You may run into issues with Microsoft who have built heavy copy protection into
Vista. It is likely to detect that it is not running on the original machine and
spoil your plans. While technically you are running it on the same machine, MS
does not see it this way. You are making a copy of their OS and this is not
allowed. They may have a license that allows virtualization, but if it exists it
is likely to be pricey. There are several ways to get skirt copy protection on
Vista and they can be googled on the net.

There are ghost tools available for Linux such as G4L or SMART. I am sure that
it can be done, but you may need to bone up on your skills to do it. I know that
forensics experts do this to recover information from computers that are
destroyed or wiped clean to recover information or evidence.

If your plan does not work out and you elect to go for dual boot, keep in mind
that it is harder to set up dual boot with Vista in the first place. If you need
to recover your Vista drive as some OEMs have their computers set to do from a
recovery partition then they have the habit of wiping out other partitions to
restore the original set-up. Finally Vista SP1 is said to destroy Linux
partitions. I do not use Vista, this is only what I have read on the net.
Perhaps someone with first hand experience can share their knowledge.

I have doubts as to the viability of your scheme as Windows is pretty
aware of, and sensitive to, its environment.

WRT your dead pixel question, I would think that you could get to the
same point with The Gimp. You could create 3 JPEG images each filled
with one primary color (0,0,255), (0,255,0), and (0,0,255) and then
view them full screen.

You could use Virtual Widows from MS or dual boot with Vista. I have
done both and there are not difficulties.

Most new computers come with a 'restore' disk or you build one on first boot,
they also usually keep most of the data needed for restore on a hidden
partition. If you make the 'restore' disk (cd), just leave the hidden
partition on the drive and install what you want, kinda simple, then you
could restore the original if needed. Make sure you check this all out before
you do it, and / or Ghost the whole drive first and add the 'boot' part of
Ghost to the first backup disk (cd/dvd).

The restore strategy that computer companies use has changed over the
years and to some extent differ with each company. Originally users
would have to reinstall the OS completely, then install the
applications, those that came with the machine and those that they had
installed since they got the machine.

My Sony PII had a editable text file that provided the information
necessary to install the 'pre-installed' applications. Soon after I
got my computer I investigated this file and tried to edit out the
applications that I did not want installed.
The references to each program were coded rather than mentioning the
program name, so I clicked on each file to find out which program it
was. I then make a list the programs I wanted and those not. I think
that I ended up just manually installing each program. Then I used
Norton Ghost to clone my C partition. I have followed some version of
this strategy ever since.

As time went buy computer companies started to provide what they
called 'recovery' disks or disk sets. The bean counters must have had
a fit so that companies began creating recover partition with all the
install programs on them. I did not realize that this was the way my
brother's computer was set up and I accidentally wiped the recover
partition on his computer. We contacted HP and got install disks.

My most recent PC, a Dell, came with a combination of an a recovery
disk and files on the hard drive, mostly drivers and a few apps. But
these also used code numbers instead of name, so I investigate the
files an and renamed them. The install disk installed mostly the OS.
So after running it I had to install the drivers and the few pre-
installed programs.
Actually have to admit that I goofed on this machine, it too had a
recovery partition that I managed to damage. "That's what you get for
tampering!" That's true, but that is how I learn about computers. In
fact that is how I have learned about most technology. That's what I
am, a technology buff. And I still use Ghost to clone my C partition
to another partition. These days with huge hard drives this is easy.
As for my data files, each of my computers had pretty much the same
partitions, Audio Video files, Archived program files, personal data
files and Computing related files.

The result is that my files exist in duplicate. In addition the same
partitions exist on my external hard drive.
My External has two partitions, one for my PCs, one for my Macs. Mac
Leopard now has a program called Time Machine, a back up program par
excel-lance. Well that's what they say, I have not tried to do a
restore with TM yet.

I didn't realize my daughter's XP laptop was set up this way
and accidentally wiped the recover partition.

So I installed Ubuntu on it instead.

You turned a potentially bad situation into something good.