I've used dual-boot Linux/Windows systems (and triple-boot when
I got Mac hardware!) for many years. The ideal configuration is
now a big improvement on that: You run Linux as your system, and
install a "virtual OS" program (I use a free one called "virtualbox",
but there are several). You put Windows (or other things that shall
not be named) in as virtual OSs, and use them without rebooting.
It's actually faster and easier to start the virtual machine than
it is to boot the native system, and files can be arbitrarily shared.
I have both XP and Win7 in mine.

It still may be a hassle getting Linux up the first time (and there
are boxes on which you can't, yet), but it's worth it.