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Let's imagine we have a quad-core CPU. Now, I'm wondering if it is possible to run – let's say – Windows on 2 of the cores and Linux on the other 2 cores.

And – before someone marks this as a duplicate – I'm not talking about virtual machines (as in all the other questions). I'm talking about running the OSes on the barebone CPU without anything like a scheduler/hypervisor in between (besides a slightly modified BIOS/UEFI that assigns the correct RAM address spaces and connects to seperate displays etc).

Mastersulm
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No. This is not possible with hardware as it is today. There are many reasons this cant work. For example, what if the core's share the same cache? The operating systems have no access to the CPU cache and the CPU doesnt know or care what operating system is being run on it. It cannot distinguish or divide the cache between multiple operating systems. And BIOS doesnt have anything to do with memory. That is managed via a memory controller, in which the loaded operating system has control over. The list goes on and on.

Keltari
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  • It's actually been done, but not the way the OP imagines it: there was this mini-laptop, years ago, that could run Windows XP and Linux at the same time. Sort of. In fact, you had to put one of the OSes to sleep to activate the other, and vice versa, and so on, and so forth. I'll try to remember what the brand was, but it goes way back, like 2005 or 2006. Lemme think about it... –  Apr 15 '20 at 13:42
  • @Didier What you describe may be true... but as you describe it, they are not running at the same time and therefore does not meet the requirements of the question. – Keltari Apr 15 '20 at 13:44
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    I must say, with all the kindness I can muster, that I don't really care about the "requirements of the question"... The OP asked if it was possible to dedicate two of his CPU cores to run one OS, and the other two to another OS at the same time, and I said it's been done, sort of. And I explained why the sort of. Now, you can split hairs all you want, but I'm too old for this shtuff... –  Apr 15 '20 at 13:48
  • @Didier Lol. You would think in your wise old years that you would learn to not give answer that actually answers the question or even come close. Go be cranky somewhere else. – Keltari Apr 15 '20 at 13:54
  • I'm not cranky, just bored about some people's attitude around here. I don't know if it's the lockdown that makes them like that, but the question the OP started is all but rhetorical anyway, so why bother bickering about such trivial matters? –  Apr 15 '20 at 15:33
  • @Didier First off, pointing out the facts is literally the purpose of this site. The OP asked a question, which was by no means in any shape or form, rhetorical. I suggest you look up the definition of rhetorical. If you cant handle responses to your comment, you should definitely not be on the internet. That being said, I am done responding. Have a nice day. – Keltari Apr 15 '20 at 16:03