One of my dilemmas being a computer consultant is what operating system do I use on my own computers?  The one I like or one the majority of my clients use?  Unfortunately, they aren’t the same in my case: I prefer Linux Mint and most of my clients use some version of Microsoft Windows. I’m afraid if I don’t stay in practice with Windows, I will lose my proficiency with it.  To solve the dilemma on my main work computer, I have it dual-booting Windows 10 and Linux Mint 17.  This arrangement allows me to boot into one or the other at a time.  When I’m done with Windows 10, I close my programs and shut-down or restart  Windows.  At the boot menu, I can select Linux and start using it.  Another solution is using a Virtual computer which runs inside another computer’s operating system. The one I use inside of Linux is Oracle’s Virtualbox.  I have a Virtual machine for Windows 7 installed and I can flip back and forth between Windows 7 and Linux without needing to reboot from one operating system to another.  One drawback is Windows 7 is slower in a Virtual machine than in real mode, but it does work. I’m running Quickbooks in a Windows 7 virtual machine inside of Linux Mint. 

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