Yes, it is feasible to use two distinct operating systems on one machine.
Yes, it is feasible to use two distinct operating systems on one machine.
You're looking to use one Windows 10 PC with a hard drive and another with Windows XP. Since some software and games only run on XP, you want to keep them separate without converting to XP. It’s possible to set up two different operating systems on the same physical drive by using separate operating system partitions or volumes. Just ensure the drives are properly formatted and that your applications are compatible with each OS. Conflicts can arise if files or drivers aren't correctly recognized, so testing on a single drive first is a good idea.
I've been attempting to handle this on my own. Using a dedicated keyboard, mouse, and monitor with a VM seems to function. Trying Ubuntu might help.
You have the option, but you'll restart each time you change settings. I suggest using a VM such as the one recommended by @nerdslayer1. What? He mentioned needing it for XP specifically.
Absolutely possible. It's simple to manage. I remember when I had three Windowa XPs and one Windows 8 on the same setup since I didn't know how to remove them... (I was 13).
For VM recommendations: OP intends to play games. Windows doesn’t support GPU virtualization, so VMs aren’t viable. To OP: it’s feasible, but the setup might be tricky based on your approach. A bootloader typically lives on the boot sector and decides which OS to load. The sequence in which you install Windows can cause problems—such as installing XP first then 10, which may conflict since XP’s bootloader might not recognize 10. An alternative is to install one OS, remove all but one hard drive, and then install the other OS. When switching between OSes, you need to specify which drive should start up.
To play XP games, consider moving them to another drive and loading from there, as suggested by @M.Yurizaki. Using the virtual machine feature makes sense only for games that don’t need a powerful GPU.
I'm testing two operating systems simultaneously. One is on one hard drive, the other on another. You can split part of the first drive to make a separate drive for installing XP and your favorite games or programs.