Some questions about multiple running OS

[NaitorStudios]

Hi, I'm currently not using a KVM, but I was considering switching to PROXMOX, so I have some questions:

1. Can I dual boot between barebones Windows (using all resources) and the same Windows installation but virtualized + Linux/MacOS (splitting resources)? How?
2. Can I switch between virtualized Windows alone (using all resources) to virtualized Windows + MacOS/Linux (splitting resources) on boot? How?
3. Will the drive where PROXMOX will be installed be erased? Can it be installed in a partition without affecting other OS?
4. Can PROXMOX make system backups on another drive (without erasing other files that this drive might contain)? Cause I have a big drive for storage and I would like to save backups there as well...
5. Is that VMware compatible graphics mode what's used whenever you don't have a compatible GPU? That only works when accessing remotely, correct?
6. Are things like Intel Rapid Storage / Apple Fusion Drive compatible with it? (Basically, an SSD and HDD in a RAID)
7. Can it have a boot selection where you can choose between opening a single OS or two at the same time?

I hope I'm not asking for too much, but I think this will also benefit a lot of users that are also looking for stuff like this.
Thank you!

 

[Dunuin]

1. Can I dual boot between barebones Windows (using all resources) and the same Windows installation but virtualized + Linux/MacOS (splitting resources)? How?

Read some threads here people doing this. They used disk passthrough to bring the disk windows was installed on into the VM or booted directly without virtualization from that disk.

1. Can I switch between virtualized Windows alone (using all resources) to virtualized Windows + MacOS/Linux (splitting resources) on boot? How?

PVE and the guests run headless unless you install a desktop environment and connect to the VMs using a remote desktop client. Your VMs got fixed ressources. You would need to change them manually or write a script to change them for you.

1. Will the drive where PROXMOX will be installed be erased? Can it be installed in a partition without affecting other OS?

Yes it will wipe the whole disk.

1. Can PROXMOX make system backups on another drive (without erasing other files that this drive might contain)? Cause I have a big drive for storage and I would like to save backups there as well...

You can store backups of guests on any filesystem when using vzdump when creating a directory storge for vzdump.

1. Is that VMware compatible graphics mode what's used whenever you don't have a compatible GPU? That only works when accessing remotely, correct?

Virtio GPU is used by default. You can only access VMs remotely unless you use PCI passthrough to passthrough a physical GPU into a VM. Without GPU passthrough everything will be rendered/encoded/decoded in software without GPU acceleration.

1. Are things like Intel Rapid Storage / Apple Fusion Drive compatible with it? (Basically, an SSD and HDD in a RAID)

In another thread someone mentioned paid drivers from 3rd party providers for fuson Drive.

1. Can it have a boot selection where you can choose between opening a single OS or two at the same time?

You would need to set such things up yourself. The PVE installer isn't supporting dual boot. For more advanced setups I would recommend to install PVE ontop of Debian. the Debian installer got way more features: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_11_Bullseye

 

[_gabriel]

sorry, but you must try to discover how it works.
play and learn yourself with spare ssd / hdd.
some infos :
proxmox installer will erase disk selected.
disk for VMs are Virtual so can't be dual boot with native boot.
dual boot native/virtualized can be done with passthrough disk to VMs (command line required) and you need dedicaced disk and you loose snapshot for that vm.
proxmox is just a Debian Linux distribution without gui, built for headless server, managed by browser from another computer.