Triple Boot Vista, XP and Ubuntu

I like guides that go beyond the usual guides that you find on the Internet. You may have seen many guides that explain to you how you can create a dual-boot system. This author adds another operating system to the mix, so that you can triple boot the three operating systems Windows XP, Windows Vist and Ubuntu on a single PC.

This is ideal for users who do not yet know which of the operating systems they want to use permanently, and for users who need access to all of those operating systems for work or spare time.

What you do need are copies of Windows XP and Vista, as well as Ubuntu on CD or DVD. You can download and burn Ubuntu free of charge, while you have to purchase XP and Vista. I do not recommend you use trial versions of XP or Vista for this, even though it is possible. The main reason for this is that you may not be able to upgrade to the full version once it comes out, and that you can't really make use of the system anymore when its trial period expired.

The author suggests to completely wipe the hard drive that you want to install the operating systems on - I think it is the best approach next to using a new hard drive for this. Dariks Boot and Nuke is a freeware tool that lets you wipe a hard drive.

Make sure you select the right one before you proceed. Better yet, disconnect all drives that contain data that you do not want to lose so that you do not run into any issues during the process.

Please note that you can also only do a quick format or no format at all and install the operating systems. Partitioning may destroy data on the drive nevertheless so keep that in mind.

The installation starts with Ubuntu and the partitioning of the hard drive using the Ubuntu installer. Everything is explained in great detail including screenshots of every step, impossible to make something wrong here if you read the instructions carefully.

After that he walks you through the XP and Vista installation. Everything is detailed just like the Ubuntu installation guide.

Most users should be happy with this setup. Someone pointed out that you could also start with XP, install Vista afterwards and finally Ubuntu to use the Bootloader of Ubuntu instead of the Windows one.

Update: Please note that the guide is no longer available.

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