Dual-boot is the feature that some computers have to run either Windows or Macintosh /wiki/spaces/scicimport1/pages/1769808. All public iMacs and Mac Pros on campus have this capability. When the computer starts up, an OS selection screen will appear and allow you to choose an operating system, or "side".

Scratch Disks

Each side of a dual-boot computer has a designated scratch disk, in addition to the OS disk. These are areas of the computer that are not erased when the machine is shut down. The Windows side cannot see the Mac scratch disk or the Mac OS disk; the Mac side can see all four disks. It is recommended that users on the Mac side not save to the Windows disks.