You could always try a "live CD" version of linux to see if you would want to dual boot into it for this emulator or maybe for some other things. If you like linux (or at least don't hate it) creating a dual boot without touching your currently installed OS is easy (assuming you have some space to make a partition on your hard drive).
Testing linux first is also a good idea since not all laptop manufacturers are good at supporting their devices and you might not be able to get reliable drivers for all the hardware.
Testing linux first is also a good idea since not all laptop manufacturers are good at supporting their devices and you might not be able to get reliable drivers for all the hardware.