up with solutions such as (all depending on ones needs): Unraid, VMWave vSphere, Citrix XenServer, or Hyper-V.